Crisis and Punishment directed by Teddy Moskov in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria

“The conclusion of the play ‘Bank Crises and Punishments’ rocked the audience at the Puppet Theater premiere on July 12, 2023. Not a single spectator, whether drawn by the allure of the worldly affairs (thanks to Teddy Moskov!) or out of interest in the troupe’s development under Teddy Moskov’s direction, left disappointed! On the contrary, many were pleasantly surprised, once again finding themselves astonished at 1. how fiercely talented the artists at the Puppet Theater-Stara Zagora are and 2. the directorial power Teddy Moskov wields to achieve whatever he desires with them!

The plot in a nutshell: an unemployed artist ends up in a bank, thinking he’s playing a role, but suddenly realizes he’s been appointed an employee. Lyubomir Zhelev in the role of the Artist! What a character, what a performance, what physical movements of the body and face! An artist who masterfully controls all the muscles he possesses, in a virtuoso manner. So flexible that he could fit into a shoebox. So expressive in both facial expressions and voice, so fitting in relation to the space and other characters. In my opinion, in this performance, Lyubomir shed around 3 kg of his total weight. For me, he is worthy of a nomination in the national acting awards, although it is rare, almost never, given for comedic roles.

Since the action unfolds hyper-fast (like table tennis played by experienced players), it was extremely interesting for me to see that each actor “serves” and “returns” the ball in a rhythm that I appreciate. Specifically, no one reacts “prematurely” to a line or action, as I’ve seen many times on stage. You know what I mean – the actor to express surprise “prematurely” (for example) before the end of the responding line, which is meant to surprise him! Of course, because he knows the entire play by heart, not just his role! In ‘Bank Crises and Punishments,’ all reactions, every action is absolutely measured with precision to be perfectly organic.

I don’t know what techniques director Teddy Moskov uses for such a total transformation of the actors, for such a titanic unfolding of physical and intellectual potential (reviewed my sentence again, and it seems that “total” and “titanic” are not exaggerations, no, they’re not).

Moreover, the plot of the play is so relevant today! Definitely a good script, with seamlessly integrated invisible directorial references to Bulgarian specifics. It is both “The Street” and a play. A French author for a Bulgarian issue (…)

Congratulations to the director of the Puppet Theater, Darin Petkov, for maintaining a repertoire with strong social messages all these years! For inviting Teddy Moskov! For filling the troupe with such talented artists!

Huge kudos and heartfelt thanks for the powerful performances of the actors Bilyana Raynova, Zlatina Karaeneva, Tatyana Andreeva, Kiril Antonov, Yancho Ivanov. And Antoniya Kundakova is the new gem in the troupe, shining brightly!

I believe ‘Bank Crises and Punishments’ is destined for nationwide love!”

Ulyana Kyoseva. 14/07/2023

Source : Dolap.bg