THE BLACKSMITHS

Palace of Culture Targu Mures

March 17, 2025 at 19:00

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

The original text by playwright Milos Nikolic, born in Kosovo in 1939, tells the story of a German blacksmith who, after a long time, discovers that his son is the child of a Romanian man. Horațiu Mălăele adapts the subject and the blacksmith Grigorie is a Romanian who finds out that his son is the child of the Hungarian Peter, who then finds out that his son has the Russian Ivan as his father, while Ivan discovers that his son belongs to ... Grigorie! This genetic confusion is a consequence of war because all the men, blacksmiths by trade, were also soldiers on the front line. The play’s theme generously suggests the consequences of war and the false proclamation of nationalism, which has become a "doctrine" for some current European parties. The comedy is skillfully written by Mios Nikolic and makes the audience laugh at the misfortune of the three men of different nationalities who find out that their sons actually genetically belong to other nationalities. 

The adaptation by changing the nationality of some characters is, however, flimsy. The wives are represented in the text only by Matilda, the wife of the Romanian Grigorie, who argues that the women did not cheat on their husbands, but only wanted the blacksmith craft to have successors. Matilda’s argument is conceived by the playwright on the historical basis that after farmers and shepherds, blacksmiths serve one of the oldest professions even attested 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 the sons, their fathers say, are no longer blacksmiths; they have chosen other professions. Horațiu Mălăele’s adaptation uses a translation signed by Veronica Lăzăreanu, abundant in trivial accents.

         Scenographer Maria Miu, who has also illustrated this play at another theater, with her recognized talent, constructs a detailed forge on stage with specific objects for the trade, supplemented by those from the homes of simple people. The decor is charming and functionally designed for the diversification of stage movement. Director Horațiu Mălăele humorously develops the story of the three men, being very adept in the field of comedy. The show lasts an hour and ten minutes, of which five minutes are spent at the start with Grigorie's searches in the forge with a flashlight, in the dark naturally, for "something," though these absurd searches do not find a solid role in the subsequent action.

 Remarkably, the four actors fulfill the characters that belong to them. Maia Morgenstern in Matilda, Grigorie's wife, delivers an excellent role. The actress develops with inner belief Matilda's struggle to clarify to her husband that she did not cheat on him in the four years he was at the front in Russia, also complemented by the emotion of reuniting with Peter. Once again, Maia Morgenstern proves to be a rarely complex actress and can credibly approach both the comic and the dramatic genre. 

Horațiu Mălăele skillfully builds the character Grigorie, a simple man trying to unravel the complexities brought by Peter's arrival in his family. The actor treats the situation dramatically and, evidently, the result is comedic. With a timid Hungarian accent in his speech, George Mihăiță presents Peter as he intensely experiences the emotions of reuniting with Matilda, but also the complicated situation of revelations. The final intervention of Ivan is admirably performed by Valentin Teodosiu through his demeanor and support of relationships with those he meets. The four actors commendably render the story of the capable blacksmiths, simple men upon whom war left… marks, like many other simple people living today in another world, confused in manifestations.

         "The Blacksmiths" provides an opportunity for comedy to the audience, who should then think when they proudly claim their genesis in ... Romans and Dacians. The show remains just, a successful exercise in amusement…