Kiev Theatre for Modern Drama and Comedy, November 2023
Our second cultural event also took place in November 2023 and was our first collaboration with the Kyiv Theatre for Modern Drama and Comedy. The team of eight actors visited Marburg as part of their European tour to promote Ukrainian culture and give people who had to flee the Russian invasion a piece of home. They performed one play for children and one for adults at the Lutheran Church of St. Mary in Marburg. The initiative ‘Mit der Ukraine im Herzen’ (With Ukraine in our hearts) provided traditional Ukrainian snacks and refreshments for the event.
Culture as an instrument of peace
Culture is one of the strongest bridges between people and nations. In times of crisis, art helps us preserve our identity, reminds us of the power of humanity and promotes mutual understanding. Theatre is not just entertainment – it is a space for dialogue, reflection and shared emotions. Through cultural events, we build bridges between the Ukrainian and German communities, spread the truth about Ukraine and actively contribute to peace.
The secret of the land of sunshine
In the magical land of sunshine live extraordinary creatures called sun hares, who bring joy, laughter and good cheer to children. With the help of the sun’s rays, the sun hares paint freckles on children for their good deeds. The child who collects the most freckles receives the magical feather of the firebird, which can bring laughter, joy and comfort. But the evil Queen of Darkness, whose goal is to destroy all happiness, is hunting for this feather. If she and her henchmen succeed in capturing it, the children will always be sad, cry and fight with each other. The protagonist Freckles and his friends must join forces with the sun bunnies to stop the Queen of Darkness, who wants only one thing: for darkness, fear and gloom to reign everywhere.
The two-act fairy tale performance by the Kiev Theatre for Contemporary Drama and Comedy is based on classic children’s stories by Vsevolod Nestayko and deals with the education of children, the ability to act selflessly and to help each other in times of trouble.
No options
The play ‘No Options’ by the Kyiwer Theatre for Modern Drama and Comedy is based on the British farce ‘It Runs in the Family’ by Ray Cooney from 1987 and offers almost two hours of unredeemed silliness of the ‘slamming door’ and ‘double-take’ variety. More cartoon than play, it will appeal most to those who prefer Benny Hill to Monty Python.
The show’s excuse for a plot – in reality more of a manic group episode than a coherent storyline – centres on the portly middle-aged doctor, Dr. David Mortimore, who, at the beginning of the play, has to give a Christmas speech that will dash his hopes of becoming hospital director and receiving a knighthood. As his nervousness grows, he encounters Jane Tate, a former nurse at the hospital with whom Mortimore had an affair eighteen years ago before she abruptly quit, in the doctors’ lounge. At this crucial moment, Tate informs him that he is the father of her punk-rock teenage daughter, who is on her way to the hospital to meet her long-lost father.
Panicked, Mortimore spouts a series of improvised and often contradictory lies to hide his secret from his curious wife, his impatient boss and an intrusive police officer. Mortimore’s only ally is the dim-witted but decent Doctor Hubert Bonney, his long-time friend and colleague, who quickly becomes entangled in Mortimore’s web of lies. At the same time, his snooty colleague is only interested in the upcoming Christmas pantomime, and two nurses kept in the dark and a quirky elderly patient further complicate the already tense situation.
You will quickly find out who is whose father and who is whose daughter. But we must warn you that the men here dress like women. That wasn’t their choice, they just… didn’t have any options.
Source: Hugh Iglarsh, “Predictable Chaos: A Review of “It Runs in the Family” at Citadel Theatre Company”, NewCityStage, 23 November 2022, https://www.newcitystage.com/2022/11/23/predictable-chaos-a-review-of-it-runs-in-the-family-at-citadel-theatre-company/ (Accessed 12.11.2023)
