Human comedy 1

The fatigue of a double life is what lies at the core of “Human comedy 1,” a drama inspired by the all-too-real struggles of Old Goriot.

An aura of excellence distinguishes this production and the plot description does not even hint at how dramatic and cliché-free this brilliantly performed show is. The cast includes all Blagoevgrad theatre actors and is simply one to die for. Studying their body language and facial expressions, as well as their position in relation to the surrounding physical space, one could tell director Boyko Bogdanov was inspired to create an original theater production evoking the actors’ states of mind.

Nikolay Kimchev is a force of nature as the main character. While watching him, one can forget he is actually an actor playing a role. His frightening performance, in which he seems to deteriorate physically with every painful pause, can be a spectacle to remember.

That said, Old Goriot, a previously unproduced play adaptation by the long-dead Honoré de Balzac, has at last made its theatre debut on the Blagoevgrad stage. For something that for more than a century has been gathering dust in the archives, this play has a remarkably lively step. The performance somehow finds fresh sources of insight, humor and anguish in seemingly worn-to-the-stump material -- the dysfunctional dynamics of a family.

What the director succeeded at providing best is a sense of spectacle. He made abundant and relatively effective use of special effects and computer-generated imagery to produce an array of background effects in the play.

After watching this performance, you will leave the Blagoevgrad theater emotionally wrung out and exhausted by laughing and crying, and still find yourself hungry for more.

The next performances of "Human Comedy 1" are on March 10 and March 13 at 19.00

Ticket prices may vary: for questions phone : 88 52 50 (int. 241)

For more information please visit the Blagoevgrad theatre website: www.blagoevgradtheatre.com