I went to Şinasi
Sahnesi, a state theater, on 30 April 2013 to see Eric - Emmanuel Schmitt’s Partners In Crime. Schmitt is a Belgian playwright and the original title of
his play is Petits Crimes Conjugaux (2004). The play is translated into
Turkish by Serap Babür as Karı Koca Arasındaki Ufak Tefek Cinayetler and
directed by Mustafa Kurt. It is a play for two actors, the husband and wife.
Gilles is portrayed by Sinan Demir while Demet Oran acts as Lisa. Şinasi is one
of the modern theatre buildings in Ankara, therefore the atmosphere was
different than of Küçük Tiyatro. It is a big auditorium with a good view of the
stage. The level of the stage is higher than the seats of the audience which
gives the feeling of watching two people’s lives as a third person observer who
has no saying in their lives. Before the performance began and at the break
Christina Aguilera’s song, “Hurt”, was played. Audience was warned when play
was about to start by different telephone melodies which made people laugh and
brought a lighter mood to the performance.
Starting from the very
first scene, the actors did an amazing job and attracted the full attention of
the audience. It is a fairly short play, 80 minutes, however, there were many
scenes that surprised the audience, that is, the play was full of twists and
turning points. It opens with the scene of the couple coming back home and we
soon realize that Gilles is suffering from amnesia since he does not remember
his home or not even sure whether Lisa is really his wife. As Lisa and Gilles
talk back and forth about the accident, the audience realizes that Lisa is
hiding some details by ignoring or avoiding Gilles’ questions. In later scenes,
to our amazement, it is revealed that Gilles actually did not lose his memory
except the last day which is the day of his accident. Gilles’ reaction to the
events, and his gestures made audience laughed in various times. Later in the
second act, Gilles confesses that he knew what happened all along, that Lisa
tried to kill her by hitting his head with a heavy sculpture in the dark. In
each of these scenes, the audience was surprised by the turn of events. Even
though the events depicted are not as fun, the play can be categorized as
comedy, since it made the audience laugh in many scenes. Moreover, I believe
the audience enjoyed the play because it is about a couple’s relationship, a
topic everyone is familiar with. In some scenes, the dialogues made the
audience burst into laughter but it would not be considered that funny if the
audience did not have a similar experience. One point of disappointment is that
the audience was not as respectful as in the plays I have seen before. A
ringing phone during the performance and the fact that audience kept moving and
making little noises made it hard for me to focus on the stage.
Partners in Crime is a
modern play written in 2004. Therefore, it provides an insightful look into the
problems of modern marriages. It is a realistic play in that sense. The peak
point of excitement was the ultimate revelation point, when the audience learns
that Gilles remembers everything including the very moment of the accident.
Even though the play is about a murder attempt, it has a lighter mood than
expected due to the comedy scenes and the success of the actors. The playwright
suggests that even though a murder attempt might be seen as a little too far,
it is also a natural turn of events. He strengthens the feeling that it could
happen in any marriages. One of the possible themes I could think of after
seeing the play was feminism. Although Lisa is the one who tried to kill
Gilles, the audience sympathizes with her more since she was neglected by
Gilles during their 15 years of marriage and Gilles often cheated on her.
Loyalty in relationships, alcohol addiction (of Lisa), the problems of a modern
marriage, and losing the excitement of love in a long-term relationship are the
possible themes of the play which are clearly expressed by the playwright.
Last but not least, the
production of the play was quite successful. Stage design, the living room of a
house, was well-done. The lighting of the stage changed when the couple was
tracing back their memories to the day they first met and it was a good touch.
Moreover, the songs were an important of the production. Playing different
Christina Aguilera songs that matches the mood of the play at that particular
moment was also a good addition. The old jazz songs which are used while the actors were
dancing or reminiscing important parts of their lives gave the feeling of a
movie to the production. Overall, the play offers a fun, heartwarming love
story to its audience for 80 minutes and it is a good example of modern plays.
Melek Cansu Petek (ELIT I)
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