director – Maja Kleczewska
writers – Maja Kleczewska, Łukasz Chotkowski
dramaturg – Łukasz Chotkowski
set and lighting designer, video, found footage – Wojciech Puś
music – Paweł Krawczyk
costume designer – Konrad Parol
director – Maja Kleczewska
writers – Maja Kleczewska, Łukasz Chotkowski
dramaturg – Łukasz Chotkowski
set and lighting designer, video, found footage – Wojciech Puś
music – Paweł Krawczyk
costume designer – Konrad Parol
When Abraham finds out from the Angel that he is not here to sacrifice Isaak, he asks: How can it be? Have I come in vain? I will nevertheless mutilate him to let him bleed a little. Will that please you?
Similarly to other dramas, Noble prize winner Gerhart Hauptmann presents in The Rats the world as the decay of principles and values. Looking at the misery of life, he always said that he wanted to be in charge of rebellion that will infuriate the public and politicians. He has forced the audience to take a look at things they don’t want to see.
Maja Kleczewska and playwright Łukasz Chotkowski relocate the play to modern Warsaw. Particular scenes of the play involve Warsaw elite circles who usurp their right to reprimand and educate the society. The play’s line-up consciously includes actors who every day appear on the silver screen in the majority of Polish households.
Similarly to the work of German playwright, the play also features people shunt on the sidelines. The world presented as part of the play cannot easily differentiate between good and evil, and the actors are entangled in complex relations specific to their groups. Uncontrollable, artificial desires which motivate The Rats lead them directly to self-destruction. Individuals and the entire society is the price they will have to ultimately pay; after all, if you can dream about and buy anything, then you can also sell anything you want; especially a person.
The Rats staged in Powszechny Theatre is only second adaptation in Poland after the world premiere which took place in 1911.
For adults only.
Teatr Powszechny im. Zygmunta Hübnera | ul. Jana Zamoyskiego 20 03-801 Warszawa | tickets 22 818 25 16 22 818 48 19 |