Nikolajaus Gogolio kūrybos motyvais „NAKTIS PRIEŠ“ (Rež. Žilvinas Beniušis)

Clown, musical, comedy, farce, reality show, carnival, mystery, stunt?... It's all in one - the stage of Vilnius Old Theater has never seen such an event. The performance is based on the principles of clowning: emotions are expressed through the body, physicality. This is what separates theatrical clowning from traditional psychological theater.

The storyline of the play "The Night Before" was dictated by Nikolai Gogol's (1809-1852) short story "The Night Before Christmas". " (from the collection "Evenings in a single seat at Dikanka"). At the epicenter of the action is the burning love of the boyfriend Vakula and the vivacious beauty Oksana. The action is transferred to a fancy, passionate party taking place these days: a glittering globe spins, disco music plays on the stage, characters in bright, imposing clothes... Intrigue, love, sin - this is the whole trinity of carnival and party culture. It from Hieronymus Bosch's triptych The Garden of Earthly Delights. The heroes of the play invite you to "stop suffering" and enjoy life.

Director, founder of the theater of modern intellectual clowning Žilvinas Beniushis aims to make maximum use of the genre of modern theatrical clowning in the performance. When does the game start and end? Where is the line between holiness and sin? Is a purification possible that night itself resists? After all, the party ends, but after leaving it, you want to continue it in real life.

The extravagant costumes of designer Daiva Urbonavičiūtė and the scenography of Vitalijas Strigunkovs (the action was moved to the dance floor in the on the stage of the theater) has a special role in the performance.

Director Ž. Beniushis: "The theme of free will and destiny is developed in the play. The world is seen as one big playground. Emotions, desires reach maximum spiritual and psychological tension... The plot and intrigues unfold before our eyes, which are shown through a magnifying glass with the instruments of clowning."

Costume artist D. Urbonavičiūtė: "People don't dress like this in life. People who go to a party can dress up in different ways, but basically they want to look the most beautiful, the most desirable, the most gorgeous. We are all different, each of us has demons inside us, which the director wants to show. Suits only help to do that. I like that Gogol is interpreted in such a modern way. the viewer, and as a work of art, it already continues beyond the stage. Although the characters and their relationships are very interesting and lively, the visual structure of the world described by N. Gogol needed to be fundamentally rethought. It was important to understand that the folklore characteristic of the short story does not come from the romanticized 19th century. village, but from a non-doctrinal perception of the world, which we can observe even in the present."

Ž. Beniushis has also directed the clown western "Odyssey" (2021), the tragicomedy "Adams 2.0" (2021), the one-man show "Lelia's Freedom Lessons" (2022), etc.

Attention! The performance uses nicotine-free e-cigarettes and uses smoke and bright flashes of light.

The premiere of the play is in 2022. December 17

On the AllEvents portal you can always Buy tickets to an event Theater Nikolajaus Gogolio kūrybos motyvais „NAKTIS PRIEŠ“ (Rež. Žilvinas Beniušis), Vilnius, Vilniaus Senasis Teatras January 05

* The description translation is done automatically. There may be inaccuracies. Be sure to check the event description on the ticket store website when buying tickets.