Seasons Archive
The Man who saw Death
by Victor Eftimiu
The Man who saw Death
by Victor Eftimiu
Premiere: 22.09.2013
Last performance: 16.06.2023
Duration: 2 h / Pause: No
40 lei
20 lei (reducere pentru elevi, studenți și pensionari)
Sensational! Election plans foiled in a province city! Because of his rough life, a citizen tried to commit suicide. At the last second though, he is pulled out of the water. His saviour is declared the Man of the Hour. The city wants him as its mayor, the family is torn apart. Will politics triumph over love?
A shocking outcome! New information reveals the story was a hoax. An imposter set everything up down to the last detail. Who is The Man Who Saw the Death and brought strife to the life of this city?
Victor Eftimiu wrote quite a lot: 140 volumes, 40 plays, 200.000 lines, 5000 literary articles and has held 1000 public conferences. The comedy The Man Who Saw the Death stirs interest even today as it seems to depict a scene of our immediate reality. The lovable and extremely funny, Hollywood style tramp can be seen on the stage of NTB, portrayed by Lari Giorgescu, young actor, nominee for best actor (for his role in TaRaTaTam) at the latest UNITER Awards.
Translated by: Țoncu Mihai
MTTLC, The University of Bucharest
Alexandru Filimon: | Costel Constantin | Raluca Filimon: | Adela Mărculescu |
Domnul Leon: | Marius Bodochi | Alice Filimon: | Florentina Ţilea |
George: | Răzvan Oprea | The Tramp: | Lari Giorgescu |
The Maid: | Tatiana Oprea |
"Vivid dialogues and effervescent jokes, subtle exclamations with implicit meaning – these are only a few of the ingredients of the story where everyone dies a little and life is a sad charade. The performance of Costel Constantin, a remarkable choice, is perfectly replenished by the versatility of Lari Giorgescu and the restrained sensuality of Florentina Tilea. Marius Bodochi is juggling with human masks, which he changes almost imperceptibly, training his character in a memorable duel with his opponent. (...) Dan Tudor signs the direction of a show performed with boundless passion and clever humour, where the actors of the golden theatre generation meet the young talents, in order to spice up one of the most beautiful creations of Romanian dramaturgy".
Ziarul Metropolis – The Man Who Saw Death. A Review from the Man Who Saw the Play
"Beyond the talent with which he persuaded us - Dan Tudor knows how to build the theatrical truth, to cut out moments, to capitalize the potential of comic situations, the director has always chosen his actors with a remarkable skill. This time, the audience fully enjoys the encounter with prominent artists such as Adela Mărculescu, Ilinca Tomoroveanu or Costel Constantin, but also with Marius Bodochi or Răzvan Oprea in top shape."
Razvana Nita, Port.ro – Love and Election Campaign
"Resizing the stature and personality of Al. Filimon, Costel Constantin proposes (...) a „man still vital" who, from mild and quasi-resigned becomes passionate, unfolding unexpectedly new energies and new resources of dignity and conflict to accomplish his „dream".
Adela Mărculescu is also admirable. The actress confers to Raluca Filimon (role she performed previously, at the National Theatre as well, in 1997!) artlessness, warmth and carefully nuanced involvement; a presence unveiling a rich expressive range: genuine appreciation, silent submission, „diplomatic" silence, attempts of signalling errors and attempts of arbitration between „hard stones" etc.
An extremely minute composition, very carefully elaborated and executed is also proposed by Marius Bodochi. In the Vagabond, Lari Giorgescu stands out through successive efforts of composition and through the carelessness by which he alternates masks. (...) The hypostases of the Vagabond’s insolence with an arrogance and impertinence reaching the absurd, as all changes of identity – certify a good energy and they are credible. And the retorts of the Vagabond uttered by Lari Giorgescu remain vivid and keep their freshness".
Natalia Stancu, Teatrul azi magazine, no.11-12/2013 – Praise of Life and the Humour of Interwar Comedy
"The comedy, enacted on the stage of the NTB Painting Hall, oozes with humour, but also great humanism…
… the young man who entered stormily the life of the Filimon family emanates mystery and charm, revolt and effrontery, phantasy and style, obstinacy and flexibility, thanks to the nuances and controlled grace of Lari Giorgescu’s performance.
… all the array of behaviours or situations is briefly displayed, on the rotating stage, which allows him to penetrate into the intimacy of events from the first scene, and the comic load, presented in the text, is sympathetically intensified through this functional scenery (stage design: Corina Grămoșteanu).
When comedy takes itself seriously, things can be corrected more easily, and the role of the artist, to (re)-humanise a universe in increasing disarray, is much more obvious".
Mădălina Dumitrache, WebCultura – The Deeds of a Golden Rogue