Words Robbed of Meaning
The production of The Robbers by JAMU in Brno turned Schiller's most famous tragedy into a farce that often ran contrary to the meaning of the words and the emotions expressed by the text. At some moments, there was a confused awkwardness that had an almost comic effect. The question arises whether that was the intention.
The language of the original text was retained but not heard. The words rang hollow and did not align with the actions of the characters or their delivery, with actors and actresses laughing as they spoke of death, and reciting declarations of love in a deadpan voice. A certain feeling of absurdity was underpinned by unremittingly energetic delivery, which sometimes escalated into overacting. For this also, the tragedy seemed more like a farce. At the same time, however, these were only moments; the otherwise capable cast managed to keep the pace of the show and drove it forward. The movement interludes of individual actors and actresses, though perfectly performed, were put into the story rather inorganically.
It was the approach of The Robbers that seemed problematic. The moment the audience accepted that a tragedy is a comedy, they had real run. They could get absorbed by the aesthetic experience created by the actors, the up-beat music by Bedroom Party, and the dream-like, symbol-rich set by Adela Szturcová and Kateřina Kábová. The set managed to perfectly connect the individual plot lines and then merge them into one whole.
