„Frida's World“ („Fridas Welt“), Salzburg State Theatre (Salzburger Landestheater), February 13th, 2025

Feb 17

Feb 17 „Frida's World“ („Fridas Welt“), Salzburg State Theatre (Salzburger Landestheater), February 13th, 2025

There is nothing better than a short walk through Salzburg's narrow streets to get to the Theatre.

It is the best way to enter the necessary „mood“ (and introspection) to concentrate on any live Performance.

Not knowing exactly what to expect, I could not have been more delighted, perhaps even surprised, by such a high-calibre presentation. I can only describe this sensation very plainly, in a very simple way: Just after the first moments when the curtains opened, there was this feeling that we were watching something that dazzled us to the point of sweeping us off our feet. A sort of “Love at first sight”.

The work itself (and its theme) is consistent because it is human and, therefore, easy to identify with.

But what „can be read between the lines“ is the element that mostly impresses and captivates the audience.

„But what is that?“, you will be asking yourself at this very moment.

It is all the connected work and coordination between the choreographer, stage settings, costume designer, lighting, and real dramaturgy based on pure dramatic composition. Shortly said: A production that “makes sense”, as it is obvious that everyone concerned was working in the same direction.

Copyright: Salzburg State Theatre/ Tobias Witzgal

This simple thing can be referred to, basically, as group work. This simple „tiny“ thing has been missing so much in other theatres where new creations, and „in-house“ choreographies are being produced. Uncoordinately.

This intense collaboration makes all the difference. And the results were clear to see - also in the audience’s reaction at the end of the first part as well as after the Finale.

And to what conclusion can we come? The story-telling, yes, the very good story-telling with all its coordinated details, depends on this joint work and is only possible when all connected parts are fully aware that "just when all parts of a clock are in unison, the clock will work well".

An intelligent attitude that requires, from all parts, little individual vanity about their specific work, but a realization that all elements necessary to create a work have the same „weight“ when considering the final product.

And this, because no choreographer will ever achieve the real effect that his work can reach without proper costumes or sets, no dramaturgist will be able to tell a story without a professional choreographer or a good lighting design, no dancers will „understand“ what they are doing if all parts of the puzzle don't fit (and so on and so forth). An example for other companies. An example that sets quite a scale to follow.

Mr Oliveira's choreography possesses the rare quality (especially nowadays) of someone who has created his own rich vocabulary and has at his disposal the capacity of playing joyfully (spontaneously, naturally, and VERY dramatically) with a very natural, intrinsic, fascinating (movement vs. music and silence) phrasing. Not an easy task for all dancers. And this is another evidence of strong group work, between choreographer and dancers. This special, peculiar, surprising and very clever phrasing is another element that catches the audience's attention.

But this is just one of the many, many mentionable parts of his work.

Also to mention is the fact that Mr Oliveira does not „fall into clichés“, and with that I mean the more conventional „vocabulary“ used in dancing, the very vocabulary that differentiates women's and men's movements. His language is what one could call more „far-reaching“ than the contemporary – and very repetitive - language which turned to be "fashionable" and is being "used" now in Europe, especially in Germany, a country filled with little companies - all doing precisely the same thing.

One of the best examples of using Mr Oliveira's vocabulary is the precise interpretation of a Corps de Ballet member, called Quinn Roy, whom I had the luck to watch sometimes with the Brno National Ballet. Of all the (male) members of the Corps, he was the one that impressed me the most, just by the way he managed to incorporate a certain femininity into his very masculine being. Once more no stereotypes. No need for them. A clean performance of an intelligent and sensitive dancer. Strongly masculine and at the same time using the femininity of the choreography. Yin and Yang at their best. So important, important during times in which LGBT has at last conquered more understanding and respect.

I don’t talk about “Tolerance”, because it is a word that nearly everyone misunderstands and leads to many misinterpretations. One “tolerates” things that are bad, and wrong. LGBT’s attitude is neither bad nor wrong. There’s no need to “tolerate” it - just to normally live with it. Think about that.

Mr Oliveira's work is refreshing, in every sense. The beautiful music score, which includes my all-time favourite „La Llorona“ (and describes more than perfectly Frida's complex personality) and „Cucurrucucu Paloma“ (sung by Caetano Veloso) underlines a kind of deep understanding of the world he is telling us about. A world, as in this work, with no stereotypes. Not the stereotypes seen in the film „Frida“, in the publications and (cheap) interpretations of her life, and surely not as Frida Kahlo's work displayed on the streets of Cancún – a place where Miss Kahlo never set her feet.

The whole production tells us the story of a woman, not an admired, overrated „artist“ and not at all the story of the Marketing „icon“ into which Frida was turned.

But it tells us a story, very truly, very simply. Unadored.

And we have to thank that to Mr Oliveira's deeply felt – and simple – concept. I mean this as a compliment. I have seen so many productions in the last years, which were so „oppressed “ by too much unnecessary information added by some Dramaturge who had no idea of what they were working at. And did not realize that “less is more”.

Surely and because of the fact of his „understanding“ Frida's „World“ (The choice of the used music reveals so much about a deeper insight of Frida's life) this work becomes so much more „alive“. One should always work with things „known“ and not take adventures into fields one has no ideas of.

For example; if you know a certain composer’s work well enough, please work on it. If you don't, leave it in peace. There’s nothing more frustrating to an audience than this kind of abortive “experiment”.

Mr Oliveira not only knows very well the material he is dealing with but can also take bigger steps with his creativity.

It is needless to add that the audience at the Landestheater, on quite a cold Salzbug evening, was transported to much warmer areas of the world. And I don't just mean the climate. I mean it metaphorically…

Reflecting in addition to all that, the beautiful, colourful costumes by Judith Adam, the minimalist and incredibly effective and precise scenery by Matthias Kronfuss, the soft, warm Lighting by Thomas Finsterer and Maren Zimmermann's controlled and extremely professional dramaturgy work, are to be highly praised. Such a beautiful “round” production.

Lucas Leonardo gave a very professional interpretation of a character who is not very easy to portray. Diego Rivera. Why not easy to portray? In all films and documentaries, Diego always appears as a caricature of himself. And this is the image that we are stuck with. It is surely not easy for a young dancer, with a nice figure, to portray someone who should look more like Stephen Fry's impersonation of Oscar Wilde. I liked the choreographer’s liberty in portraying Diego with a good-looking dancer as if portraying more of his “inner life”.

The „second“ Frida was beautifully interpreted by Dafne Barbosa. Not an easy task, especially if you compare certain physical abilities, which come very naturally to “the first„ Frida.

Valbona Bushkola was the, perfectly well-cast, „Star“ of the evening who literally “led” the show. Being a strong stage personality, she managed to combine a beautiful technique, a vulnerable attitude and very well-defined „clean“ lines with a nearly tragic „look“ (never „looking up“ but with a nicely forwards bent forehead) using her eyes to the best effect. An Actress/Dancer of the first quality endowed with great charisma.

Highly recommendable.

Ricardo Leitner

February 15th, 2025