Russian literature is famous for its desperate humanism, extreme idealism, religious questioning. It’s a virtual forum that (traditionally) rehabilitates and normalizes the moral norm in Russian society. Andrey Zvyagintsev's film “Leviathan” (2014) is a fresh example of how the political class considers individual life a negligible value in comparison with the objectives of the State; how ordinary people do not have any chance if they ask for attention, respect, justice. It seems to me that Yuri Kordonsky’s performance “
The Lower Depths” based on Gorky’s play, continues this theme, so relevant to our days.
In the attic reigns twilight, grey shadows slowly begin to rise from the darkest corners. A group of ghosts? Or an antique chorus of suffering souls? Defeated mythological heroes exiled outside the human world?
Gorky put his characters in a miserable basement. Set designer
Dragoș Buhaghiar however relocates them „up” - in the middle of a burnt ceiling. Falling into an abyss is determined by physical laws while climbing to this shelter requires a voluntary effort. Thus these “fallen characters” are actually “above us”. There is something dissident and proud in their choice, we feel some rests of mysterious forces and dignity. Used to their fate, they do not dramatize the situation, it's a daily, bearable misery. "I was an actor," "I was a Baron", "I was an educated man" – a bunch of former people who have reached here because of their own series of choices. Symbolically, this ceiling seems to be a purgatory for old fashioned/degraded characters, collected here from different sources.
Kordonsky releases Gorky's play of the old ideological accents. Watching the Hungarian theatre of Cluj performance, we forget that Gorky was the father of socialist realism and suddenly remember that he was a close friend to Chekhov. Emotionally and thematicaly Gorky’s characters enter into dialogue with Chekhov, Dostoievski and Tolstoi (lines from “Anna Karenina” are strategically quoted, several times). Even with Bulgakov at some point. Luka – the stranger, with his evasive philosophy "if you believe God there is; if you don’t believe God, there’s not" somewhat reminds of the members of diabolic gang of Woland from “The Master and Margarita”. Bogdan Zsolt is nearly unrecognizable in this role, his appearance changes, his state of spirit is variable and sinister. In his silhouette and stage behavior there is something demonic. At some important moments there is a strange red light that falls on him.
“
The Lower Depths” - version of Yuri Kordonsky sounds so contemporary that it provoked me to reread the play. I confirmed with surprise that the director kept as close as possible to the text of Gorky. For example, if you think that “the muslim chracter” is added for actuality – you should know that this is the Tartar (Árus Peter) - his lines are not changed, even his prayer comes from the original plot. In parallel with his prayer we hear from another corner of the stage the famous monologue of Satin (Bács Miklós) admiring the man (”The man that's the truth!... All is in man, all for man! There exists only man, all the rest is the work of his hands and of his brains.”). Those two passionate recitatives reflect the cognitive dissonance of contemporary man – torn between incompatible ideas, visions and dreams.
The last image we see is a static one - the former men combat the pain of living by singing. They probably forgot how to pray but their melancholic song (about the beauty of Russian fields) sounds like a passionate prayer to an unknown recipient. Spectators remain with the question: does anyone hear those prayers? Does anyone hear the Tartar/Does anyone hear Satin and company singing? Is there still life out there? How long will they resist?
Aglika Stefanova-Oltean
