A man lying in the sand. Washed up by the waves. There’s no knowing where he came from, where he is heading, what he wants or what he is fleeing from. Somewhere, in a distant land, he used to be king. The Prince of Tyre. But now he is only a man who has nothing but a story. This is Pericles’ story. But not only his.

3h, one intermission

English reviews

Shakespeare’s late play Pericles is rarely staged in theatres in Southeast Europe. Borisav Matić talked to director Philip Parr about his recent production of the play for the Hungarian State Theatre “Csiky Gergely” in Timisoara, his international career and the difference between  UK and continental approaches to Shakespeare. Philip Parr: “There’s a wealth of passion for Shakespeare outside the UK”

„An orange rubber boat stands on the stage with a motionless body inside. The stage of the Hungarian State Theatre “Csiky Gergely” is covered with a digital painting of the sea and its crashing waves, one wonders who the wet, motionless actor in the boat represents. Is it an asylum seeker on his way to Europe? Has he drowned while crossing the Mediterranean?" Borisav Matic, seestage.org, 21th of March 2024 Hungarian State Theatre “Csiky Gergely”, Timisoara, premiere 8th March 2024

„Shakespearean text that rarely sees the limelight, Pericles delights, from Timișoara, through simplicity and originality, seamless fusion of various aesthetics, and through the visual and functional reminder of the coexistence of diverse backgrounds, and acceptance of the “foreigner”. The main character, spending most of his life in utter despair, longing for his lost wife and daughter is welcomed, integrated, and aided in his growth by people who see beneath and beyond the differences, deep down to the core of the Human. This warm, moralizing story quickly fades away when the narrator calls for an end; the tempest does, eventually, bring the ship back into a safe, comforting harbor.” An Odyssey from Timisoara, Teodora Medeleanu, The Theatre Times