WE ARE FINE

The Czech director Daniela Špinar is one of the most outstanding names of her generation. This is underscored by the fact that she was appointed the artistic director of the National Drama Theatre in Prague at the age of 35. She is coming to Divadelná Nitra with a production that she made at the Drama Company of the Slovak National Theatre.
At first glance, the production largely brings satirical and at times politically incorrect humour or golden sparkles of the cabaret genre. Yet, a closer look reveals a piece that is a statement about loneliness, about the innate human need to overcome loneliness and about the unique parent – child relationship. Three monologues conceived as stand-up comedy in the interpretation of Zuzana Fialová, Ľuboš Kostelný and Gabriela Dzuríková offer three stories – three statements that are connected by the demonised topic of LGBTI+ people in Slovakia as well. They are presented in a way that points out the absurdity of some ideas, such as that gays spread homosexuality with their gaze. On the other hand, the authors do not create an uncritically activist piece: instead, they attempt to communicate with a more conservative audience. With the very title of the play, The New Century, Paul Rudnick emphasises that the text is also largely about the dialogue between the generations of LGBTI+ people from the 1990s and the present-day 20- and 30-somethings. The Slovak (and Czech) translation of We’re Fine accentuates much more powerfully the need for the majority to accept people with a minority relationship preference. The result of presenting the piece on the stage of the Slovak National Theatre is a production. In addition to a striking text, it is based on extraordinary performances, detailed work of the lead characters what multiplies the experience and unexpected catharsis among the spectators.

translation: Mário Drgoňa
dramaturgy: Marta Ljubková, Darina Abrahámová
set and costumes design: Linda Boráros
music selection: Daniela Špinar
light design: Karel Šimek
cast: Zuzana Fialová, Ľuboš Kostelný, Gabriela Dzuríková, Lukáš Herc, Anna Magdaléna Hroboňová

Daniela Špinar, after graduating in acting and stage directing at the DAMU Drama Theatre Department, performed in many theatres in and outside of Prague. She briefly worked as an in-house director of the theatre Divadlo na Vinohradech, where she directed the critically acclaimed Vojcek. She also worked with independent theatres, such as the Letí Theatre. Between 2015 and 2022, she led, as artistic director, the Drama Company of the National Theatre in Prague. In addition to classic works (e.g. Much Ado About Nothing, The Idiot, Pride and Prejudice, Beauty and the Beast), she staged many of her own stage adaptations of modern works and author’s text collages (e.g. Lunch at Wittgenstein’s; Fragility, Your Name Is Woman). She is the laureate of a number of major awards, such as The Alfréd Radok Award for the production of the year and The Josef Balvín Award within the Prague Theatre Festival of the German Language (Vojcek, Divadlo na Vinohradech).

Originally entitled The New Century,the play emerged in 2008 on the basis of three stand-up performances. In the first piece, a well-to-do Jewish elderly lady Helen(Zuzana Fialová) asks: “I gave birth to three perfect children – what did you do with them?” In a brilliantly built-up performance, she reveals how she gradually learned about the orientations, identities and sexual eccentricities of her children. Despite having several nervous breakdowns while receiving these messages, she still loves her children devotedly.

Soňa Jánošová: Where is the scandal, please? The feared production in SND is kind and conventional. In: Sme, 28 January 2024.

… except for one outraged spectator who scolded her daughter for giggling, everyone else had fun. On jokes about lesbians, transgender women, fetishists in latex, cranky bums. Each of the three stand-up performances highlighted different aspects. Ľuboš Kostelný as Mr Charles with artificial eyelashes worked suggestively with facial expressions, Zuzana Fialová gradually dosed the affected personality of the Jewish mother Helena. To me, the humour culminated in the performance of Gabriela Dzuriková in the role of the instinctive artist Barbara Ellen. Not only did her character have the most rewarding storyline moving from comical to sensitive, but her stand-up was more than just speaking into the microphone. She clumsily stepped away from the microphone repeatedly, creating “dull spots” that further enhanced the comedy of her character.

Nonetheless, within the context of the time and all the events, the issue may still arise: Isn’t that enough? From my point of view, SND presented a comedy that does not divide the public, but aims to unite it. This creates a place for real diversity. Conservatives will be entertained, provided they are able to shed their prejudices; and so will be the liberals – unless they take themselves dead-seriously. I had fun, because the staging was light. And I deem that to be an effective weapon against the current frenzy. 

Michal Belej: We are fine, we just kept somewhat dormant. In: mloki.sk. Available at https://mloki.sk/sme-v-pohode-akurat-sme-trochu-zaspali-dobu/