'Pages from the Book of…' by 50 Letters Theatre Company, Summerhall, Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Polish directors Andrzej and Teresa Welminski, former performers of Tadeusz Kantor’s Cricot 2, devised the show with international 50 Letters Theatre Company. The piece is based on Bruno Schulz's art and his book titled 'Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass'.
The story is about a fragile, dramatic but humorous relationships between a father and a son. Josef is searching for his dead father in the eerie Sanatorium. A place where the past can be returned to and relived. Therefore time, as such becomes meaningless.
This avant-garde piece of theatre, in the style of Tadeusz Kantor, confronts its audience with a spiral of uncertainty, forcing them to question reality, life and death. This air of confusion can be disconcerting, but the deeply compelling, visual and aural spectacle can still be enjoyed and admired. The Chorus of highly talented actors free themselves from natural inhibitions and use movement and sound to create a train, clucking hens and an eclectic carousel of mannequins. All physical expressions and noises have clearly been studied, imitated and perfected, creating a unique piece of theatre.
The piece was first performed at Summerhall as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, but was then transferred to various places, amongst them Kraków and Gardzienice.