Review: Is Radosław Rychcik a Polish Wunderkind? a Poseur? A Bit of Both?

Review: In the Solitude of Cotton Fields by Bernard-Marie Koltès. Adapted and directed by Radosław Rychcik. Produced by Stefan Zeromski Theatre. Music by Natural Born Chillers. With Tomasz Nosinski and Wojciech Niemczyk. At On the Boards, January 13-16, 2011.

Wojciech Niemczyk and Tomasz Nosinski in "In the Solitude of Cotton Fields"

I’ve seen several shows at On the Boards, and I have to say, I love them. They are the only theater arts organization in Seattle that presents new multi-media pieces from artists from around the world, as well as new work from emerging and established local artists. The work they present is challenging, engaging, and exciting…also, infuriating, oblique, pretentious and forced and usually a combination of all of the above in every production presented. But, the ratio for most of the productions I’ve experienced has tended to favor the positive over the negative and several OTB shows ended up in my “Best Seattle Theater of 2010″ column, notably the Ralph Lemon and Dayna Hanson pieces. They weren’t “perfect” shows, but they had power and charisma and charm and real artistry.
In the Solitude of Cotton Fields, an adaptation of a play by Bernard-Marie Koltès, produced by the Polish theater company, Stefan Zeromski Theatre and directed by 29 year old rising theatrical legend Radosław Rychcik has, at times, that same power and charisma and charm and sense of real artistry. It also has moments of banality and unoriginality and borders on a parody of European Performance Art, Former Soviet Bloc Country Division. It’s loud, raw, visceral and at times very moving. It features two strong performances from young actors, Tomasz Nosinski and Wojciech Niemczyk as the “Client” and “Dealer”, respectively, and a killer musical score and performance from the band, Natural Born Chillers. Mr Rychcik has done an admirable job of adapting the original French work, and staging it as part rock/music event, spoken word poetry slam and groovy art house installation piece. Yet, amidst all the power and rage and arty angst, there’s also a sense of cliché and of going through the performance art check list. Choreographed movement: Check. Dramatic lighting, including strobes and dry ice effects: Check. Primal Screaming: Check. Full Frontal Nudity as a means to express the wounded nakedness of emotion: Check.
It’s a bit rote.
And, the biggest failure of all: The Obligatory Video Sequence. EVERY multi-media performance art piece is now, apparently, required by law to include some video/film as part of the project. (Maybe it’s a labeling issue? If you label your show as “Multi-Media” you MUST include dance, theater, music AND film/video? If not, you lose your street cred? Or, does a federal agency come after you? The Art School Police?) The problem, in nearly every production I’ve witnessed, is that the video tends to be the weakest link in every show; unfocused or contrived or riddled with cliché and often times coming across as a particularly dull film montage on the Oscars. In the case of “Solitude”, the film sequence IS brilliantly edited and put together, but it feels like padding in the show and not a necessary, integral component of the piece as a whole. To make matters worse, it’s nothing more than a montage of clips from every art school/film nerd’s favorite film library including clips from David Lynch, John Waters, Sergio Leone and Walt Disney. Like I noted, it’s very well edited and composed, but it serves no purpose other than it looks “cool” and helps fill a 90 minute performance window. Also, is it wise to showcase OTHER artist’s work in what is supposed to be a personal artistic statement? If you cannot MAKE your own film, then please don’t bother borrowing someone else’s.
The reaction to the performance was very interesting. Half of the audience was beyond delighted and gave it a roaring standing ovation. The other half of the audience very pointedly did not, and I noticed more than one person looking around the audience with a “Really? You liked it that much?” look on their face. (I was one of those people, but that’s my usual reaction to the obligatory practice now of giving EVERYTHING a standing ovation. It’s one of my pet peeves. The standing “O” is now meaningless…at least in Seattle.)
Oh, and I just realized I haven’t mentioned what the show was about. I really don’t know, to be honest. It’s in Polish, with English titles, and to be frank, it was just so much angsty hyperbabble that I lost interest. The primary theme seemed to be “Men are beasts” but not really, because we have the capability to “connect” with one another. The Dealer is willing to sell to the Client anything he wants, but the Client only really wants/needs is Human Connection. Eventually, the Dealer feels pity for the Client and offers him a connection but the Client realizes he can be strong on his own. The play ends, as it begins, with each character occupying their own space in the world. Cue the Techno/Punk/Pop music and let’s call it a night.
This is decidedly a mixed review that veers toward the negative but I do want to say that there was also much to like in this production as well and to praise both the actors in this piece. Tomasz Nosinski and Wojciech Niemczyk both give excellent performances and are very dynamic and powerful actors. The music by Natural Born Chillers was exciting and raw and professionally performed. As for director Radosław Rychcik, I think he is immensely talented and has a huge future in front of him, but he needs to work out some youthful fancies. We don’t need to know how much you love David Lynch and John Waters; every arty nerd in the world loves David Lynch and John Waters. We want Radosław Rychcik to be the next Radosław Rychcik, not just another Fan Boy worshiping at the altar of those who came before.

http://www.seattlegayscene.com/2011/01/review-is-radoslaw-rychcik-a-polish-wunderkind-a-poseur-a-bit-of-both.html

In the Solitude of Cotton Fields By Bernard-Marie Koltes

Pi Theatre with the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival and the Polish Cultural Institute in New York presents Radoslaw Rychcik and the Stefan Zeromski Theatre of Poland’s production of In the Solitude of Cotton Fields.

