READING OF LOVE

What is special, one would think, in that the theatre again turns to the theme of love? This is an eternal theme that does not surprise anybody. Furthermore, the staging of a classical play with a modern twist can hardly surprise anybody too. Thus, classics and modernity: how to establish a relationship and points of contact with the audience of teenagers, and how to arouse their interest?

Director Anna Potapova was invited from Moscow for staging a performance at the Russian Drama Theatre. She is a follower of Mark Zakharov and the author of productions at various theatres in Moscow, Siberia, Trans-Urals and Kazakhstan and numerous sketches for Oleg Loyevskiy's projects. That same Loyevskiy who founded the lab movement of creating sketch performances in Russia and cultivated a whole generation of daring theatre directors who managed to break the inertia of stagnant theatrical forms and find new ways of reading classical drama. Anna offered the theatre a modern version of the eternal theme of love as presented by Pedro Calderon de la Barca in his play "Love is no laughing matter" [also known in English as "No Trifling With Love"].

Irony, joke and love

The action begins with a quiet whisper, restrained laughter and reading of Shakespeare's text from Romeo and Juliet. However, the text of the famous balcony scene is presented selectively, only those lines where Juliet asks Romeo not to vow eternal love and not to swear by the inconstant moon or by himself or by anything at all. One would think: What has Shakespeare to do with Calderon? Are Calderon's writings not enough for this theme? Not enough indeed, if we consider the issue of relationships between teenagers in the perspective of problems raised by Anna Potapova in this play.

But in fact, heroes of this age group always have the same problems: how to encounter love and how to avoid the disappointment? Is it sensible to rely on the seriousness of the relationship, if the feeling of love is treated as a game? A game is non-committal, after all. It only sets the mood for two persons in the structure of their relationship: "You know that I know that you know, but we continue to pretend that neither of us knows anything." The scene involving Leonor (Natavan Haciyeva) and Juan (Murad Mammadov), with the participation of Ines (Yegana Huseynli), is just a paraphrase of the famous Shakespearean scene where everything was really passionate, serious and deadly, whereas here we only see a game of love. There is no love at all! There is youth, spring, longing for love and an attempt to replace it with something similar. It is not customary in our pragmatic times to poeticise the feeling of love and long for it without fear of being ridiculed by friends or acquaintances. It is believed that to be in love or be dying for love is something shameful and ridiculous!

This is why Leonor chokes with laughter when she tells Juan that she is in love and is dying for love. But is she really in love? Oh, yes! She is in love as one can fall in love for the first time: tenderly and passionately. However, she is afraid of being ridiculed. She is afraid to be funny and old-fashioned even in the eyes of Juan! What if Juan tells all his friends about this balcony scene? About the words of love she told him? Everyone would laugh and she would look very foolish in the eyes of her peers who regard the feeling of love as a weakness of one's mind, soul and character. Therefore, it is easier for her to cover up her confession with irony and turn everything into a joke! And if everyone would all of a sudden begin to talk about her as a girl who confessed her love, she would always be able to say it was a mere joke! However, Juan does not understand such "affectation" games.

He is artless and naive and looks somewhat silly as compared with Moscatel (Teymur Rahimov) and Alonso (Oleg Amirbayov). These two have already experienced love joys and emotions a long time ago. Moscatel loves Ines and does not hide his feelings. However, he is not immune to the fear of public censure of those around him either, because falling in love means you are a wimp! Therefore, he hides his true feelings and attitude to Ines behind an ironic mask of an indulgent man who prefers to speak nothing specific about his affairs and only wears a meaningful smile, concealing his jealousy and affectionate emotions from Alonso, who suddenly took a fancy to Ines. Unlike Juan, Moscatel is not childish. He has long been aware of the true worth of a woman's love and how fragile such feelings are in the world of great temptations! He has nothing to offer the girl except his heart. Although Ines accepts his love and reciprocates his feelings, still he cannot be sure that tomorrow she would not turn to Alonso who would not offer her his heart but would give her gold earrings!

