Comic drama
First Slovene Production
Translator Zdravko Duša
Director Matjaž Zupančič
Dramaturg Tatjana Doma
Set designer Sanja Jurca Avci
Costume designer Bjanka Adžić Ursulov
Sound designer Vanja Novak
Language Consultant Jože Volk
Lighting Designer Andrej Hajdinjak
Cast
The Prosecutor Renato Jenček
The Defense Attorney Mario Šelih
The Defendant Vojko Belšak
The Judge Janez Hočevar (guest appearance)
The Bailiff David Čeh
Bernard Aljoša Koltak
The Doctor Zvone AgrežEssayist, playwright, screenwriter and film director David Mamet ranks as one of the most prominent contemporary American authors. His works are known for their clever, smart, terse and sometimes vulgar dialogue full of sudden and unexpected twists and turns. In his harsh satirical drama Romance Mamet purposefully keeps it vague why the Defendant is on trail and what exactly the trial is about. The whole idea is to use a farcical court case to skewer everything from our justice system to politics, pedophile priests and religious prejudice. All these issues are extremely topical for the social and political life in America at the turn of the 21st century, which is why Mamet launches a resolute attack on ethnic, religious and gender stereotypes. There is a message beneath all the insults and terms of abuse which might be summed up as follows: As long as we are unable to deal sensibly with our day-to-day disagreements and different points of view by means of a respectful and emphatic dialogue, all the peace conferences in the world will fail to resolve anything.
In a bizarre Kafkaesque trial which takes place against a background of a Middle East peace conference, the total disintegration of our system, its values and democracy is exposed. Mamet has a go at political correctness in an extremely incorrect and witty way. The Judge is more preoccupied with his allergies than with the case, the Prosecutor is having a domestic squabble with his lover, the Defense Attorney quarrels with the Defendant who is coming to terms with his Jewishness ... The cast of six leading characters consists of six grotesque and bigoted characters whose petty prejudice takes form of homophobia, anti-Semitism, corruption and conservatism. Using in-your-face and clever dialogue Mamet reveals the utter vacuity of our legal system as a foundation of Western democracy.