MILOŠ CRNJANSKI

Since its setting up, the Opera and Theatre “Madlenianum” has been cherishing   the repertoire that is thematically marked by lives and deeds of great historical figures of the world of art and science. The newest drama premiere (7th November, on the Large stage of “Madlenianum” with the audience at the stage) is to deal with the life of Milos Crnjanski, who undoubtedly belongs to the small number of writers that are in the very top of Serbian literature. The works created by his completely authentic talent in the area of novels, poetry, drama and essays have only be confirmed by time as real masterpieces and thus theatre play about this literature genius is the mission of the national significance.   

We find Milos Crnjanski, already remarkable Serbian (and Yugoslav) writer, in his young age, at the beginning of drama, being together with his wife Vida in London where he lives during and after the Second World War in exile. “A Novel about London” of Crnjanski is the basis out of which weaves the entire play, since Slavenka Milovanovic, Ivan Vujic and Milos Latinovic have, as the authors, wisely used the fact that “A Novel about London” is in its large part an autobiographical story of our great writer. The gloomy moments, in which two great intellectuals, Milos and Vida, change their diplomatic life for the life in which they are hardly able to feed themselves, are certainly distressing. But even more distressing is their exile in the picture of the political events. Homeland rejects them, foreigners do not accept them, and both former and new Yugoslav governments condemn them as they do not want to express their affiliation either to one or another. Married couple Crnjanski belongs only to each other and out of that fact originate all poeticism and the strength of dramatic text. In hard times, Milos and Vida were saved by their love. In drama, Milos says that his wife’s faith in his creative work was the crucial issue for him to continue writing in his hardest life period. What a pity it would have been for Serbia if that had not happened!    

From the position of people of mature age, who have defended their marriage and dignity despite all attacks, Milos and Vida recall their youth (here the writer involves young Milos and young Vida as new characters) and literature beginnings of Crnjanski. On the one hand, the audience will see romantic moments of their meeting and travels, but on the other hand the actors will remind them of that how alone Crnjanski was and misunderstood by critics and colleagues when it came to his works. Readers adored him, but public recognitions did rarely arrive.

The play ends with a distressful return of Milos and Vida to their beloved country, to Belgrade, throughout many aggravating circumstances, almost in illegality. Milos came to his homeland to say goodbye to earthly life.

What we could not imagine a drama play about Milos Crnjanski (and his Vida) are numerous quotations from his poetry and prose. Those quotations will make the play become one poetic fresco dedicated to the literature great man who deserves all honors of the nation he created for, he suffered with, he write about. The play has the aim to be strong and unusual, as those two people it talks about are.   

The ply “Milos Crnjanski” is done in coproduction with “Bitef Theatre”. A director’s baton is in the hands of Ivana Vujic. The author of the scenography is Kosta Bunusevac, and Svetlana Volic deals with costumes and video activities. Music for the play is composed by Irena Popovic, whereas Isidora Stanisic is a choreographer.