Review: IRENA at Teatr Muzyczny Poznan

Irena Sendlerowa was a true heroine, courageous, full of power and beliefs that made her one of the most important people in social activism of the 20th century. A dedicated, but tragic in a way, a believer that good is possible. The Poznan Musical Theater has paid tribute to her and brings us a story that will remind you how inspiring a human story can be.

Brian Kite had a huge challenge: to tell a sad and moving story through the musical, which is not naturally associated with war, trauma, and the Holocaust. He does it with poetry and simplicity: by putting Good in the first line. The whole story is presented as a memory of an old woman (Irena Sendlerowa was almost 100 years old when she died) filled with rigid, tough but also graceful memories. We can see them all on the stage. They flow from event to event, sometimes blurry, sometimes magical, difficult, bold, or beautiful. Her vulnerability makes her extremely brave. This story is so powerful also because is true, the show itself is also very realistic even if it is symbolic.

Judyta Wenda as Irena is incredible in her role, she’s Irena. Her sensitivity and strength make her performance extremely convincing. She has this peculiar kind of tenderness which makes you believe that anything she does is good.

All the characters are amazing: Adam, played by Marcin Wortmann, is like an anchor and compass of the show, Ms Grinberg (Agnieszka Wawrzyniak) is so real that you can almost literally feel her pain, fearless Magda (Urszula Laudańska) brings an amazing dynamic to the show. All the other cast, soldiers, oppressors, kids, and Janusz Korczak are making this show faithful and splendid in a very special way.

The separate actor is the set design made by Damian Styrna. Its simplicity, craft, and ingenuity are breathtaking. Separate pieces rise from the ground like small puzzles in a big story. The cherry on the scenography pie are mindblowing projections (by Eliasz Styrna and Damian Styrna). I love it a lot! Plus, Anna Chadaj's costumes are amazing. Each piece is like a fulfillment of a character wearing it. They are made from dreams with a lot of textures, patterns colors, and different materials. The show is seen from a kid’s perspective so a great addition is seeing the child's pencil style in the costume designs.

Last but not least: the music by Wlodek Pawlik is moving and ravishing, and the choreography by Dana Solimando invites us to feel the story even more with a variety of emotions and amazing stage movements.

It's a tribute to life, to choices, and to fighting for the little ones. Survival and life are primordial values ​​and I mean the situation when we put ourselves in great danger to protect and save others. It is a tribute to everybody who fought but remained unknown, it is an obedience to Humanity. It’s not an easy subject but the result of the artists’ work is so good that you just have to see it.

Photo: Dawid Stube