MELISSA
Nikos Kazantzakis
translated by Alexandra Medrea-Danciu
adapted by Nona Ciobanu
The theatrical space belongs to essential elements: fire and water are the signs of a tragic mythology whose role is to denounce the "crookedness" of history.
In the beginning the characters are stuck in the sand scattered all over the stage - then they gradually but painfully detach themselves. The higher platform upstage is the locus of the grand gestures and conflicts; here there is also a piano. Underneath it, in the "fishbowl" where the dead appear before the end, stands Dionysus's mask, a token of this world's frenzied instinctiveness, but also of its obstinate quest for truth. The god and his attendants, wearing red, flamboyant wigs command a world which is solely concerned with avenging a man's error. It is a wrongfully conceived world, dominated by a tyrannous will. Nona Ciobanu's show is an earnest attempt to "rehabilitate" tragedy in a world that seems enslaved by a Dionysian delirium, instead of consciously defending truth. The world of Melissa is cruel, yet poetic. One character, the Aed, played by the famous jazz pianist Harry Tavitian brings a tint of disconcertion into the show. Melissa is the sign of an obsessed quest which few directors dare attempt to render as such, since most of them think they can "manufacture" theatre. Obviously, this approach calls for competition but Nona Ciobanu's professional credentials are already remarkable.
Cuvantul - Marian Popescu
Bulandra Theatre
1995
Directed by
Nona Ciobanu
Set and costumes
Mihai Mădescu
Live Music
Harry Tavitian
Choreography
Mihai Mihalcea, Razvan Mazilu
Costume assistent
Mihaela Ivanov
Light Design
Ioan Lazar
Foto / Photos
Radu Sigheti
Poster and leaflet design
Gabriel Decebal Cojoc
Foto Gallery
Cast
Victor Rebengiuc
Periandru (Tyrant of Corint)
Claudiu Stanescu
Licofron (the elder son)
Iulian Baltatescu
Kipselos (the younger son of Periandru and Melissa)
Dragos Pâslaru
Procles (Tyrant of Epidaurus, Melissa's father)
Dana Tapalaga
Alka (Licofron's fiance)
Mihai Cafrița
Demos
Harry Tavitian
Singer, slave to Periandru
Dionysos retinue:
Maria Varsami,
Răzvan Mazilu,
Mihai Mihalcea
Choir, servants:
Raluca Petra, Laura Crăciun, Adelaida Zamfira, Marcela Motoc, Ioan Batinaș, Daniel Popescu, Petre Dinuliu, Barbu V. Dumitru, Simon Alexandru, Susanu Ionel, Bană Andrei
Awards
Reviews
Melissa's world is cruel, violent and sick. A world that dies in awful pains. Tragedy and comedy intermix on the stage. Dionysus leads the game as the director of the play itself while pulling all the strings. He stays on to see the beginning of the first crime, and then he witnesses all the others, from the back. Together with his procession, Dionysus crosses the stage at different times, especially in the key points of the dramatic situations.
Working notes - Nona Ciobanu
Love and death celebrated together, Dionysiac delirium, blow up of any life borders, power game, ecstasy.
Rampa - Ramona Mitrica
The show is worth seeing for many of the inputs that build it up, especially that of the young Nona Ciobanu - a great promise of Romanian stage direction. Her unmatched merit is that of casting the famous jazzman (Harry Tavitian, with his piano and compositions) as the bard.
Realitatea Ilustrata - S. A.
At the Bulandra Theatre, Victor Rebengiuc gives a brilliant performance in a play directed by a student. A grandiose show, a tragicomedy, perhaps as controversial as any other unprecedented theatrical forecefully enacted.
Formula As - Alice Manoiu
The show "Melissa", based on an adaptation after Nikos Kazantzakis, conveys the strong imprint of talent, of a truly remarkable directorial voice. It proves consummate technique in dealing with both classical and modern theatrical means, and also a strong independence of personal expression, managing the complex organism that creates theatre. Nona Ciobanu is a true director.