By Angelica Scarante
As this is a one-man show, I decided to change the format of the review, as I felt that the format I usually use does not fit the nature of this performance. So, for once, I am not going to use a ‘visual scoreboard.’ Instead, you are going to read a ‘monologue’ review.
The ‘Silent’ synopsis
The play launches you into the life and thoughts of a white, cis, straight man: upstage, frustrated and critical. It deals with self-consciousness, relationships and also power dynamics.
Vs what it was about
“Screams from the Underground” is a performance based on Dostoevsky’s text “Notes from the Underground”.
Nietzsche wrote that in the notes the truth is not presented as a philosophical reasoning, but screams in pain, because only in this way can the truth manifest itself. That is why we make a performance out of the text - so that it happens, so that it can be experienced, and not just read.
The “underground man” puts his finger in his own wound, comes to complete self-exposure, admits his ultimate disagreement with the established world and its laws, not sparing his personal guilt and powerlessness. There is no salvation, unless frank confession is salvation.
In the preface to “Thus Spoke Zarathustra”, Nietzsche speaks of “the last man”. He seeks comfort, not meaning, he avoids suffering and risk, for him there is no God, no truth, no goal, except for cynical comfort, he lives a long but shallow life. As if Nietzsche were describing modern man.
We offer a meeting of this modern man with the underground and we believe that the effect will be at least exciting.
Stoyan Radev
The universal verdict
🔴 Red: heavily reliant on text/wordplay.
I must admit I did not expect the play to be a one-man show, so I was surprised to see only one actor on stage. I also knew it would be a challenging job for me to understand the plot due to the minimalist stage design—the only props were a chair and an unplugged dynamic microphone. Another thing that was challenging, yet helpful at first sight, was the costume design; he wore a simple white tank top and black trousers without shoes. He represented the quintessential ‘regular’ man.
There is a lot of movement behind the monologue. Gesturing helps share feelings and emotions (I know it works because I am Italian), and a monologue needs to be backed up by movement or it might become boring. I say “might” because some people are so good at talking that they need nothing but their voice and composure to command the room.
Based on his look and behavior, my mind immediately compared him to a few people: first Freddie Mercury, then Caesar Flickerman, and then Hitler (spoiler: the play ends with him saying ‘Heil...’, so I was on the right track with that comparison).
However, as a non-native Bulgarian speaker, it was hard for me to grasp the nuanced meaning behind this piece. For once, I felt the need for subtitles because I knew I was missing out on the humor and text-based moments. It ended up not being my cup of tea for that reason alone; it could have been one of my favorite shows if I could have understood what was being said.
Final thought for the ‘outsider’
This play is heavily text-based, so I wouldn’t recommend seeing it if you get overwhelmed by not understanding the dialogue. Also, he holds the microphone close to his mouth for most of the time, making it hard to read his lips (I’m saying this for those in the d/Deaf community who rely on lip-reading).
P.S.
Even though I did not understand a single thing he said, I saw the audience having a lot of fun, so if you understand Bulgarian, go see it! I’ll wait for it to have subtitles, or for myself to learn Bulgarian, before seeing it again.