LIFE HAS A BEGINNING, A MIDDLE... AND AN END
Josef Herman 7. February 2017 zdroj Divadelní noviny
(…) Stanislav Moša is mainly concerned with the difficult life story of the great little man. He translated the musical himself (with the aid of his daughter), and every word uttered on stage is not only exactly pronounced, but often also accompanied by specific lighting, movements and gestures. Every song, every scene has a point, and the whole production has perfect timing. (...) The theatre’s technical equipment is used to great effect in supporting the story and making it an attractive show. I saw the second cast and it is simply true that at Moša´s theatre the alternate actors are all as good as each other. The life of the title character is divided into three periods - childhood (young Chaplin is played by the great Rostislav Jatel), the senior years (Tomáš Sagher), and adulthood – where Chaplin was played by Marco Salvadori, who did a perfect job whether he was speaking, miming or singing. Viktória Matušovová portrayed the journalist Hopper as a real hellcat. As it is the custom here, even the most minor characters have a life story, a specific form and way of behaving, an internal logic governing their existence. The show also featured quotes from the star’s films, film clips, kinetics and also excellent use of lighting. Judging from shots taken at other productions of the musical, including the Broadway version, Brno’s Chaplin is a world class musical.
THE EUROPEAN PREMIERE OF THE MUSICAL CHAPLIN
Peter Stoličný 6. February 2017 zdroj www.i-divadlo.cz
(…) The dramaturgical and directorial conception was well chosen, and the resultant compact work maps out the almost seventy years of Charlie Chaplin´s creativity. We follow him from the age of six, when he first entered the world of theatre, and through his artistically most productive era right up to his exile in Switzerland. (...) The whole story is set in the environment of a film studio (the simple, versatile and inventive set design is by Christoph Weyers), where Chaplin senior arrives at the beginning and recalls his life. The story of the musical thus starts and ends with the artist in question, providing balance.
The whole work functions as a tribute to the legendary Tramp as well as to the period in which American cinematography developed. A love of film radiates from the design, the digital projections and indeed from the execution of the whole work. The first thing that theatregoers see when entering the auditorium already suggests this – a curtain composed of film posters each individually lit and accompanied by the overture to the show. (...) Christopher Curtis´ music ranges from standard musical entertainment fare to something more serious in tone. The score by Martin Procházka and Tomáš Küfhaber is excellent, though the only thing I don´t understand is how music can be heard from a “pit” which is almost completely covered with flooring elements. But it could, harmonizing beautifully with the actors’ singing. (...) In the case of the musical maestro Stanislav Moša, his direction serves the genre, providing the simplest and most accurate depiction of what’s needed. There are no purposeless additions to the script, and the mise-en-scène is wholly transparent, reflecting the atmosphere accurately. The guidance given to actors would seem to have been sensitive, again contributing to the overall impression. (...) I saw Daniel Rymeš in the role of Chaplin. (...) He played his Tramp in grand style - he really was him. Charlie´s brother Sidney was also portrayed convincingly by Lukáš Janota, while Tomáš Sagher was Charlie in his later years. Markéta Sedláčková played Charlie´s mother similarly well in a wide range of moods and situations. Hana Holišová was excellent as a raging journalist, and we mustn’t forget Eliška Skálová’s sensitive portrayal of Charlie´s last wife, Oona. Little Sidney was played superbly by Jan Juráček and small Charlie by Rostislav Jatel. (...)
CHAPLIN THE TRAMP ARRIVED AT BRNO MUSIC THEATRE
Vítězslav Sladký 30. January 2017 zdroj www.musical-opereta.cz
(...) It turned out to be a great idea to write a musical about Chaplin, not only thanks to the fame of this hero of silent comedy, but also because of his exceptionally turbulent private life (...) Thanks to Stanislav Moša´s brilliant direction, the story moves forwards fast and the spectators get to witness many key moments from Chaplin’s life – his difficult adolescence, his first theatre successes, his journey overseas and his entry into the uncompromising world of the Hollywood movie business (...). It can be seen that Stanislav Moša has devoted a lot of time to studying Chaplin´s life. The new musical sparkles with excellent acting performances and fresh choreographic numbers produced by Michal Matěj, and the completely professional sound and lighting that Brno always delivers also work their magic. A lot could be written about the grand and stunningly artistic set design by Christoph Weyers. (...) He is a master of the broad canvas, depicting individual environments realistically without overly long set changes. He can create inspired outlines of the London vaudeville setting, film studios and luxurious offices, and the famous “red carpet” scene in Hollywood is incredibly authentic. Everything is framed by sensitive quotes from Chaplin’s slapstick comedies and tasteful period costumes designed by Andrea Kučerová. (...) The character of the young king of slapstick offers a huge acting opportunity for the lead. Daniel Rymeš, excellent in all aspects, made full use of his big chance during the premiere. He excelled not only in the well-thought-out entrances by the little Tramp (including the typical Chaplin walk), but also as the ever-hesitating artist and the frequently used, or misused, lover of young girls. He was a typical example of an extremely successful but sometimes torn, intuitive and authentic artist. The young Charlie was played charmingly by Erik Seďa, and Jan Mazák also portrayed the aging version with great charm while actually resembling the character visually thanks to his greying hair. Hana Holišová (...) was fantastic in the role of the unpleasantly bothersome and vengeful journalist Hedda Hopper. Lukáš Janota was a similarly good partner to Chaplin as his brother Sydney (the already experienced Josef Gazdík plays him as a child). Charismatic actors Patrik Bořecký and Petr Štěpán played the roles of producers Fred Karno and Mack Sennett. And I mustn´t forget the entirely typical Englishman Lukáš Vlček, alias Alf Reeves. Several women had a significant effect on Chaplin’s life. Markéta Sedláčková appeared as one of them, his mentally unstable mother, Hannah. (...) Chaplin´s first wife was played by the charming Markéta Pešková, while his last was the understanding and no less impressive Barbora Remišová. (..) The conductor, Martin Procházka, had the baton as well as the professional sounding orchestra firmly under control. (...)
