Tales of Common Insanity

The genre of comedy has always been somewhat of a call sign for the entire Czech culture, as well as one of its most representative ''exported products'' in literature, the theatre and on film. Petr Zelenka isn't an entirely unknown author here - his movie ''The Buttoners'' (1997), that he wrote and directed, played in cinemas across Zagreb and received undivided acclaim from the local press. The ''Tales of Common Insanity'', which opened in 2001 in Prague, also directed by the author, not only evokes the spirit of the movie with its dramaturgical formation, but also takes on some of the montage procedures from the art of film. It is a story that wins us over like any good, ''small'' European film does, with its ''everyday quality'' which is on the one hand recognizable and on the other hand extraordinary; with a simultaneous unpretentiousness and an 'artsy' approach; characters that are like us and yet do things which we would never do, or so we believe. There's nothing theatrical, grand, (over)emphasized in the ''Tales...''. This whole text is built from ordinariness and it will come to life on the stage only if it manages to be on familiar terms with the audience. Every character in the play, and none is without a 'quirk' here, Petr - probably the voice of the author - his lost father and mother who desperately wants to donate her blood, his friend Midge who lives with a mannequin because she's the only one who understands him, or his perverted boss, is vivid enough and sufficiently alive and 'real' for us to be able to communicate with them easily.

''''Tales of Common Insanity'', a black, family comedy written by Petr Zelenka, a contemporary Czech film director, screenwriter and playwright (known in Croatia for his film ''The Buttoners''), is a new repertoire hit by Gavella Theatre's General Manager, Darko Stazić, who in the last couple of years has indeed produced a serious repertoire from the hands of serious authors.'' (Tomislav Čadež, ''Jutarnji list'')

''Dora Ruždjak Podolski is indeed an outstanding director. Always offering new and fresh challenges, seeking, unburdened by tradition (and yet using it), new stage manoeuvres.'' (Želimir Ciglar, ''Večernji list'')

''Biserka Ipša's character of the mother is a true gem and it is a real shame we don't get the chance to see this actress more often, in bigger and more top-quality roles. The same could be said of the Father, played by Ivica Vidović.'' (Boris B. Horvat, ''Vjesnik'')

''Enes Vejzović magnificently plays the part of the unhappy and multiply self-sacrificing Petr - a loyal friend, a romantic lover, a drained-out son of a
hypochondric mother and a depressed father. (...) Nenad Cvetko is brilliant in the role of an extremely idealistic and equally lonely Midge, closed up in his own cocoon. (...) Ivica Vidović as Petr's father also gave a memorable performance. The older Vidović gets, the more nuanced are his performances, in this case seizing us with discrete alterations of the protagonist's hopelessness into indications of a sincere need for human contact. Ivana Bolanča in the role of the mannequin Eve, takes credit for the grounding of the entire production into the zone of ironically clad fantasy, where mannequins know more about people than the official ''creators of the world''. Jelena Miholjević plays the part of the warm, excessive and dramatic Sylvia, flawlessly taking care of the balance between humour and intellectual poignancy. Praise should also go to Ranko Zidarić, who stars as the naive Aleš, as well as to Siniša Ružić (Jiri) whose monologue about the times when women were not ashamed of their men, but recognized in them ''the heroes of resistance'', presents one of the most critical parts in the play. (...) The director, Dora Ruždjak Podolski, and her well chosen and dedicated cast have definitely proven how much we yearn for a comedic repertoire which would mirror true compassion and not contempt towards the human kind.'' (Nataša Govedić, ''Novi list'')