PUBLIC ENEMIES “The world has definitely changed. Intellectuals are no longer at the vanguard of humanity, nor are they hypersensitive individuals warning of possible social dangers, but a ‘pain in the arse of civilization’. They are trouble, a nuisance, because their constant thinking and activism disturb the peace of the system running on autopilot. They have become ‘public enemies’ who need to be dealt with like annoying insects,” writes Petr Fischer about the epistolary book Public Enemies. A dialogue through letters exchanged between the popular nihilist Michel Houellebecq and the champagne socialist philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy led over a period of six months tackles both deeply philosophical and down-to-earth topics. This provocative clash of opinions touches on Sartre, Kafka and sex, the relationship with one’s father, left-wing politics and the existence of God. The self-assured, tanned intellectual contrasts with the depressed novelist with an iconic cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth, their opposing views of the world creating a combustible mix. In Jan Mikulášek’s production, these philosophical texts are interpreted through impeccable acting and variable scenography that co-creates the context and shifts the meaning of the words.
The dishevelled yet expressive Houellebecq is played by Miloslav König, whose concentrated performance confirms his position of an actor on whom one can confidently build a whole repertoire. Václav Vašák as Lévy – his partner in the dialogue – is not lagging behind and delivers greater refinement and inner calm. The performances of the two protagonists, together with the direction, dramaturgy and ingenious visual support, make Public Enemies a title worthy several theatre awards.
– MARCELA MAGDOVÁ, magazin.aktualne.cz
The tried and tested creative team has once again succeeded in turning undramatic material, full of jokes, interesting observations, but also biting remarks, avowed cynicism and personal exhibitionism, into juicy theatre that is funny, playful, but also surprising with unexpected angles that complete the dialogue scenically. (...) Naturally, the final effect rests very much on the shoulders of the actors, and there König and Vašák complement each other excellently, approaching the material playfully, with a certain self-irony and aloofness of commentators always present in all their actions. Their absurd antics with the photo machine are particularly entertaining.
– JANA MACHALICKÁ, lidovky.cz
This is not the first time that dramaturge Dora Štědroňová and director Jan Mikulášek have used correspondence to turn a paper interview into a stage adaptation. Their production of The V+W Letters (2010), based on the brilliant letters of Jiří Voskovec and Jan Werich, was one of the most important events in Czech theatre after 2000. In Public Enemies, the “two monologues in letters” are shaped and overlaid into a brilliant dialogue.
– nitrafest.sk
JAN MIKULÁŠEK (1978) worked as the artistic director of the Polárka Theatre in Brno and later also as the artistic head of the Petr Bezruč Theatre. He also cooperated with the Reduta Theatre in Brno on a regular basis. In 2013, when Petr Štědroň, artistic head of the Reduta Theatre, took over as head of the Theatre on the Balustrade, Mikulášek became its in-house director. He won the 2011 Divadelní noviny Award for Best Creative Achievement in the drama category for his production of The V+W Letters. In 2013, his production of The Golden Sixties won the Alfréd Radok Award for Production of the Year; and in 2018, he received the Divadelní noviny Award for Best Creative Achievement in the drama category for his production of Woodcutters. In that same year, he also took home the Josef Balvín Award for that same production from the Prague German Language Theatre Festival. In addition to the Theatre on the Balustrade, he collaborates with other theatres, recently with the National Theatre (The Cremator, Maryša, Wonderful Land, I Am the State) and in particular with the Goose on a String Theatre (Don Quixote, Dictionary of the Khazars, The Marx Family Saga). Mikulášek’s directorial approach frequently involves stage adaptations of novels, original scripts, and original theatre plays. He often employs cuts, detail, musical counterpoint, and parallel action. What interests him most about theatre are the contrasts – the tension between precision and sloppiness, the mechanical and the authentic, and frenzy and calm.
THEATRE ON THE BALUSTRADE’s long tradition has involved a number of distinguished figures, with those who have passed through the theatre including Václav Havel, Ivan Vyskočil, Jan Grossman, Evald Schorm and Petr Lébl. Since its creation the Theatre on the Balustrade has played a significant role in the country’s social and cultural context. It has created numerous productions that have represented the Czech Republic abroad and is home to a pleiad of notable actors. Since the 2013/2014 season, the theatre has been headed by Petr Štědroň, Dora Štědroňová and Jan Mikulášek, who are inclined towards irregular dramaturgy and original theatre. After 2017, following a successful renovation, the Theatre on the Balustrade continued to produce work that has met with acclaim from both audiences and critics. David Jařab’s production Macbeth – Too Much Blood was declared Production of the Year of 2017 in the Theatre Critics’ Survey. Jan Mikulášek’s Woodcutters won the Josef Balvín Award, Production of the Year at the Divadelní noviny Awards, and Best Set Design of 2018 in the Theatre Critics’ Survey. In the past season, Anežka Kubátová won the Theatre Critics’ Survey award and the Divadelní noviny Award for her role of Pavel Juráček’s wife Dani Horáková in the production of About Pavel. The theatre has intensely toured throughout the Czech Republic and successfully performed in several European countries (United Kingdom, Germany, France, Poland and Hungary), as well as the US, where The V+W Letters was shown in the Czech House in New York; at the end of last season, the theatre presented Public Enemies at international festivals in Toruń (Poland) and Nitra (Slovakia).
