Czech and Slovak audiences have already been able to see the theater production by British playwright Michael Frayn, adapted by Czech screenwriter and director Petr Zelenka, several times under different names, for example Actors or Chinese. In the past, it was successfully staged in Prague by the Ta Fantastika Theater with Zuzana Bydžovská and Bohumil Klepl, and in Bratislava by the Astorka Theater with Anna Šišková and Andy Hajdu.
The creators from the ŠOK Theater decided to return to its original name Odchody vlakov. There would probably be nothing special about it, unless the leading roles were played by the presenter and now married couple, better known from television screens, Adela Vinczeová and Viktor Vincze Jr. This connection on stage in itself causes a wave of audience interest, but what is probably even more interesting is the fact that Adela and Viktor do not play for anything in the theater. They are not trying to compete with professional actors in the show, nor are they trying to establish themselves in a completely new, as yet untested area. On the contrary, they see it as a good investment in their free time together. Although Viktor grew up on the stages of the Prague theater, he had not acted in the theater for years, and Adela accepted the challenge, even though it was her very first experience with acting. For them, the theater is just a hobby that brings joy to both of them. And that it brings joy to the audience as well, is evident from the reactions of the audience, who are having a great time for almost eighty minutes, during which the story takes place. The first half is a farce, where two actors try to save a substandard production, in which originally up to seven actors were supposed to play. Well, the second will reveal the reality of the life of both main protagonists to the surprised viewer through entertaining and heartbreaking situations. Their broken relationship, but also the mutual spark, the desire for recognition, but also the miserable application in the acting profession. In this unobtrusive way, comedy encourages us to think about our own lives and the roles we all play in it without exception. Often times perhaps voluntarily, other times under the pressure of circumstances. Anyway, betting on a married couple really paid off for director Viktor Vinczem Sr. Especially in situations touching on the still unresolved relationship between the two central characters and in passages with a slightly erotic charge, both of them sound very sincere and truthful. And these are precisely the moments in which the viewer immediately identifies with the characters, although they may have nothing to do with theater art at all. Train departures, synonymous with a botched career but also an unfulfilled life goal, paradoxically offer a huge dose of intelligent entertainment and kind humor. The good news is that Adela and Viktor are going on a tour of Slovak cities with this production. Spectators have the opportunity to see them in Šala, Nové Zámky, Topoľčany, Prievidz, Trenčín and Nitra until the holidays. Tickets can be purchased in the Ticketportal network. So if you decide to see the well-known presenter couple in this atypical role, it will certainly be a pleasant time spent with an unusual cultural experience.
Vladimír Dubeň