Director Radosław Rychcik’s contemporary vision of French playwright Bernard-Marie Koltes’ play In the Solitude of Cotton Fields features 2 actors in black suits backed by the talented musicians of The Natural Born Chillers. The action follows the Dealer and the Client as they conduct an seemingly illicit and unnamed deal. Featuring Wojciech Niemczyk & Tomasz Nosinski from the Stefan Zeromski Theatre of Kielce, Poland.
The 29-year-old Radoslaw Rychcik is a great example of the kind of talent emerging from the exceptionally strong theatre scene in Poland. His shows are known for intense acting coupled with simple and yet specific scenography. Rychcik has directed shows by Bertolt Brecht (Versus: In the Jungle of Cities), Roland Barthes (Fragments: A Lover’s Discourse) and recently premiered an adaptation of Gustav Flaubert’s Madame Bovary. His work has been shown at Under the Radar (NYC) and was seen this year at the TBA Festival in Portland and On the Boards in Seattle.
Natural Born Chillers from Ostrow Wielkopolski is a band of 5 musicians who deliver a high-power sound that combines the energy of electronics with the depth of live instruments, charismatic vocals, and a strong visual element. Their music is like an explosive love affair between electronica and rock’n’roll, techno and punk. Every show is performed almost like a DJ set with dynamic compositions by NBC and live remixes of top-shelf club hits. NBC has played the most popular clubs and underground cultural events in Poland. www.myspace.com/thenaturalbornchillersosterdam
Bernard Marie Koltes, whose plays have been translated into thirty languages, is one of the most performed French playwrights in the world. In the Solitude of Cotton Fields was written in 1985. He died of AIDS related complications in 1989 at the age of 41.
In the Solitude of Cotton Fields is performed in Polish with English surtitles.
Single tickets will be available beginning November, 2010











http://pitheatre.com/in-the-solitude-of-cotton-fields/

Samotność pól bawełnianych w Łaźni Nowej

2010-03-18, źródło: Łaźnia Nowa/mw

Początek: 2010-03-19 19:00

Koniec: 2010-03-21 21:00

Adres: os. Szkolne 25

Miejsce: Łaźnia Nowa

Wstęp: 30/20 zł

Samotność pól bawełnianych, głośny multimedialny spektakl Teatru im. Stefana Żeromskiego w Kielcach, hit Boskiej Komedii 2009, będzie można obejrzeć w Łaźni Nowej w Krakowie trzykrotnie: 19., 20. i 21. marca, każdego wieczoru o godz. 19.00. 

Treścią Samotności pól bawełnianych jest namiętny poetycki dialog pomiędzy Klientem i Dealerem o dealu (wymianie) jako zasadzie międzyludzkich kontaktów. Dwóch młodych, odzianych w czarne garnitury mężczyzn rzuca w publiczność mocne słowa, za którymi stoi równie mocna muzyka.

"Aktorzy działają poza ograniczeniami własnej fizyczności, kinetyki przez naszą cywilizację uprzywilejowanej i ekspresji przez naszą kulturę tolerowanej. Widz dostaje na talerzu emocje wyprane i odarte z tego, co na co dzień je ogranicza, porządkuje i temperuje. Nosimy je przecież w sobie i od dziecka uczymy się, jak sobie z nimi radzić. A potem uczymy nasze dzieci. I nieopatrznie przychodzimy na seans teatru Radka Rychcika, żeby zobaczyć te emocje w izolacji od wszelkich ograniczeń i konwenansów (...) Rychcik brutalnie i z dużą stanowczością wydobył bowiem z ciał swoich aktorów coś, czym głęboko i skrycie wszyscy jesteśmy podszyci - lęk, że nigdy tego najbardziej istotnego, najbardziej dotkliwego braku nie zaspokoimy, a wszystko inne pozostanie tylko częściowe i pozorne".
Festiwal BOSKA KOMEDIA Kraków

Łaźnia Nowa będzie jednym z pierwszych teatrów, na których deski poleje się gorący pot maksymalnie eksploatowanych aktorów. Będzie też jednym z pierwszych, których mury zadrżą od grających na żywo Natural Born Chillers.

