Purimspil - Additional Performance
Press Release
Wednesday 18 March 2009
By David Maayan, Joshua Sobol, Ida Kelarova & Ensemble
(Please be sure to wear warm clothing and sturdy footwear!)
Due to overwhelming popular demand, an additional matinée performance has been arranged for Saturday, March 21, 2009 at 3 PM in the Cembran Keller!
Merriment and rebellion, rowdiness and gluttony, partying and blowing off steam. That’s what the Jewish festival of Purim is all about—something akin to the way Catholics celebrate their Mardi Gras carnivals. Wearing masks and costumes, the celebrants sometimes get a little out of hand. Almost anything goes, and the boundaries between good and evil, day and night, theater and reality tend to get a bit blurred. Anarchy and rebellion against authority are de rigueur, even the driving forces behind this tradition. The holiday itself commemorates the deliverance of the Persian Jewish community. The boisterous celebration has its roots in outlying towns and villages, creepy inns and grungy taverns. These radical-subversive actions have become an official cultural heritage. This year, Linz theatergoers will be able to experience Purim up close and personal—a Yiddish version created by Joshua Sobol and staged in Linz’s Cembran Keller. The choice of this gloomy, historical location will add intensity and immediacy to the play’s demi-monde setting. Surrounded by large wine barrels, the cast of this drama will celebrate Purim as it was meant to be done, thereby imparting their exuberance and passion to the audience.