SAD TRAMP VERSUS AMERICAN IDOL
Radmila Hrdinová 23. January 2017 zdroj Právo
Brno City Theatre just keeps on staging new productions which are attractive for spectators and tailor-made for an ensemble which has been at the peak of the domestic musical scene for many years. Its latest discovery is the musical Chaplin. (…) It is a standard biographical musical which follows the life of the legendary film comedian chronologically from his childhood up to when he won an Oscar for lifetime achievement. The title character is played by three actors, who portray him in turn as a small boy, a young man and as the elderly Mr Chaplin. (...) It maps the key moments of his life, which include his difficult relationship with his mother, his life-long partnership with his older brother Sidney, his scandalous marriages to three partners and subsequently happy anchorage in a relationship with Oona O´Neill. (... ) The most space is given to Chaplin´s film career, launched at Mack Sennett´s studio, where he created the legendary character of the Tramp. (...) Moša´s production features all the professionalism that his theatre’s audiences have long got used to, from the leading actors up to the very last company member. (...) The musical is fast paced and attractive, with great choreography and, of course, many quotes from Chaplin´s films. The main star of the Sunday premiere was Marc Salvadori as Charlie, who showed great charisma and skill in the areas of physical expression and singing. Rostislav Jatel was convincing in the child role, (...) and Tomáš Sagher played the senior Chaplin. Lucie Bergerová also shone in the role of Chaplin´s mother Hannah, as did the passionate, confidently singing Viktória Matušovová as the nasty journalist Hedda Hopper, and the charming Eliška Skálová as Oona O´Neill, who also sang well. Chaplin is another successful repertoire piece at the Music Theatre which spectators will certainly like, particularly those who haven’t heard much about Chaplin yet.
CHARLIE CHAPLIN
Vratislav Mlčoch 23. January 2017 zdroj www.babocka.vram.cz
(…) Charlie´s long life and the quantity of people he met caused Brno City Theatre to employ almost its whole ensemble in portraying it. The majority of actors appear in several roles and keep changing their costumes, but they are always great. Christoph Weyers´ set is economical yet suitable - how else if it constantly keeps changing. The author of the digital backdrops, Petr Hloušek, did a great deal of work in adapting parts from many Chaplin films and putting them together in admirable fashion. Daniel Rymeš was also great in the role of middle-aged Charlie, showing that he has mastered all of Charlie´s physical tricks and gags, and on top of that, can sing splendidly, a skill which the real Charlie never demonstrated. I also have to praise Erik Seďa for the role of the young Charlie, Josef Gazdík as his brother Sydney when he was a child, and Markéta Sedláčková as their mother - their scenes together were most touching. I don´t and in fact cannot know what an effort it took for Stanislav Moša and his assistants to produce this musical, but they did a good job. A really good one. I would go so far as to say that it is one of the best musicals I have ever seen at Brno City Theatre. (...)
CHAPLIN – THE MUSICAL (…)
Jaroslav Štěpaník 23. January 2017 zdroj www.novinky.cz
(…) It certainly isn´t simple to capture the life story of such a complex, multi-layered personality as Chaplin via the musical genre. There’s his difficult childhood, his problematic relationship with family and partners, his creative doubts and problems, his conflict with the political establishment… The musical’s creators Christopher Curtis (music) and Thomas Meehan (libretto) tried to capture all this, and we can say that they succeeded in (...) showing Chaplin the artist as well as the man.
Charlie, a hero from the bygone era of silent film, comes back to life before the eyes of the audience at Brno City Theatre. (...) The music, which colours the events and evokes the period well, has a great share in the show’s success, and the dance numbers also contribute. The musical has style and pace. (...) The scenery and costumes are excellent, too. The sequences from several of Chaplin’s films were absolutely necessary, as they add to the period atmosphere and give the impression of a visit to an old Hollywood studio. Many actors come and go on stage, with several of them needing to cope with more than just one role. (...) “Silent star” Chaplin sings in the musical. He was played at the premier by Daniel Rymeš, who caught the spectators’ interest and performed very well in the role with all its varied requirements. His physiognomy is also close to Chaplin’s, so all in all it can be said that he was well cast. Erik Seďa was charming as little Charlie at the premiere. (...)
