Edward II, a late 16th century theatre play by Christopher Marlowe, is seeing its most recent re-imagining under the confident directing of Senka Bulic and her Kazaliste Hotel Bulic production house. December 8th was the date of the premier performance at the Travno Cultural Centre in Zagreb. The first open public performance was on December 9th.
Historical Text
The play followed the first Croatian translation of the piece by Mate Maras and was adapted by Vesna Dikanovic. It is a continuation of Kazaliste Hotel Bulic plays that re-visit less famous, but powerful historical texts. The protagonists of Edward II find themselves in a turbulent situation that eventually sees most of them alternating from positions of power to personal demise. It is a story of corruption, struggle for power and personal relationships caught in the middle. The play never lets out. It is a high intensity affair, keeping the audience at the edge of their seats throughout. This modern re-imagining features plenty of powerful and, at times, disturbing imagery. The fact many of its main themes are easily transferrable to the modern times only speaks in favour of the timeless quality of the original text.
The Performances
The ensemble carries this physically and emotionally demanding play extremely well. Entire cast is on stage, visible to public, pretty much during the entire performance, removing any chance of mid-play corrections.
Jure Radnic masterfully executes the lead role of King Edawrd. Among several impressive performances, he manages to stand out as the true main actor. The rest of the cast are Ines Trickovic, Marko Braic, Lovro Ivankovic, Marinko Les, Pasko Vukasovic, Dusan Gojic and Eva Zlovolic. All of them are well worthy of their roles with special mention going to an incredibly physical performance of Marko Braic and impressively energetic and almost unhinged portrayal of Lancaster by Lovro Ivankovic. Ines Trickovic plays the lead female role, embodying Queen Isabella. Trickovic, a well-known Croatian jazz artist came into the ensemble in her first serious theatre role and impressed all who witnessed her strong acting performance which also included various demanding elements including singing and juggling. This was also the first performance by the youngest actor on stage, Eva Zlovolic, age 9, who appeared in the role of the prince.
When all is said and done, it seems Edward II proves itself as another undeniably successful, ambitious, and dynamic play helmed by Senka Bulic, illustrious Croatian director and actress. It is an unconventional play, but one that guarantees emotional response from its audience. It is safe to say we will all be hearing much more about Edward II. If you’ve missed these initial two performances, fear not. The latest news from the production say we are to expect two more performances . They are shceduled for 17th and 18th of January at 8:00pm. The venue will be Cultural Centre Travno (KC Travno).
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