Performance as part of HNK2EU – European Theatre Series in Zagreb
Ivan Vazov National Theatre, Sofia (Bulgaria)
George Bernard Shaw
Arms and the Man
Translation: Stoyan Chaprazov and Rayko Chaprazov
Director: John Malkovich
Set Designer: Pierre-François Limbosch
Costume Designer: Jordan Mihalev
Sound Environment: Julian Stoichkov
Lighting Designer: Iliya Pashnin
Assistant Director: Anastasia Dimitrova
Director's Personal Assistant: Ivayla Veleva
Dramaturge: Mira Todorova
Assistant Directors: Olga Nedyalkova, Elena Kostova
Poster Design: Nikolay Dimitrov NAD
Photography: Stefan Zdraveski
Cast: Nencho Kostov, Plamen Dimov, Eva Tepavicharova, Kremena Slavcheva, Irina Miteva, Hristo Petkov, Stoyan Pepelanov, Konstantin Elenkov
Arms and the Man is a three-act play by the world-renowned Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, first premiered at the Avenue Theatre in London in 1894. The West End premiere was Shaw’s first commercial success, marking the beginning of his popularity as a playwright. It remains one of the most frequently staged comedies by the Nobel laureate. Through the language of comedy, the play seeks to mock the societal sentiments that glorify war, revealing their inherent contradictions and unnecessary romanticization. This intention is reflected in the title, which Shaw took from the English translation of the opening lines of Virgil’s ancient epic poem, The Aeneid.
Initially, the characters and setting were generic, but in his quest for realism, Shaw, advised by friends, chose to situate the relationships and events within the context of the recently concluded Serbo-Bulgarian War in the Balkans. Thus, the action takes place in the home of Officer Petkoff, in a small town near Dragoman, Bulgaria, following the 1885 Battle of Slivnitsa.
What captivates John Malkovich in this play is both its critique of the romanticized idea of war and the conflict between love as an ideal and love in reality. For Malkovich, the fascinating aspect is the vast contrast between Shaw’s fanciful world and the modern, profane reality characterized by normalized crises, human alienation, divisions, and unending military conflicts. War is no longer associated with notions of heroism, sacrifice, freedom, and human dignity but with suffering, horror, and death. Malkovich presents a romantic anti-war comedy, where the contemporary world will be reflected as if through a magnifying glass, making its problems even more apparent to us.
In Bulgaria, Arms and the Man has been staged twice by Nikolay Polyakov under the title The Chocolate Soldier (translated by Georgi Stanchev, though unpublished). The first production was in 1995 at the Drama and Puppet Theater – Vratsa, for which Polyakov received the Best Director Award at the National Festival of Small Forms. The second production was in 2000 at the Sava Ognyanov Drama Theater – Ruse.
This is the second time that John Malkovich is directing Shaw's famous play. In 1985, he directed Arms and the Man at Circle in the Square Theatre in New York, with a cast including Kevin Kline (later replaced by Malkovich himself), Glenne Headly, and Raul Julia. The production was highly popular, with over 100 performances.
John Malkovich is a world-renowned American actor, director, and producer. He has received numerous prestigious international awards and nominations for film, television, and theater, including the Emmy Award, the New York Film Critics Circle Award, accolades from the Karlovy Vary, Locarno, and Munich film festivals, two Academy Award nominations, three Golden Globe nominations, and a BAFTA nomination. Malkovich is also one of the founders of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago.
The production is performed in Bulgarian with English surtitles.
