©  Larisa Gerasimchuk

Creative work is the man’s obligation to God, the only form of His manifestation in humans, which contains both the drama and the salvation. Creative work gives meaningfulness to life, but it’s always a very cruel experiment that the person performs on himself. The shaky borderline between imagination and reality is fraught with danger — and the creator may either turn inwards, to his illusory world, or risk being misunderstood and torn to pieces by the crowd.

This stage production is full of sorcery, it’s spellbinding and hypnotic, and in the end it’s not that important, why Ilse subjects herself to the Mage and settles at his villa, why she deems her Fairytale of Replaced Son so important, and why does she perish in the end. The performance’s energy (especially coming from the actors) is similar to a whirlwind, your pulse is off the charts, and the confused, crazy, absurd and irrational world of the play, reminiscent of Fellini films, doesn’t let go, enveloping you like a dream.

Marina Murzina, Arguments and Facts

Opening night: April 15, 2014

Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes without intermission