Bitef

X REČ SELEKTORA

Provokativnu, decenijama neizvođenu komediju RodoIjupci Jovana Sterije Popovića o tome kako su tokom revoiucije 1848. godine lažni srpski rodoljubi iz Vojvodine, rukovođeni samo svojim interesima, brzinski menjali strane u sukobu Mađara i Srba, 2015. godine je, u Narodnom pozorištu u Beogradu, režirao priznati reditelj iz Subotice Andraš Urban, poznat po svojim kritički beskompromisnim predstavama. To je kontekst koji sam po sebi, od izbora teksta do izbora reditelja i njegovog koncepta, redefiniše tradicionaino shvatanje misije nacionalnog pozorišta, a u duhu savremenih umetničkih i društvenih potreba. Vrhunac političkog angažmana u ovoj predstavi ostvaruje se u adaptaciji teksta kojom jedina zdrava pamet u drami, Gavrilović, biva übijen, dok rodoljupci pevaju frenetične propagandne songove, među kojima se izdvaja onaj s čitavom listom srpskih političara od 90-ih do danas, a što je osuda i kontinuiteta „rodoljublja" u srpskoj politic! i, još više, našeg pristajanja na takvu politiku, a pod parolom da svako od njih - Jma pravo".

x O PREDSTAVI

Godina je 1848. i revolucija se proširila od Francuske, preko Italije, Mađarske, do male banatske varoši Vršca, gde se grupica lokalnih skorojevića i bankrotiranih trgovaca nameće za srpske predstavnike. Jedini kriterijum njihove reprezentativnosti je - rodoljublje, koje oni shvataju prema ličnim interesima; na početku su ponizne „mađarske patriote" (diče se svojim mađarizovanim imenima, liturgiju drže na mađarskom jeziku - doduše izmišljenom, kite se mađarskim kokardama, itd.), a kada saznaju za srpsku pobunu i zahtev za stvaranjem Srpske Vojvodine, istog časa postaju ratnohuškačke kolovođe. Ali njihovo rodoljublje će biti stalno na iskušenju - u zavisnosti od stanja na bojnom polju. Kada Mađari pobeđuju, oni ponovo na sebe stavljaju mađarske kokarde, a kada pobede Srbi, oni, kao lokalna vlast, brutalno pljačkaju i hapse svoje mađarske susede. Uvek s ratnički pevanim rodoljubivim pesmama na usnama, übiće i jedinog poštenog i razumnog među sobom - ugiednog trgovca Gavrilovića. A posle mađarske kontraofanzive 1849. godine, beže u Beograd, gde bogati i mirne savesti lamentiraju nad svojom „zlom srećom“, pevajući nežnu Sterijinu Ijubavnu pesmu o važnosti „čistog srca“.

x CURATORS’ WORD

Provocative and for decades not produced comedy by Jovan Sterija Popovic, The Patriots, about Serbian false patriots who were changing sides during the 1848 conflict between Hungarians and Serbs, was this time, in Belgrade National Theatre in 2015, directed by the director from Subotica, Andräs Urban, known for his uncompromised critical work. The very context of this production - both the choice of the play and the choice of the director and his concept - redefines the traditional understanding of what the mission of National Theatre is supposed to be, in terms of contemporary artistic and social needs. Political engagement in this production reaches its peak through the adaptation in which the only reasonable person, Gavrilovic, gets murdered, while the patriots sing frenetic propaganda songs, among which the most prominent is the one mentioning a complete list of Serbian politicians starting from the nineties onwards, which represents a clear condemnation of the continuity of “patriotism” in Serbian politics and, even more, our acceptance of these politicians, under the motto that all of them “have a point”.

x ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

It is 1848, the revolution spreads quickly from France, through Italy and Hungary, and reaches Vršac, a small town in Banat, where a group of local upstarts and bankrupt shopkeepers poses as Serbian representatives. The only criterion for them to be representatives is - patriotism, understood according to their personal interests. At first, they keep the pretence of humble “Hungarian patriots” (they are proud of their Hungarized names, church masses are held in Hungarian - although not the proper Hungarian language - they adorn themselves with Hungarian rosettes, etc.), but when they learn about the Serbian uprising and the request for the creation of Serbian Vojvodina, they immediately become warmongers. However, their patriotism is always dubious it depends on the battle outcome. When Hungarians win a battle, they put Hungarian rosettes on their chests, but when Serbs win, they, as representatives of local government, brutally raid and imprison their Hungarian neighbours. While singing patriotic songs all the time, they stop at nothing, even killing the only honest and reasonable person in their group - Mr. Gavrilovic, a prominent merchant. After the Hungarian counter-offensive in 1849, they flee to Belgrade, where they live prosperously and, with clear conscience, lament over their “bad luck” while singing Sterija’s gentle love song about the importance of “having a pure heart”.

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