The Master and Margarita
The Master and Margarita A new and inventive adaptation of The Master and Margarita, the famous novel by Russian writer Mikhail Bulgakov, has opened at Warsaw's Dramatyczny Theater.
Regarded by some as one of the most important novels of the 20th century, The Master and Margarita is set in communist Moscow of the 1930s. The story of the relationship between a writer and his mistress, Margarita Nikolayevna, alternates with that of the arrival of Satan and his subordinates in the Soviet Union. In a world where God has been ousted by decree, black magie takes over. The Master and Margarita brings together diverse genres and styles, such as those of crime story, satire, adventure, grotesąue and Biblical apocrypha.
The new adaptation, directed by Magdalena Miklasz, is a joint production by the Dramatyczny Theater and the Malabar Hotel theater company. The play asks questions about what spirituality, truth and freedom really mean to people.
The Malabar Hotel company was founded by Marcin Bartnikowski and Marcin Bikowski, who like to work with playwrights hailing from different backgrounds and pursuing different styles. The company focuses on form and takes inspiration from visual and puppet theater. It has won over 30 awards in Poland and abroad and its productions have been staged at 90 theater festivals on four continents.
