Kristian Novak
GYPSY, BUT THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL
Directed by Ivica Buljan
The protagonists of Novak’s brilliant novel make up an incredible and masterfully fictionalized gallery of characters in which we find contemporary fears reflected. A young Romani man Sandokan, aka Sandy, falls in love with Milena from Međimurje, a white woman from the neighboring village of Sabolščak. Divorced and in her late forties, she has been unfairly laid off and returns to her childhood home, where she must take care of her stubborn grandfather.
Nuzat, a Kurd from Mosul, has left his family and his country that is ravaged by war, and is in search of a better life in Calais. Plančić, the PR manager for the Zagreb Police Station, has been sent to the field and instructed to cover up a murder that could explode into great violence and a major political scandal. A Croatian Homeland War veteran keeps a fragile peace in the village, and a policeman in the twilight of his career is experiencing visions and apparitions from the apocalyptic TV series The Leftovers.
These unconventional antiheroes are not stereotypical representatives of their ethnic or social group; rather, they are noble outsiders whose behavior defies stereotypes, as they empathetically challenge the prejudices society holds about them. The story lines fork out only to finally meet in a savage murder. The author uses a lavish style to meticulously narrate biographies from four different social milieus, resulting in a precise social and emotional topography of identities. The novel's enormous theatrical potential lies, above all, in the author's lavish style, composed of elements of crime, melodrama, documentary material, social drama and elements of popular (sub)culture, including Romani songs, the most famous being the one of the novel's title. The play's dramaturg is Ivor Martinić, one of the most notable Croatian dramatists, whose works have been successfully staged on numerous international stages.
One of the bravest love stories of contemporary Croatian theatre. – Tportal
The mere fact of bringing to life a gallery of different characters who bit by bit fight various prejudices makes this production a great artistic success.
— Novi list
Nina Violić is brilliant. The young Filip Vidović is just as good, despite this being his first time performing on the CNT's stage.
'Ciganin, ali najljepši': Jedna od najsmjelijih ljubavnih priča suvremenog hrvatskog teatra.— Tportal
The mere fact of bringing to life a gallery of different characters who bit by bit fight various prejudices makes this production a great artistic success.— Novi list
Nina Violić is brilliant. The young Filip Vidović is just as good, despite this being his first time performing on the CNT's stage.— Večernji list
