After waiting 6 months to see this performance, a review had to be made.
It was exciting. The most striking aspect of the evening hits the audience the moment they arrive. Viewers do not sit in the auditorium; they are seated on the stage itself, which revolves. The audience faces the vast, empty seats of the opera house, before the curtain comes down.
The performance balances playfulness with seriousness. The actors break the fourth wall immediately, making the mechanics of theatre visible. This blurs the line between observer and performer, supported by exceptional attention to detail, musicality, and choreography.
For those familiar with the text, perhaps from reading it in Poetry Talks Prague, the piece is just thrilling. The staging, the acting, the lighting all works together to show you those half fragmented impressions you get from reading the text.
This is captured perfectly by the decision to reveal the backstage workings. The audience watches trees being carried across the stage and the technical aspects of the set moving in real-time. It serves as a perfect metaphor for the poem itself: a work about acknowledging the histories and constructed stories that form us. Seeing the “work” happen openly on stage is so thoughtful, demonstrating a real love of the text.
I really recommend going to see this piece: https://www.narodni-divadlo.cz/en/show/don-quijote-pusta-zeme-Nxqx7RqVQbSRZrFeE4Llzw