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REMEMBRANCE OF A LANDMARK IN THEATRE HISTORY
mise-en-scène represented the “triumph” of this special language of perfor¬
mance,” in contrast to its countless superfluous manifestations all over the
country. Psychological realism made the texture of performance so transparent
that many critics started to write about organicity and “the sensitivity of
a living organism”.’” The recurrent justification of “living theatre”,*!° as
opposed to the one that Peter Brook called “dead theatre”, stemmed from the
realization that “we can feel the intense presence of the actors all the time”.?!!
Its more precise description was made possible by the comparison of Ascher’s
Three Sisters with a notable production of the Vig Theatre, directed by Istvan
Horvai in 1972. Istvan Sandor L. rightly states that
it is the basic intentions, the basic tones of utterances that become clear, and the
reactions reveal basic emotional relationships in the production of the Vig Theatre.
The Katona’s production, on the other hand, projects acomplex network ofintentions
and attitudes behind every utterance. While verbal communication is the primary
focus of the Vig Theatre’s production, and signs of metacommunication just
reinforce them, the Katona’s production makes the signs of metacommunication
much more emphatic and render the underlying content of the words visible: not
only what happens in people when they speak, but also how others understand it
and think about it. From the very first moment, the numerous gestures detail the
rich, mostly speechless events of human relationships and personalities.”
Ascher’s Three Sisters had thus become an achievement of the brilliant
retuning of psychological realism, which created a sumptuous illusion of life,
not devoid of some cruelty (in the Artaudian sense of the word) that provided
its topical and political character. This was largely due to its dismissing a
genteel and melancholic way of performance, which dismissal was initiated by
Anatoly Efros, who had rejected the interpretation of Vladimir Nemirovich¬
Danchenko, and whose approach was somewhat radicalized by Ascher.*”
While “previous Three Sisters were overflowing with emotion to a greater or
lesser extent” (including Istvan Horvai’s staging), the Katona’s production
“wanted to break radically with this ‘tearful’ tradition” and “looked at the
90:
æ
Koltai: Csehoviädäk, 13.
Iván Sándor: Miközben a színházról beszélgetünk, Film Színház Muzsika, Vol. 30, No. 43,
254 October, 1986, 12.
Cf. “[...] the rare organicity of this performance, its own circulation of blood provides us
with the precious experience of living theatre.” Palyi: Színházi előadások Budapesten, 544.
Ablonczy: Csehov most - és nálunk, 6.
Sándor L.: Minden eltörölve?, 8.
Cf. "It is well-known that Nemirovich-Danchenko defined the main theme of the play as
‘longing for a better life’. These words suggest that the Moscow Art Theatre emphasized
‘longing’ instead of ‘aspiration’ or ‘struggle’. However, according to Efros, the characters of
Three Sisters are not really longing for something but looking for some truth for themselves,
firmly and forcefully." Pályi: Színházi előadások Budapesten, 540.
909
910
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91
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91.
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