Burlesque gestural theatre by Mihai Malaimare

A carnival, full of tumult and yelling. A peasant boy, Ivan by name, rather likes the young woman who seeks his company – and who later turns out to be the cause of his death. Angel and devil accompany Ivan throughout his life, he searches for the beautiful woman to help him; only with her doesn’t the fear death. He wanders through paradise and hell, or is it simply a carnival stage where dolls, skeletons, masks, Satan and God try to bewilder him? Grief-struck over his inability to find the woman, Ivan takes to drink and everything ascends into space, hence-forth death will throw a steady shadow as his faithful companion.

Fairy tale and nightmare, popular theatre and modern experimental stage, mix in this surrealistic symbolisation of life and death. In this production Teatrul Masca of Bucharest, a unique theatre of its type in Romania, blends myth, legends, farces, humour, movement, colour and poetry. Mihai Malaimare founded this »theatre for pantomime and gesture« in 1990. He received his training from Jacques Le Coq in Paris and all his dancers have a professional acting background. The company made guest appearances in many countries and international festivals; amongst those in France, Hungary, Egypt, Tunisia, Australia, the former Czechoslovakia and in Turkey.

»He you, Death is dead!« is already Teatrul Masca’s seventh production. It is based on motives of »lvan Turbincã«, Ion Creangã’s fairy tale. Creangã (1839-89) was the most distinguished story-teller of Romanian literature. Just like all the other productions of this company, the play sacrifices language in favour of extensively used movement, mimic, masques, props and music.

»This theatre presented its audience not only with a very artistic event but also displayed a lesson of true art which, strongly relished, experienced the dedication and humility of true artists … The central figure Ivan embodies the whole native sagacity of our continent … We find ourselves on the hub of a real witches Walpurgis Night and anxiously await the trumpet call of Judgement Day« (Radiophonic Note, Bucharest, 15.05.1992).