Under various titles, the play “The Blacksmiths” by Milos Nikolic has been part of the repertoire of several theaters in the country and abroad. The director of the show, Horațiu Mălăele, seems to be “in love” with this play in which, naturally, he also plays the main 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 actually a Romanian's child. Horațiu Mălăele adapts the subject, and the blacksmith Grigorie is a Romanian who discovers that his son is the child of the Hungarian Peter, who then learns that his own son is fathered by the Russian Ivan, and Ivan finds out that his son belongs to ... Grigorie! This genetic mix-up is a consequence of war because all the men, being blacksmiths by trade, were also soldiers on the front. The play's underlying theme is rich through suggestions regarding the consequences of war and the false trumpeting of nationalism, which has become a “doctrine” for some current European parties. The comedy is skillfully written by Milos Nikolic and makes the audience laugh at the plight of the three men of different nationalities who find out that their sons have a genetically different nationality.
The adaptation by changing the nationality of some characters, however, is flimsy. The wives are represented in the text only by Matilda, Grigorie's Romanian wife, who argues that the women did not cheat on their husbands; they just wanted the guild of blacksmiths 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 attested even in the Bible. These remain the basic professions of simple people. However, in today's world, Matilda's wish to perpetuate the guild fails because the sons, their fathers say, are no longer blacksmiths; they have chosen other professions. Horațiu Mălăele's adaptation uses a translation by Veronica Lăzăreanu, abundant in coarse accents.
Scenographer Maria Miu, who illustrated this play at another theater, builds on the stage a detailed forge with specific trade objects, complemented by those from the household of simple people. The decor is delightful and functionally designed to diversify the stage movement. Director Horațiu Mălăele develops the story of the three men with humor, being an ace in the field of comedy. The show lasts an hour and ten minutes, with five minutes at the beginning spent in Grigorie’s search through the forge with a flashlight, in the dark, for “something”; however, these absurd searches do not have a solid purpose in the subsequent action.
The four actors remarkably fulfill their roles. Maia Morgenstern as Matilda, Grigorie's wife, delivers an excellent performance. The actress authentically develops Matilda’s internal struggle in explaining to her husband that she didn't cheat on him during the four years he was on the Russian front, also filled with the emotion of reuniting with Peter. Once again, Maia Morgenstern demonstrates that she is an actress of rare complexity, adept in playing both comic and dramatic genres credibly.
Horațiu Mălăele subtly constructs the character of Grigorie, a simple man trying to unravel the threads spun by Peter's arrival in his family. The actor approaches the situation dramatically, resulting, naturally, in comedy. With a slight Hungarian accent in speech, George Mihăiță presents Peter as he intensely experiences the emotion of reuniting with Matilda and the complicated situation of the revelations. Ivan’s final intervention is admirably realized by Valentin Teodosiu, through his posture and maintaining relationships with those encountered. The four actors commendably render the story of the skilled blacksmiths, ordinary people marked by war, just like many other simple people living today in a different world, confused in its manifestations.
“The Blacksmiths” offers the audience a comedic experience that should make them think afterward, especially when they take pride in being descendants of … the Dacians and Romans. The show remains merely a successful exercise in amusement …