"I am a woman"

Alonso is an ironic philanderer who is inclined to protect his heart from love. By doing so, it is easier to "survive" in a world where the hearts of his friends are broken all too often. He does not trust women and prefers to assume affection rather than fall in love for real. Why? Because there is no need for love, everything is fine. People may meet, have a great time together and then part with no strings attached! This style of modern relations, imposed on the world by the American cinema, has become a stereotype of gender relations. And the so-called freedom of relations is actually nothing more than the fear of each other. Girls are afraid of being cheated and abandoned, but young men have the same fears. Would it not be easier to believe each other? After all, virtually everybody is dreaming about true love, including cynics and lyrics. And to experience this feeling is a real blessing. Just do not be afraid - either of himself or of the person your heart is disposed to. You just have to love and trust. This is the main message that the theatre and the director are trying to get across to the audience of teenagers.

Women's parts are also quite vivid throughout the play thanks to the performance of young actresses of the theatre. Leonor seems to be a girl marching to a different tune, who would never tell anybody about her true feelings towards Juan. Thus, she will be pulling the leg of everybody - her sister Beatriz, her father, and even Ines who sees everything, understands everything and knows everything. Ines is in love with Moscatel and will not waste her time on relationships with other men, even with Alonso, but like any woman she is not averse to teasing her beloved and let him be jealous for a while! There is seemingly nothing wrong with that. And jealousy will only strengthen his love!

This is how Ines thinks. Accordingly, embraces with Alonso are also part of her game. A game that will supposedly help strengthen Moscatel's love to her. Alas, many people think along these lines and use this device without hesitation. It never occurs to them that this may give rise to destructive forces which will put an end to the relationship between two persons. Because an innocent game of flirting can turn into a trail of ill fame which will readily be picked up and spread by the rumour. Ines is crying, offended by an erroneous opinion about herself that was formed among the men. She is not a doll for someone to play with and not a vulgar dummy. She is just a woman who loves Moscatel. This phrase - "I am a woman" - will then be repeated by Beatriz, Leonor's elder sister. She will repeat it as if pondering on what she has said, as if hearing it for the first time. But after having heard this, she will understand that she is a woman first and foremost. Hence, her destination does not consist in reading smart books and adapting the world to what is written in them. Everything is much easier if a person is not afraid to live. To live and feel and experience and cry if need be.

"Do not trifle with love!"

Maria Dubovitskaya plays Beatriz whose senses are still in the dormant state. What can a book on philosophy tell her about love? Her sister, Leonor, only reads love stories, if she reads at all. Shakespeare is probably included in the scope of such interests. Therefore, Beatriz perceives Leonor as frivolous and stupid. Beatriz's mind is turned to science, while her heart is still asleep, just as her feelings. For her, the world of men is a world of temptations and evil. There is nothing attractive to her in such a world. She is not looking for affections; they find her themselves - in the character of Alonso. An ironic cynic, he is also trapped by the feelings to the woman on whom he and his friends wanted to play a practical joke, pretending to be in love with her. They have been fortunate this time, however, as the joke allowed them to encounter real love that needs not be hidden from others. "Do not trifle with love!" Alonso says as the curtain falls. Trifling with love is dangerous. Be guided by your heart as well as mind, and there will be more harmony in your life. After all, such values as devotion, loyalty and love are still appreciated by people! Trust each other, do not be afraid of your feelings, and the world will become better. Because this world means life, as eternal and infinite as love.

Leonor and Juan will find themselves in each other's arms. The eyes of Beatriz and Alonso will be riveted on each other. They are yet to go through the process of getting to know each other. But they know for sure that the feeling of love is the only thing which can be between them. Light will flood the stage favourably emphasising graffiti, which stood out of the arches, against the white Greek columns. And everything will be united in an artistic image of the continuity of time: Baroque, Renaissance, and Underground. People will always remain human beings, no matter what games they have invented for themselves and no matter what fears they are haunted with…