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Saturday, March 24, 2007

Fairies, flashing furtively

...or 'knickers, boxers and y-fronts'. Sounds worse than it was, Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream at the Marjanishvili Theatre in Tbilisi! Don't ask who the producer and actors were - I don't know and the Theatre's website is in Georgian - 'tis too much to deal with at this late hour.
In any case, it's not Mr Sturua who produces the shows; he presides at the Rustaveli Theatre. That theatre's website has some English.

The Marjanishvili's productions are not as in your face, and strident, as those of the Rustaveli Theatre (she says confidently, having seen two of the first and five of the second). For a start, the music does not touch the pain barrier, and it does not involve Mr Kancheli's music either.

This production then was very pleasant, a real fairy tale with fairies flitting across the stage, a very camp Puck (who had even glittered his armpits), a pretty camp Oberon (though he seemed to go for anything), a lovely little old theatre director for the show-in-the-show, especially when at the end he appeared in a floral jumpsuit, some lovely music, good use of the stage machinery, yes, they did flash, lots of laughs for the audience, also from the dialogue - these were the most laughs I have ever heard in Tbilisi, including the two comedies I have seen at the Rustaveli theatre. Maybe those productions are just too brash? Even without translation, this is a great show to go to for those who 'know their Shakespeare' - and if you don't, you look it up on the internet.

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