Musical THE SWAMP WADER ON FIRE

Kārlis Lācis / Regnārs Vaivars • Director – Regnārs Vaivars

A musical based on motifs from the works of Rūdolfs Blaumanis

Rūdolfs Blaumanis's story about Edgars and Kristīne is, in my opinion, the best known of all stories for Latvians. Probably the only one that any Latvian can retell briefly. And I can too.

There is a girl whom two boys love. One is handsome, steady, and normal. The other is handsome, thirsty, and abnormal. The girl loves the thirsty and abnormal one more, but is leaning toward marrying the steady and normal one. The thirsty and abnormal one persuades the girl to give him a trial period. The girl turns down the steady and normal one. The thirsty and abnormal one fails the trial period, so the girl offers herself back to the steady and normal one. The girl is about to marry the steady and normal one, but on the eve of the wedding the thirsty and abnormal one comes back and wins the girl over again.

This is an immoral story, and everyone would be better off if it had never happened.

But even the most incomprehensible choices can happen beautifully, horrifyingly naturally, and with tears-inducing obviousness.

And as a director, I can love even the most immoral people very, very much. To love and to justify the unjustifiable.

This will not be a story about the devastation of drinking and blind love. It is a story about insatiable thirst. And everyone here is thirsty, without exception.

"I long for someone who will thirst beside me,

And I long for someone who will not let me thirst."

We usually choose the one who is nearby.

To the thirsty ones! Cheers!"

/Regnārs Vaivars/

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Cast: Agnese Jēkabsone, Gints Grāvelis, Sandis Pēcis, Karīna Tatarinova, Signe Dancīte, Edgars Pujāts, Kaspars Kārkliņš, Viktors Ellers, Edgars Ozoliņš, Armands Kaušelis, Gatis Maliks, Mārtiņš Kalita, Kārlis Artejevs, Hugo Puriņš, Artūrs Irbe, Valts Skuja, Kārlis Ērglis, Everita Pjata-Gertnere, Anda Albuže, Anete Berķe, Kintija Stūre, Madara Kalna, Agnija Dreimane, Madara Viļčuka

Children: Kristaps Eleris, Emīls Ernestsons, Eduards Kundziņš, as well as Laura Ločmele and Elfa Frīda Dancīte or Annija Miče and Marta Kārkliņa

Libretto and poetry – Regnārs Vaivars

Music – Kārlis Lācis

Scenography – Regnārs Vaivars, Toms Grīnbergs

Choreography – Regnārs Vaivars, in collaboration with Inga Raudinga

Costumes – Madara Botmane

Lighting – Mārtiņš Feldmanis

Musical director – Normunds Kalniņš

Vocal coaches – Ieva Dreimane and Ieva Kerēvica

Musicians in the performance: Ērika Hrustaļova (violin), Sarma Gabrēna or Krišjānis Gaiķis (cello), Rustams Bagirovs (accordion), Miks Akots (guitar), Raitis Eleris (bass), Māris Zīlmanis (percussion), Normunds Kalniņš (keyboards)

Premiere – 14 September 2019