Sold Out Two Months Ahead: John Malkovich’s Production Opens in Zagreb

Zagreb’s new European theatre program opened to a full house, with Sofia’s Ivan Vazov National Theatre bringing George Bernard Shaw’s “Arms and the Man” to the city in a production directed by John Malkovich. Tickets sold out nearly two months before the performance.

The production launched HNK2EU, a new cycle at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb that will present prominent European theatres, writers and directing approaches to local audiences throughout the season. The Sofia ensemble received prolonged applause after the performance.

The visit continues a cultural exchange between the Croatian and Bulgarian national theatres. Earlier this year, Zagreb Drama travelled to Sofia with Fyodor Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment,” directed by Jernej Lorenci, and received several minutes of standing ovations from Bulgarian audiences.

Malkovich returned to Shaw’s anti-war comedy almost four decades after first directing it in New York. The production uses humour and irony to examine myths surrounding heroism, love and war, themes the theatre presents as particularly current amid armed conflicts and social divisions.

HNK2EU will continue at the beginning of October with Berliner Ensemble’s “Displaced,” based on Tena Štivičić’s award-winning play and directed by Laura Linnenbaum. The performances, scheduled for October 2 and 3, will mark the first Zagreb appearance by the renowned German theatre under the HNK’s organization. The Zagreb theatre says the new program aims to create an ongoing international exchange, bringing European productions to Croatia while opening opportunities for Croatian artists abroad.