A month in the country

Synopsis

A month in the country is a show created by Cristi Juncu, a director who subtly captures the slowness of a world where the desire for novelty is intertwined with the abulia specific to a slightly snobbish social class, seduced by the mirage of its own face in the social mirror of the era. The Craiova show lasts over two hours, in the configuration of a very generous stage. It starts from the premise of an unrequited love between Natalia and Mihail, played by Iulia Colan and Cătălin Vieru. She doses her inner turmoil until the volcanic eruption of passion, which she experiences when Alexei Beleaev, played by Claudiu Mihail, appears.

The apparent tranquility of the family, where the head of the family, Arkadi, played by Alex Calangiu, tries to hold the reins (of the tractor...), is disturbed by the appearance of love passions that destabilize the peace of those around.

The inner storms of the characters are what keep a traditional Russian family story in tension, where the woman plays a progressive role by the very insistence with which she wants to love and be loved. Inadequacy seems to be the theme developed by director Cristi Juncu: Natalia is loved by a person she does not love, the one she loves also attracts Katia, the maid, but he is also loved by the character Verocika, played by Costinela Ungureanu and Ioana Manciu. Everything is reduced (or developed) to the dimensions of a generalized imbroglio. The character of doctor Șpighelski (Claudiu Bleonț), who tries to profit, pecuniarily and amorously, by negotiating relationships and financial interests, stands out in this riot of senses and passions.

The rapacity and jealousy of some characters contrast with the naivety of others, caught in the circle of passions that finally reveal the provincial failure and apathy of a social class tired of surviving.

Chronicles:

"A month in the country is Chekhovian avant la lettre and, somewhere, it reminds of the Holiday Game, with which he would do pendant. Natalia is Corina who married the man from Civita Vecchia.

Cristian Juncu told the story with his stamp. Story that ends with one word: "Okay."

Cosmin Ardeleanu built three huge walls, plus a ceiling over the entire opening of the stage. Wooden boards on a considerable height, making up a space that absorbs the viewer, bringing him into the story. The wood, with its unfinished appearance, reminded me of the superb show Nathan der Weise, by the Deutsches Theater in Berlin, presented here on the occasion of the Europe Prize for Theater (...) The show has a deliberate degree of freedom from the original play, and the costumes created by Cristina Milea have their unique contribution (…) Another element that gives charm to this show is the masterful visibility of each actor on stage, especially since it is a large cast."

Marius Dobrin - "Watch out for the 28th day!", SpectActor magazine no. 2/2016