The Master and Margarita

When Professor Woland, a gentleman magician of unknown provenance with an unusual entourage appears in Moscow, the lives of the Muscovites turn upside down – some even lose their heads, and some, due to their reckless reactions, find themselves behind the closed doors of a mental asylum. Although they are, for the most part, already well adjusted to the social and political situation of the repressive Stalinist system, also characterised by mysterious disappearances, the gradation of bizarre incidents causes more and more unrest and suspicion. Satan’s mission also intertwines with the fate of Margarita and the Master, who has written a novel with the apocryphal story about Pontius Pilate and Yeshua. Because the critics brutally rejected his subjective interpretation of the Biblical story, the Master turned his back on “normal” life and sought refuge in the asylum. His mistress Margarita, however, decided to sell her soul and thus save him. What happens if you, in a moment of total despair, meet a stranger? And this stranger offers you a solution for your despair? Would you accept the proposition, regardless of the price? Or is it easier to deal with cowardice, because we’re used to it already?  

The magnificent masterpiece novel intertwines three stories, set in the surreal landscapes of the Soviet Union, ancient Judea and dreams; in all three, the eternal struggle between good and evil, and the question of free will are illuminated from different points of view. From Moscow to Yershalaim and from heaven to hell, this stage adaptation will play through an inspiring love story, phantasmagoria and bitter satire. The most famous novel of one of the greatest Russian satirists has seen numerous stage and screen adaptations, including two acclaimed productions in Slovenia, at the Ljubljana City Theatre and Drama SNT Maribor. This time, it has been adapted for the stage by Nona Ciobanu, a renowned Romanian director who some years ago directed the adaptation of the screenplay for The Night Porter at the Drama SNT Maribor.

“Manuscripts do not burn.” Neither does the truth, be it in a burlesque fantasy, in a story of love, laughter and terror ... Like Faust, Margarita is selling her soul to the Devil to save her lover, the Master. Which do we love more, truth or power? What can happen these days if the Devil decides to visit Moscow? As a preacher of good, as the restorer of truth and morality?

Nona Ciobanu