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Catharsis in Bucharest |
| Section: THE ARTS / THEATER |
| Author: John Elsom |
| Publication:
The World & I Online |
| Issue Date: 6/1/1991 |
| Size: 1,825 Words, 10,665 Characters |
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A remarkable example of the potency of the theater's still mysterious powers and of how ancient myths can seem as topical as tonight's newscast was recently witnessed in a production of Andrei Serban's Classical Trilogy in Romania. This production had evolved over seventeen years, in two continents on opposite sides of the Cold War, until it reached its maturity at the right place and time, as if this were its destiny.
Romanian-born, New York-based director Andrei Serban was invited by the new government in Bucharest to take over the Romanian National Theater, a dismal company under the Ceausescu regime.
When Serban arrived to take up his duties, the mood of optimism had already started to change. Against a background of mourning, hardships, and political disorder the production eventually did take place. It did not seem to be an appropriate moment for a theater performance, but it may have been the best time for the Classical Trilogy to reveal its strengths. Serban brought together three plays based on Greek legends: Medea, The Trojan Wo...
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...r peace.
Such ancient myths, like old and beautiful buildings, are haunted by the ghosts that once inhabited them. Serban's Classical Trilogy provides a timely reminder to those who are prone to despair that our current problems are not unique and that other civilizations have suffered from them as well; and that we too need to seek a purification of the soul if our world is to survive.
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Publication Details
(The World & I Online) |
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The World & I Online is a
comprehensive academic resource that encompasses a broad range of
articles by scholars and experts in the areas of Global Studies,
Liberal Arts, Fine & Applied Arts, General Science, and Spanish.
Originally published monthly in print as The World & I, our site
includes the complete contents since 1986 and continues to publish
a new issue online each month. |
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