Lulu

The „monstertragedy" Lulu by Wedekind is certainly one of the most scandalous dramas of the 20th century. But that is not the reason it is in the repertoire of the Slovak National Theatre. In any case, the pseudomoralistic causes which were the most trivial reason for the censorship and actions in court are not now, at the end of the century, surrounded with so many myths and tabu as they were at the beginning of the century.
In the play by Wedekind there is hidden, however, something more important than a scandalous raciness. In the play Lulu, there is depicted the eternal dramatic strife of natural, vital, intuitive existence with the environment of the institutionalized morale and the proprietary attitude towards the world in an original way. In this aspect, Wedekind was a rebel at the turn of the century. It is obvious not only in Lulu, but in his drama The Awakening of Spring, performed in the theatre in Nitra and staged by Jozef Bednárik several years ago, as well. Put simply, he was angry because of the hypocritical morale which he considered a crime that can easily destroy a human life.
Taking all together, defiance – often anarchistic and passionate defiance to the hypocritic morale of even more hypocritic society was a frequent theme of the next generation – Wedekind´s followers – expressionists, who were considerably influenced by Wedekind´s works. There we can find more than an irrational and casual link between Lulu by Wedekind and Baal by Brecht (the link blessed by a deep admiration of the young Brecht for the great Wedekind). .
So Lulu, on the stage of the Slovak National Theatre, was to (and perhaps has succeeded) follow up with Baal in the theatre DSNP in Martin. The same translator and repertory adviser, the same stage manager, composer and lyrics author. This is a team of people whose interest in the theme of the conflict of the intuitive and „natura” intrinsic defiance to the institutionalized life is intrinsic. The reason to do so is not to agree and bless only one part´s truth, but to delineate this eternal strife and depict it as much detachedly and with such a factual sense as possible. (Is it a coincidence that such a play written by Marivaux was staged by Polák at one time with the title The Touches And the Links?) They want to do so realizing, the people have never solved it and, thanks goodness they will never definitely do so. If they did, there would be a terrible boredom in the world. Yes, indeed.

Martin Porubiak

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