Michelangelo
after Miroslav Krleža's play Michelangelo Buonarroti
Michelangelo Buonarroti is a play from Miroslav Krleža's cycle Legends, written in 1918. Inspired by Expressionist poetics, imbued with strong images and meanings, it leads us to the sphere of lucid dreaming. Thematically, in this play Krleža focuses on temptations and the tragedy of Michelangelo Buonarroti who, guided by grand ideas and torn by his quests, remains forlorn and opposed to the world around him.
About the project
produced by: Dubrovnik Summer Festival and Ivan Zajc Croatian National Theatre of Rijeka
Director: Sebastijan Horvat
Adaptation and Dramaturgy: Milan Marković Matthis
Set and Video Design: Igor Vasiljev
Music: Karmina Šilec
Costume Design: Belinda Radulović
Lighting Design: Aleksandar Čavlek
Stage Movement: Ivana Kalc
Perfomers: Rakan Rushaidat, Jerko Marčić, Olivera Baljak, Jelena Lopatić, Tanja Smoje, Marija Tadić, Aleksandar Cvjetković, Edi Ćelić, Dean Krivačić, Jasmin Mekić, Nikola, Giuseppe Nicodemo
Festival choir: choirmaster Maja Marušić
Premiere: 27. 7. 2018 Dubrovnik summer festival, Lokrum Island
Michelangelo Buonarroti is a play from Miroslav Krleža's cycle Legends, written in 1918. Inspired by Expressionist poetics, imbued with strong images and meanings, it leads us to the sphere of lucid dreaming. Thematically, in this play Krleža focuses on temptations and the tragedy of Michelangelo Buonarroti who, guided by grand ideas and torn by his quests, remains forlorn and opposed to the world around him. The genius painter tries to achieve unlimited power of artistic creation, but Krleža faces him with money, with miserable wage for his great art. Michelangelo examines the eternal, but always current matter of the relation between art and money, power and politics, which nowadays is more important than ever since it questions that declarative slogan about artistic freedom, without which art becomes nothing but clerical kitsch, thus losing its power of critique and its determination.