CIS News
Premiere at the NTB: “Any Other Candidates?” – Caragiale as interpreted through Ada Milea’s musical and playful vision
The “I.L. Caragiale” National Theater in Bucharest announces the premiere of the concert-performance Any Other Candidates? by Ada Milea, a project whose first performances will take place on June 24 and 25, 2026, at 9:30 p.m., in a spectacular setting: the Open-Air Amphitheater (Up on the TNB Rooftop).
This time, the genius of the great Caragiale meets Ada Milea’s playful inventiveness and the theatrical flair of the TNB actors. The result is an effervescent concert-performance—at once comical and cynical—about us, the people of today, viewed through Caragiale’s lens.
Any Other Candidates? is an intense musical story about love, interests, and blackmail, adapted into a fully sung version based on the famous play “A Lost Letter.” A haunting refrain, reinterpreted and brought to life on stage by the talented cast. The actors who bring Caragiale’s characters to life in a unique musical style, performing multiple or alternate roles, are: Petre Ancuța (Drunken Citizen), Emilian Mârnea (Drunken Citizen), Florin Călbăjos (Drunken Citizen), Mihai Munteniță / Silviu Biriș (Governor), Oana Laura Gabriela (Zoe Trahanache / Mrs. Cațavencu), Aylin Cadîr (Zoe Trahanache), Vitalie Bichir (Zaharia Trahanache), Tiberiu Enache (Ghiță), Alina Petrică (Mrs. Cațavencu), Natalia Călin (Mrs. Brânzovenescu / Mrs. Dandanache), Florentina Țilea (Mrs. Farfuridi), Emilia Popescu (Mrs. Dandanache).
Three drunken citizens take control of the stage, guiding the characters and the audience through all the events of the famous play, while playing instruments live. “Those three actors once captivated me with their performance in the show ActOrchestra, and ever since then, I’ve had an idea about them. That idea was just waiting for the right opportunity, the text, and the songs. For about 12 or 13 years,” explains Ada Milea, who directed the show and composed its music.
“Any Other Candidates?” (A concert-performance by Ada Milea, inspired by A Lost Letter)
Produced by: “Ion Sava” Center for Theater Research and Creation – NTB
Creative Team: Ada Milea (Concept, Adaptation, and Music), Ada Milea and Anca Hanu (Songs), Maria Constantin (Set Design), Florin Fieroiu (Choreography), Victor Pamfilov (Sound Design), Adrian Scarlat and Marian Dan Găină (Sound Design Assistants), Daniel Tiuntiuc (Lighting Design), Theodor Radu (Technical Direction), Florin Ghioca (Photography), Cristiana Gavrilă (Project Coordinator).
The official premiere will take place on June 24 and 25, 2026, at 9:30 p.m., at the Open-Air Amphitheater (on the roof of the NTB). Tickets can be purchased at the NTB Box Office, as well as online through specialized platforms. Don’t miss it!
Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu
