Nenad Bach and Miro Gavran in Zagreb in 2008. Many thanks to Mr Gavran for the photo.
| In April 2011 Miro Gavran had four premieres of his plays in just two consecutive days: in the Prague (Czech Republic), Osijek (Croatia) and in Moscow (Russia). Congratulations! April 10 The KOMORNI ČINOHRA Theatre in Prague will be staging a first night of Miro Gavran’s drama NIGHT OF THE GODS. The translation into the Czech language has been done by Dagmar Ruljančić, and Jiri Babek is the director of the play. The Players: Vasil Fridrich, Lukaš Kral and Matouš Ruml. April 10 The Croatian National Theatre in Osijek, in collaboration with the Zagreb Musical Bienniale, will be performing the premiere of the opera ROYALTY AND ROGUES, for which Miro Gavran has written the libretto. The music has been composed by Sanja Drakulić, Robert Raponja is directing, and Filip Pavišić is the conductor. April 11 The SVOBODNAYA SCENA Theatre company in Moscow will be premiering Gavan’s play ALL ABOUT MEN at the MTUZ Theatre. Sergej Girin has translated the play into Russian and Yakov Lomkin will be directing. The Players: Maxim Averin, Petr Krasilov, Viktor Dobronravov and Dmitry Joidik. For the premiere in the USA see below. |
From Miro Gavran’s comedy “My Wife’s Husband” premiered in the USA
| Shorter Man – John Allee – TONY Taller Man – Cody Lyman – LUKA Woman- Iva Hasperger – EVE Photographer – Mickey Elliot Suzanne Dean Assoc. Artistic and Development Director Little Fish Theatre 310-408-7555 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 310-408-7555 end_of_the_skype_highlighting John Allee, left, and Cody Lyman star in “My Wife’s Husband.” Photo courtesy of Mickey Elliot My Wife’s Husband When: 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday through March 24. Where: Little Fish Theatre, 777 Centre St., San Pedro. Information: www.littlefishtheatre.org By John Farrell “My Wife’s Husband” is a long play, to be sure. You’ll notice that when you leave the Little Fish Theatre playhouse after 10:30 at night, checking your cell phone or watch and wondering where all the time has gone. You won’t notice it until then, though, because playwright Miro Gavran doesn’t give you time to notice – from the moment the play begins right up to its final hilarious (and inconclusive) ending. Much of the credit goes to the two male stars of this brilliant comedy: John Allee as Tony and Cody Lyman as Luka. Both are experienced professional actors from the United States, but they have assumed the colorations of a Dalmatian and a Slovak with easy grace, and no one in the opening night audience, which featured a large number of San Pedro’s Croatian community, seemed the least bit concerned with the accents they affected. The audience was too busy laughing. Iva Haspberger, who plays Eve, was born in Croatia but has been an American actress since just after high school. She is the woman who both men reluctantly share as a wife and deserves less credit, but only because she doesn’t show up in the play until Act 2, when her sheer physical beauty explains much about the men’s continuing fascination. Her personality – forceful and demanding, then pleading for forgiveness – is revealed as manipulative and, not incidentally, very successful. Lyman and Allee, though, are the heart of this play, and they were chosen by director Don Schlossman with a sure eye for physical comedy. Allee is a small man, and dresses and acts the part of one who is controlled and organized, neat and effective. Lyman is a huge guy, messy, even physically intimidating, although his character is sweet and gentle. Together they channel all the great comedy teams: a little Laurel and Hardy here, a lot of Abbott and Costello there, a very little of Martin and Lewis over in the corner. It is a sheer delight to watch Allee’s face light up in anger, to see him getting drunk, and just as much fun watching Lyman getting desperate and ready to commit suicide, only to be reminded if he jumps from his ground-floor window he probably wouldn’t even break his leg. The first act is a long one, but it goes by like lightning as these two dance and play and challenge each other in one ridiculous situation after another. The title tells it all: Both men share the same wife (Eve) and though they work out an arrangement in the first act to share her, it all comes apart in the second, when Eve is discovered by Tony having a third affair on the side. Haspberger proves herself just as adept at physical comedy as her partners, fainting twice, once bringing down a chair over her body, getting splashed with water, pleading and secretly scheming to get the upper hand. She is as beautiful as Carole Lombard, with golden hair and a great figure and, just like Lombard, she is always able to get her way. All this is played up close in Little Fish style, with the actors never more than 20 feet away from you, and sometimes right in your face. The set, made from the same pieces of furniture as “The Sugar Bean Sisters” (which is running at Little Fish on weekends) is perfectly effective. It is Luka’s house, where all the action takes place. Luka is a great cook but a lousy housekeeper, so the two chairs, mixed bottles of liquor and plain glasses are all par for the course. “My Wife’s Husband” is making its American debut at Little Fish. If you love physical and verbal comedy, this play is for you. John Farrell is a Long Beach freelance writer. www.mirogavran.com www.teatar-gavran.hr |
John Allee – TONY and Cody Lyman – LUKA
Iva Hasperger – EVE
Announcement of the 2009 Czech premiere of Miro Gavran’s play My Wife’s Husband
(in Czech Muž mé ženy, the original Croatian title is Muž moje žene),
see www.divadlo-opava.cz/miro-gavran-muz-me-zeny
(in Czech Muž mé ženy, the original Croatian title is Muž moje žene),
see www.divadlo-opava.cz/miro-gavran-muz-me-zeny
| In April 2011 Miro Gavran has three premieres of his plays in just two consecutive days: in the Prague (Czech Republic), Osijek (Croatia) and in Moscow (Russia). Congratulations! April 10 The KOMORNI ČINOHRA Theatre in Prague will be staging a first night of Miro Gavran’s drama NIGHT OF THE GODS. The translation into the Czech language has been done by Dagmar Ruljančić, and Jiri Babek is the director of the play. The Players: Vasil Fridrich, Lukaš Kral and Matouš Ruml. April 10 The Croatian National Theatre in Osijek, in collaboration with the Zagreb Musical Bienniale, will be performing the premiere of the opera ROYALTY AND ROGUES, for which Miro Gavran has written the libretto. The music has been composed by Sanja Drakulić, Robert Raponja is directing, and Filip Pavišić is the conductor. April 11 The SVOBODNAYA SCENA Theatre company in Moscow will be premiering Gavan’s play ALL ABOUT MEN at the MTUZ Theatre. Sergej Girin has translated the play into Russian and Yakov Lomkin will be directing. The Players: Maxim Averin, Petr Krasilov, Viktor Dobronravov and Dmitry Joidik. |
Formated for CROWN by prof.dr. Darko Žubrinić
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