Bernard-Marie Koltes - Samotność pól bawełnianych Reżyseria: Radosław Rychcik
Tłumaczenie: Marian Mahor
Scenografia: Maria Stoces
Muzyka: grupa Natural Born Chillers
Premiera: 3. października 2009

Obsada:
Dealer - Wojciech Niemczyk
Klient - Tomasz Nosiński

Versus--In the Jungle of Cities

nytheatre.com review archive

nytheatre.com review
Mitchell Conway ·

Pictured: A scene from Versus--In the Jungle of Cities (photo © Teatr Nowy)

Versus is dangerous theatre. Using Bertolt Brecht's In the Jungle of Cities as a jumping-off point, Teatr Nowy brings a brave, upsetting, and astounding work from Krakow to the Under the Radar Festival. The performance is in Polish, with English titles.
Director Radoslaw Rychcik has created a distinct performative world that I would certainly say fits the categorization "Brechtian." Every scene begins with an announced and projected title. The four actors consistently enter or exit in a line along the same upstage right diagonal. Almost all dialogue takes place with the performers facing out to the audience rather than each other. The action never resembles anything realistic, which I found quite satisfying.
As the audience enters, Natalia Kalita is crouched center stage. There is something immediately vulnerable about her as she looks around the audience, and due to the combination of her being gorgeous, scantily clad, in a strenuous position, and the object of observation, it already feels like she is somehow being exploited. Then the play begins, and the opening speech delivered by Kalita is utterly captivating. Her tense physical journey through reflections on the nature of watching wrestling draws a direct parallel to its content: we relish observing violence. This production gives the audience the satisfaction of an actor's physical strain, but then pushes it beyond what is entertaining and into what is uncomfortable, even nauseating. As Maria, Kalita scrubs the floor to Motown in a repeated pattern to the point of wheezing and collapsing.
Maria is the sister of George Garga, a book clerk. Tomasz Nosinski is demented, twitchy, and totally fascinating in this role. The main action revolves around the competitive relationship between Garga and Shlink, a lumber dealer, played with suave authority by Tomasz Szuchart. The plot development is not a focal point, but rather serves as a foundation expressing the dynamics of exploitation.
Amidst the exploits of the two men, the two women are treated as property. Shlink arrives and immediately takes Jane, Garga's girlfriend, as his own. In one moment Szuchart grabs Anna Gorajska as Jane by the neck and ankle, and she swings from upright to being casually held by him from only those parts. In another scene, Gorajska is blindfolded, naked, and singing. She is sexualized but devoid of identity; totally objectified in her inability to perceive or respond.
Shlink exerts complete dominance over Garga. In a scene entitled "Garga thinks about Shlink," Nosinski just thrashes his body with progressively more violent speed. But, then Shlink gives over his whole business to Garga, asks to be his servant, and allows Garga to marry Jane. Shlink then desires Garga's sister Maria, who Garga swiftly hands over. Before she is stopped and taken by Shlink, Maria begins to slap herself so violently that I cringed for Kalita.
Then comes a scene with Maria and Shlink holding hands while Jane pulls down and pulls back up multiple pairs of underwear. During this dialogue Szuchart looked so ill I thought his eyes would burst. I cannot tell what he was doing or how, but I was revolted by whatever was going on.
Choreographer Dominika Knapik deserves mention for the journeys accomplished by repeating a set of movements at different rates with different energies. A playful hugging match between brother and sister turns into a betrayal. A jealous spat between two women messing each other's clothes turns into a slow sexual undressing. Similar form is executed with tangibly different content in the dances as they progress.
The performers' powerful physical and vocal dedication overrides the disorientation of often poorly aligned supertitles. Doing Brecht using four characters is confusing in the first place. But again, the plot is not the priority here. This production is successful because its four fantastic actors are willing to push their bodies to the brink, as well as their sanity. The whole thing is risky. That's why it is great theatre.
Through detachment and pain it addresses issues of exploitation, including an audience's relationship to watching violence, and our expectations of entertainment. It's frightening to think about the implications of how a little violence is entertaining, but if the violence gets too real or too incessant, it becomes disgusting. Wrestling is entertaining because it's safe in many ways. The parameters are accepted. Certain ways in which we exploit or do violence to others we accept: moderate civilian casualties, paying an illegal immigrant just below minimum wage, a minor increase in yearly violent crimes, limited instances of police brutality, etc. One might say it comes from an attempt to be realistic. This production really forces consideration of when violence changes from acceptable, or entertaining, into unacceptable, and despicable. When do we stop being realistic; stop conceding to the perceived limits of reality? Why aren't we disgusted by all violence and exploitation? I undoubtedly find certain levels of violence entertaining, and I think it's worth thinking about why that is and what type of world it allows.
Opened: January 6, 2010
Closed: January 17, 2010

Artists Involved

• Cast: Anna Gorajska, Natalia Kalita, Tomasz Nosinski, Tomasz Szuchart
• Author: Bertolt Brecht
• Director: Radoslaw Rychcik
• Producer: Teatr Nowy

http://www.nytheatre.com/showpage.aspx?s=vers9445