The Blacksmiths

Romanian National Opera Timisoara

September 16, 2024 at 8:00 PM

Under various titles, the play "The Blacksmiths" by Milos Nikolic has been featured in the repertoire of several theaters in the country, but also abroad. The director of the show, Horațiu Mălăele, seems to be "in love" with this play, in which he naturally also plays the main role. 

The original text by the playwright Milos Nikolic, born in Kosovo in 1939, tells the story of a German blacksmith who discovers after a long time that his son is the child of a Romanian. Horațiu Mălăele adapts the subject, and the blacksmith Grigorie is a Romanian who discovers that his son is the child of the Hungarian Peter; Peter finds out that his son has the Russian Ivan as a father, and Ivan discovers that his son belongs to... Grigorie! This genetic confusion is the consequence of war because all the men, blacksmiths by trade, were also soldiers on the front. The play's underlying theme is generous through suggestions regarding the consequences of war and the false trumpet of nationalism that has become a "doctrine" for some current European parties. This comedy is skillfully written by Mios Nikolic and provokes laughter from the audience at the misfortune of the three men of different nationalities who discover that their sons actually have another nationality genetically. 

The adaptation through the change in the nationality of some characters is, however, flimsy. The wives are represented in the text only by Matilda, the Romanian Grigorie's wife, who argues that the women did not cheat on their husbands; they only wanted the blacksmith profession to have descendants. Matilda's argument is conceived by the playwright on the historical substratum that after farmers and shepherds, blacksmiths serve one of the oldest professions, even mentioned in the Bible. These remain the basic professions of simple people. However, in today's world, Matilda's desire to perpetuate the craft fails because, according to their fathers, the sons are no longer blacksmiths and have chosen other professions. Horațiu Mălăele's adaptation uses the translation signed by Veronica Lăzăreanu, which is abundant in coarse accents.

         The scenographer Maria Miu, who has also illustrated this play at another theater, builds on stage a detailed blacksmith's shop with specific objects of the trade, complemented by those from the household of simple people. The decor is enchanting and functionally designed to diversify the stage movement. Director Horațiu Mălăele develops the story of the three men with humor, excelling in the comedy field. The show lasts an hour and ten minutes, of which five minutes are consumed at the beginning by Grigorie's search in the dark, with a lantern, for "something" in the blacksmith's shop—these absurd searches, however, do not find a consolidated purpose in the ensuing action.

 The four actors remarkably carry out the characters assigned to them. Maia Morgenstern in Matilda, Grigorie's wife, delivers an excellent role. The actress develops with inner conviction Matilda's struggle to explain to her husband that she did not cheat during the four years he was on the front in Russia, complemented by the emotion of reuniting with Peter. Once again, Maia Morgenstern proves that she is a rare complex actress capable of credibly tackling both the comedic and dramatic genres. 

Horațiu Mălăele subtly constructs the character Grigorie, a simple man trying to untangle the confusion caused by Peter’s arrival in his family. The actor dramatically handles the situation, which evidently results in comedy. With a subtle Hungarian accent in his speech, George Mihăiță portrays Peter experiencing intense emotion at reuniting with Matilda, as well as the complexity of the revelations. Valentin Teodosiu admirably realizes the final appearance of Ivan, through his demeanor and the relationships with those he meets. The four actors meritoriously convey the story of the skilled blacksmiths, simple men whom the war has scarred, like many other simple people living today in a different, confusing world with its manifestations.

         "The Blacksmiths" offers a comedy opportunity for the audience that should also provoke some thought about their pride in tracing their origins to... Dacians and Romans. The show remains just an exercise in successful amusement...