Review of the Crippletrek from Animo Festival (Poland)

Laughter through tears (Międzynarodowy Festiwal ANIMO)

Last evening Pavla Dombrovská and Luděk Vémola drew our attention to the most frequently marginalised social group – people in crisis of homelessness.

The Czech theatre Divadlo Líšeň performed “Crippletrek”, a story about the end stages of life of a sick old couple. The play, infused with dark humour showed us how cartoonish can be reality of such people. The characters definitely captured my heart with their clumsiness and authenticity. Despite many downfalls and twists of fate, they could get up and move on through life. The elders faced many issues, and in the moment when they needed help the most, doctors treated them not as patients but as intruders. 

The scenes, at times absurd, elicited fits of laughter from the audience, and together they resembled a kind of fairy tale for adults. Despite that, the crucial message of the performance was preserved and did not get lost in the dark humour. The performance reminded us that homeless people need to be heard like everybody else. One time we hear the story how the old man met the love of his life, Elizabeth, the other we hear his deep philosophical thoughts. Their deformed heads along with the astute animation by the Czechs became full-blooded characters – not only they moved but danced and played music with the instruments.

The tuba, accordion and songs by Dombrovska and Vémola emphasised the charm of the performance. And into what can a surgical mask and an iron turn on the stage? Pavla and Luděk created expressive characters of doctors with a defibrillator out of them. The audience roared with laughter and the applause seemed to last forever. “Crippletrek” makes us think about whether we can still go beyond the stereotypes ingrained deep within us and extend a helping hand to people in need, regardless of their background and financial situation. // ANIMO MAGAZINE // Cecylia Cesarz