ON THE SUMMER STAGE: THE MAIDEN WAR

Czech Provisional Liberation Theatre

The legendary comedy by František Ringo Čech is on the Harfa Summer Stage for the first time this year in its original cast! Almost everyone knows Jirásek's Old Czech Legends. However, not everything we learned at school and what Alois Jirásek wrote must be true!

The Maiden War is the most successful and most performed play in the Czech Republic. Its appeal lies mainly in the lightness of the genre, exaggeration, the themes it touches on, and also in the cast.

The author himself says about this comedy: "I wrote The Maiden War – so to speak – 'tailored' to the Czech nation; it is primarily about the style of humor and the areas it touches upon (eroticism, politics) that are close to it. Furthermore, it is a relaxing genre, within which we bring a feast of the most beautiful women, which our impoverished country possesses. I always say with a bit of exaggeration – this is how God compensates his dear Czechs for failures in the market economy. The success of The Maiden War is evidenced by packed halls all over our republic".

The plot of our historical comedy begins quite unusually for a farce, namely with the funeral of Princess Libuše. Due to technical difficulties with the realization of the mourning act on stage, this takes place out of the viewer's sight, and the main narrative begins with a conversation between Prince Přemysl and the chieftain Bivoj, returning from the funeral.

Prince Přemysl, oscillating between grief over the loss of his beloved wife and joy at newly regained freedom, becomes the target of attacks by the marriage-happy and ambitious Vlasta, who manages to exploit the uncertainty and fear of girls about their share in public life for her personal benefit and ambition to take Princess Libuše's place. In her temperament and passion, she does not hesitate to use any means to achieve her goal.

Prince Přemysl has absolutely no intention of entering into a new marital bond with Vlasta, and his erotic-aesthetic attention is rather directed towards the charming Kazi, Libuše’s sister, who, unfortunately, has already linked her life with the brave hero, chieftain Bivoj, and his inseparable boar Ervín.

The honorable yet romance-inclined Kazi hesitates between the two individuals, that is, between her husband and the prince, until she finally decides on a compromise, that is, both magnificent men. Unknowingly, she thus lays the foundation for classic marital infidelity, surviving to this day.

The play offers a deep and analytical look at the causes and essence of The Maiden War from a completely new perspective, and my work with the characters captivates the viewer with its warmth and sincere reality. This X-ray view is further enhanced by explaining the historical transition from the old to a new way of burial.

During this great war conflict between men and women, we follow the effort of the old Slavic bard Lumír in his artistic creative struggle for our own, Slavic Pop music. Into these dramatic events mixes the love of the young Šárka for the handsome Ctirad, with the war conflict marking and harshly impacting the life of this young couple.

Ticket sales for the show.