Monika Malinauskaitė

Act of satisfaction as shown by Areima

2012-10-01

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The Roman Republic is transformed into the routine of a contemporary office expressed through monotonous guitar chords, where killing takes place every moment, except the very killing scene. All characters are very Caesar-like, except Julius Caesar himself (Tomas Stirna) and his right hand Antonius (Tomas Kliukas): each one in his own way embodies the portrait of the dictator and it seems that the tyrant, manifesting himself through his subordinates and foes, creates the scheme of his own murder. I see this as one of the most masterful manifestations of absurdity in the performance, although I’m not sure whether it was the director’s conscious intention or just my own interpretation. <…>

The language of symbols and metaphors used in the performance is also fascinating. I was most impressed by the metal cage on wheels, ingeniously placed in the midst of the minimalist stage design. It depicts both the limitations and poorness of the human comfort zone and the infantile visuality of modern American wrestling. The transformation of office tables into a fight ring and the interpretation of stationery scissors as the dagger of bureaucracy are sure to bring a sarcastic smile to your lips. The technical characteristics of the space where the action takes place are used in the optimum way: the windows are opened trying to air out the stench of murder; the characters in the state of affect tear off pieces of the ceiling and bang the door of the main entrance. The lines of the classical play pronounced by each of the actors masterfully cling to the palate of the audience and then get stuck in its throat like fragments of modern society’s reflections.

In short, the performance abounds in words, context, metaphors, and emotions. It is a 1.50 hour long dissection or a sexual act, performed by those who are not satisfied with just an orgasm. It is an act of pleasing a postmodernist person, which actually ends in a climax.