The ancient time had problems with articulation and communication, above its characters and organised chaos Kronos is the ruler now. Kronos, the youngest of titans, who following his mother’s advice, with his sickle cut down his omnipotent father, Uranos’ genital to make himself the implacable monarch of the clan that fills the world. According to the prediction, the same kind of future is waiting for him too: one of his child will be his destiny. That is why, anytime a daughter or son was born by his wife (who is his sister at the same time), by Rhea, he eats his own children. He wants to do it again: “...I put it into myself too: he is from me / and will be one with me forever / and I will find peace...” The darkly foaming existence has been turning into a changing system of power. Rhea with her allies can save the child – his name will be Zeus - , and this new born, in contrast to his divine siblings who are in his monumental father’s stomach, is growing up to be able to create an unbeatable attack from outside against the earlier world blaster and the one to be blasted now: against Kronos.

The emergency of articulation and communication – with Zoltán Balázs’ excellent invention – is expressed by struggling sounding, stammering repetition of words, the ritual choir-like speech, the telling of some words and sentences ununderstandable or backwards in the Bárka Theatre. Sándor Weöres’ Theomachia (1938), which is signed as an oratorio drama, keeps its musical nature and lyrical character, extendedly spreads through in the place, which can get thanks to impulse lighting and darkening. Between the two shorter sides of the room appears a big span, the two longer ones – they are closer – somehow collapse because of the intensive appearance of the answer forcing – confronting debate-play. Kronos with statue-like stability rules the intersection point of the diagonals, the middle – until he is forced by the swirling, which turmoil around him, by the great amount of athletic elements, and by the rule of alive combination of movement theatre to give up his power: he is forced to take off his dress. Ilona Béres, the guest star, with majestic peace and wonderful culture of speech, now flops down, losing her black wig and royal clothes, mad and gets silenced into the loss – into the change of system. (Why does an actress play the role? Because Kronos grows in his body eaten children; because the ancient universal changing is the daybreak of genders; because next to the cannibal vision of the baked and eaten children, next to the whole scenery of the performance it is nothing. Meanwhile – if we can find some impacts – some solutions – like the changing of genders too – refer to Zsótér Sándor’s workshops and ancient interpretations.)

The choir that is played by Róbert Kardos, Attila Egyed, Róbert Lucskay, Erik Ollé and Balázs Dévai as a guest star, work perfectly. (The Curates are Rhea’s servants). They are faceless, together and meanwhile they individually move in the space. Judit Gombár’s simple, symbolic-functional set (because of small technical faults) sometimes cheats us, but they can overcome these mistakes. Rhea’s role has found the powerful and threatening Andrea Spolarics, like the mould sticks to the casting. Gaia (Kronos’ mother) who remained young prisoner, is Gabriella Varga’s sparkling, we can see Okeanos cold implacability with the help of Rémusz Szikszai punctual pace. Erzsébet Soltész, another guest star, with her strong lightness, she is Shakespeare’s Puck and Ariel at the same time, she a boy and a girl too as working out Typhon, Kristóf Horváth’s mesmerizing look, who plays the boy, could catch our attention too.

Zoltán Balázs’ multi-stringed direction has elemental power, but it is a little bit uneven. The ghost that is going up and down the spiral staircase is obviously the time – it is not thought over. Behind the spectacularly turning giant wheel of life instead of ladders, a more suitable round could be put. Putting the imperfections aside this work is worth a lot of appreciation, brings up many conclusion and wondering. The crystal but pulsating Theomachia is another argument to prove that Weöres was a play writer genius.

Tamás Tarján, Népszava, 2004

(translated by: Veronika Fülöp)