Shattered metropolis harmonies: A mournful, elegant ballet showcasing sorrow and elegance at the Gabriadze Theater, featuring Post-Soviet tones
Alfred and Violetta's Tragic Revival
In the heart of Tbilisi's Old Town resides a stage, beneath a tilted clock tower that ticks like a beating heart. This is no ordinary theater. It's the Gabriadze Theater, home to an emotionally charged puppet play injected with a modern twist - 'Alfred and Violetta.'
First conceived in 1981 by the legendary Georgian artist Rezo Gabriadze, this heart-wrenching tale of doomed passion has been revived by his son, Leo Gabriadze, the current artistic director. Slapped with English subtitles, this production isn't simply a museum piece. It's a gripping, deeply personal exploration of loss, identity, and love.
From 1800's Paris to 90's Tbilisi: A Love Story Transformed
The essence of this play remains rooted in Alexandre Dumas and Verdi's works, but the narrative has traveled to the volatile streets of 90's Tbilisi—a daring move by Rezo and Leo. The glamorous Parisian salons have given way to the dilapidated balconies of Mtatsminda, casting shadows of flickering lights and the echoes of a post-Soviet collapse. City and lovers become intertwined, their emotions mirrored in the cracks of a world falling apart.
This new setting transforms the love story into more than just a melodrama. It becomes a meditation on resilience and loss in a country striving to reconstruct its identity. 'Alfred and Violetta' morphs into a haunting elegy for a generation grappling with ideologies and shattered dreams.
Leo Gabriadze: The Inheritor with His Own Verse
Leo didn't inherit the theater; he sculpted it. He's not a caretaker, but a dramaturge of memory, weaving homage with reinvention. What Rezo started, Leo refines, adding psychological depth and generational urgency. His take loosens the emotional reins, modernizing the language of the puppets. This isn't a replica; it's a re-interpretation of a poetic worldview shaped by both father and son, two distinct dialects of a shared idiom.
Puppetry as a Language of Longing
The power of 'Alfred and Violetta' lies in its fidelity to the art of puppetry as a vessel for raw feeling. Gabriadze's puppets don't speak, but their silence speaks volumes. Their eloquence comes from movement, gesture, and minimalism—reflecting global nonverbal traditions like Japanese Bunraku and Czech marionette theater. The performers choreograph sorrow with meticulous precision.
One indelible image: a single autumn leaf drifting onto Alfred. It carries the weight of a season lost. In a moment, the leaf symbolizes Violetta's last message - a trace of life, of something vibrant fading away. Leo allows the leaf to fall, unadorned. He trusts the audience to savour the silence. He orchestrates time itself, not gestures. And in that falling leaf, grief transforms into something tangible.
Music, Memory, and the Haunting Siren Call of Georgia
The musical score, composed by Leo himself, is a haunting symphony of Georgian tonalities and operatic intensity. Music echoes not the narrative, but its emotional topography.
Rezo's surreal minimalist design remains striking, mirroring the real clock tower and wry house outside the theater doors. They embody instability, tenderness, and the uneasy journey of time—whimsical at first sight, but under Leo's lens, they tremble like ghosts.
Critics have hailed 'Alfred and Violetta' as a triumph of emotional minimalism and visual innovation. But what truly distinguishes this version is its intergenerational bravery. It takes courage to stand in a master's shadow; it takes even more to respond with your own voice—especially when that master is your father. Leo Gabriadze's staging isn't just a theatrical event; it's a roadmap of cultural continuity.
In this tale of puppet love, a city, and father-son collaboration, the answer to the big questions is whispered through silence, strings, and shadows.
By Ivan Nechaev
Alfred and Violetta
Ivan Nechaev
Leo Gabriadze
Rezo Gabriadze
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Emotional Masterpiece: 'Alfred and Violetta'
'Alfred and Violetta' is a critically acclaimed puppet play originally conceived by Rezo Gabriadze in 1981. Retold by his son, Leo Gabriadze, it presents a stirring depiction of love, loss, and survival in the capital city of Tbilisi, Georgia. The play has been hailed as a triumph of emotional minimalism, visual artistry, and intergenerational conversation.
Artistic Direction and Reimagining
- Direction BY Leo Gabriadze: Utilizing his film directing background and innovative visual storytelling, Leo updated the production to reflect modern Georgian cultural rhythms while preserving the essence of his father's vision[4].
- English Subtitles: The incorporation of English subtitles makes the play accessible to a broader audience, ensuring it resonates with both locals and tourists alike[2].
Cultural Significance and Tradition
- Gabriadze Theatre: Situated in the Old Town, the Gabriadze Theatre is known for its unique marionettes and live performances, enchanting audiences aged 12 and up[4].
- Keeping Traditional Art Alive: The revival of 'Alfred and Violetta' contributes to the preservation of traditional Georgian art and serves as a bridge between old and new[2].
"Alfred and Violetta" stands as a moving testament to the enduring power of puppetry to weave enchanting tales, while Leo Gabriadze's direction gives vibrant life to this emotional narrative.
- Leo Gabriadze, the current artistic director of the Gabriadze Theater, has re-interpretated his father Rezo's classic puppet play, 'Alfred and Violetta', by modernizing its language and adding psychological depth, creating a haunting elegy for a generation grappling with ideologies and shattered dreams.
- The new setting transports the love story from the 1800s Paris to the volatile streets of 90's Tbilisi, transforming it from a simple melodrama into a meditation on resilience and loss in a country striving to reconstruct its identity.
- The production of 'Alfred and Violetta' isn't just a theatrical event under Leo Gabriadze's direction; it's a roadmap of cultural continuity, standing as a moving testament to the enduring power of puppetry to weave enchanting tales.
