File Under: Robert Wilson, Katya Kabanova, small silences
I’m not much for reviews, but I have to gush about the Katya Kabanova performance I saw last night at National Theatre (Narodni Divadlo) in Prague. It was unbelievable. The reason theatre will never die as an art form: People like Robert Wilson exist.
Wilson, who is well-known for his lighting and stage designs, directed this opera by Leos Janacek. Ever since seeing the “Absolute Wilson” documentary on Wilson’s work, I’ve wanted to see a production of his. After experiencing his vision, his work, what he gets out of his singers/actors and pauses, it’s hard to imagine watching another theatre piece and get any lasting enjoyment out of it — let alone attempting to write my own pieces to try to be unique.
The production was like nothing I’d ever seen before: spellbinding, challenging, demanding, like a Westernized kabuki or noh performance. It was intensely stylish without being overbearingly avant garde and moved me in its small silences more than most theatre performances ever do at the emotional climaxes of their spiels.
I couldn’t believe it was over when it, you know, ended. I wanted more. Now I have to wait until October to see it again.
(Eva Urbanova and Christina Vasileva, you’re pretty amazing, too.)