Memento Moor
The unconventional Robbers at the Marta Studio in Brno combine elements of the past with elements of the future. Even today, the old story raises new questions about greed, revenge, ideals, and forgiveness.
The biggest merit of this production is its technical execution. The economical set design, combined with unusual lighting and the use of smoke machines, creates a stunning and highly charged environment. The costumes are also excellent, playfully and elegantly characterize as they do the characters. Mostly, they consist of patchwork pieces that look like rags of ordinary clothing and like hyper-modern upcycle design pieces at the same time. A nice detail is the cross that the Priest carries in, one part of which is made up of a pistol and the other of a police baton. The use of a peephole stage is also interesting, as it often relocates the action to other parts of the hall. The overall impression is one of an attempt to create the atmosphere of classical theatre halls.
The production, stage design, and mise-en-scène are in sharp contrast to the text and acting performances. The original text is essentially preserved in the production, with all the romantic pathos that Schiller wrote at the time. Therefore, the tense dramatic situation often becomes confusing or even comical because of the multiple ambiguous signals coming from the proscenium. Emotional lines such as “Yes—there's a hero for you! He is just the man to do mighty execution upon frogs with stones.” or “You have robbed me of a precious hour; may it be deducted from your life.” felt somewhat humorous to several audience members. Overall, the best acting performances were the choreography and the scenes in which the action takes place without the use of words.
