From the Other Side

The loneliness may be spoken of pessimistically but also humorously. By its spontaneous humour as if created right on the stage it proves the production of From the Other Side. Endless talks about banalities, meditation that leads nowhere, serious solutions of every-day situations but also crucial moments, unexpectedly uttered truths and all years hidden opinions – all of this in natural performance the actors of the Zagreb Youth Theatre.

In the recent years the theatrical activities have been influenced by documentary drama and theatre. At the beginning it was a trend connected exclusively with alternative stages, marginalized groups, taboo or black themes. From 1997 Bobo Jelčić and Nataša Rajković have taken this trend out of this fixed place by their co-operative work on projects in which they search for contemporary alternative to classical and conceptual forms (Observations, Slowdowns, An Uncertain Story). In the production of From the Other Side we see the work with a method that will carry self-confidently almost blurred borders between reality and theatre. Such a theatrical piece is created without an original or written scenario, it is created by thee collective performing improvisation and strengthen by performances of a thorough search of the psychology and behaviour of today´s man. The result of this is a full-blooded and emotionally powerful study of loneliness of the people living in small flats of a certain block of flats. Imagination, self-control and the sense of playfulness create unique moments and one original stage piece.

From the Other Side is a story of an aged woman who does not find a new impulse and energy in her life, of her son, who lives too long with his mother, of an energetic friend and a little bit of a thicky neighbour. The combination of characters is a model pattern for various expected as well as non-expected situations. Every character has own stories which he or she wants to speak of. The loneliness combined with selfishness characterizes their ridiculous wishes to fight for their place in the middle of a small place. They unveil their narrow relationships but also their hidden mutual emotions and thoughts. Despite the fact that the documentary element brings a certain dose of rough material, the approach of Jelčić and Rajković connects, crafty and without force, naturalistic elements with surrealism.

The inner world of the characters is portrayed plastically and there is nothing impossible in it. Nevertheless, even when those people open their hearts and speak about their feelings without barriers, they will never feel better, their lives will not change, they will remain the same residents of small flats with the same problems. Because the change is good, but on the other side...
Romana Maliti