Humour and Zorbas in a National Theatre of Greece production. Zorbas: the true story Vicky Manteli University of Peloponnese (Department of Theatre Studies) Hellenic Open University (Classical Greek Theatre) Abstract. My study belongs in the area of humour of post-modern performance 18 or postdramatic 19 theatre. It focuses on a theatre performance produced by the National Theatre of Greece in Athens 2009, Zorbas: the true story, written and directed by the Lithuanian director Cezaris Grauzinis. It discusses how a cultural stereotype (i.e. Zorbas the Greek) is explored and represented in contemporary theatre. The theatre text is based thematically on the persona of Zorbas, a fictional character in Nikos Kazantzakis popular novel Zorba the Greek. It includes intertextual references to the novel and re-reads its themes and motifs. On performance level, the actor who performs the role of Zorbas in Grauzinis production may be viewed as an intertextual persona, consisting of his own dramatic identity as well as fragments of Kazantzakis hero and Kakoyiannis filmic representation. The study explores how humour functions in Greek post-dramatic theatre and applies semiotic tools to the analysis of performance. Verbal humour is studied in particular with reference to songs, children s discourse, and obscene language. I contend this work may be useful in exploring how humour is signified in post-dramatic theatre and what discourses and/or genres it draws upon. Particularly, this work aims at extending the argument that postmodern Greek parodic drama should broadly consider intertextual relationships with oral genres (Manteli 2011). Key-words. Post-modern theatre, intertextuality, parody, performance humour, songs 1. Zorbas: the true story. An overview of the performance and its post-modern characteristics In this section I will introduce some of the salient features of post-modern theatre vis-á vis the performance. Far from being an artistic movement to be chronologically placed after 18 See the entry post-modernism in Paul Allain & Jen Harvie, The Routledge companion to theatre and performance, London & New York: Routledge, 2006. 19 The term post-dramatic theatre was coined by Hans-Thies Lehmann and proposed in his 1999 book with the same title. See Hans-Thies Lehmann, Postdramatic theatre, transl. by Karen Jürs Munby, London & New York: Routledge, 2006.
(post) modernism, post-modernism and post-modern theatre, in specific, employs a parodic, subversive, yet creative approach to modern theatrical practices and established cultural images and rather constructs its multiple meanings around contexts, audiences and makers. Following the post-modern aesthetics and approach to production and reception, post-modern theatre frees itself from the text and the long established dramatic forms and style as well as grand narratives, which may be said to represent dominant class interests rather than everyone s interests (Allain & Harvie 2006: 191). However, it is not rare that post-modern theatre uses classical texts and myths. A case in point is Zorbas: the true story, based on a canonical text of Greek literature, namely Nikos Kazantzakis best-seller Zorba the Greek. Since one of its main concerns is the representation of the meaning, post-modern theatre heavily draws on meta-language (both on textual and performance level) and often becomes self-conscious or self-referential. In determining what constitutes a post-modern work, Pavis proposes: In contrast to naturalist theatre, [post-modern work] questions the value of the image as truthful and real and concludes that everything is simulation. Instead of representing a story and a character, the actor and director, as chief operators of the structure, present themselves as artists and private individuals presenting a performance, which no longer consists of signs (Pavis 1998: 280). Characteristically, in Grauzinis production all dramatic heroes but Zorbas are introduced as Ms 1, Mr. 2, Mr. 3, Ms 4, Mr. 5, Ms 6, Mr. 7, Ms 9. Moreover, an example of the production s self-referentiality, particularly as regards the representational nature of theatre is Mr. 7 s allusions to the fourth wall. In a humorous episode Mr. 7 plays on the value of image as truthful and real and emphasises the value of simulation in theatre. The actor bumps his head on the supposed wall between stage and audience only to announce shortly after It s only air, you see. Post-modern theatre also proposes a different approach to acting/performing and emphasises on the process rather than the product of theatre performances. This is reflected in the use of songs and dance episodes in which the actors rather perform as a chorus of individuals than dramatic characters. In this work I will first discuss the intertextual loans from Kazantzakis intertext with reference to the construction of the dramatic world of the performance (Section 2). Then I will discuss humour on performance level by referring to dramatic characterisation and acting style (Section 3.1). In Section 3.2 I will study absurd humour in relation to the transformability of the theatrical sign. In view of a discussion of verbal humour I will discuss the performance s songs (Section 4). Conclusions will be summarised in the last section (5).
2. Intertextual references to Kazantzakis novel. The dramatic world of the theatre text Director Cezaris Grauzinis belongs to the young generation of Lithuanian theatre which seeks nonclassical forms of narration and new forms of representation, conceptualised as self-reflexivity, new textuality and postrepresentational body (Staniškytė 2002). He has earned reputation not only in his native country but also internationally, has participated in various festivals around the world with his theatre group Cezario and has directed performances in different countries (in Greece twice). Grauzinis is distinguished by his remarkable feeling for the actor and a creative treatment of both new plays and classics. In the context of Greek theatre, the latter is illustrated through Grauzinis most recent work at the National Theatre of Greece discussed here, as well as through his 2008 direction of Samuel Beckett s Waiting for Godot in the Athens Festival and, last but not least, his 2007 collaborative work with Dimitris Tarlow on the adaptation of the pastoral story Daphnis and Chloe, an excellent production at the Athens Porea Theatre. 20 Grauzinis constructs Mr. 2 after the Author or the Boss in the novel: the dramatic character s unwillingness to accept the represented reality when he enters the stage, his solitary mood and revisionist look remind of Alexis Zorba s friend, while his affiliation with the dressed in total black Ms 9 draws intertextually on the Author s affair with the Widow in the novel. Ms 4 is another character who draws intertextually on Madam Ortanse, that is, Zorba s companion in the novel, the French artist who welcomed Zorbas on the Cretan beach. In Grauzinis performance Ms 4 is a close but younger parallel of Ortanse (note the vestimentary and cosmetic codes). The dramatic world of the performance is vague. It represents an enclosed space (note the brick wall behind the stage door) which the characters enter reluctantly following a formulaic ritual which recalls naturalistic theatre and farce. The characters may only escape/exit when they are dead (note the ritualistic episodes in which Ms 1, a symbol for death, gets all characters lying on a stretcher and then wheels them out of stage one by one). In an unclearly demarcated space (set design by Vitautas Narbutas), comparable to an asylum or a prison, dramatic action assumes the rules and the form of a game which may take place in heaven, after death or before birth. By the same token, dramatic characters are represented either as a chorus of condemned- to-death yet happy prisoners, fervently singing and dancing 20 Based on the ancient Greek fable of Loggos and the translation of Rodis Roufos, the production Daphnis and Chloe: a pleasure trip opened at Porea theatre (1 November 2007-22 April 2007). It participated in the platform Athens System of the Hellenic Centre of the International Theatre Institute. Through this network the performance was selected to open in the international theatre festival GIFT in Tbilisi, Georgia as well as in the international theatre festival MESS in Sarajevo.
or as a group therapy meeting, talking about their fears and joys, anxieties and love relations in a casual way. 3.1. Humour based on dramatic characterisation and acting style: the apathetic Mr. 5 and Mr. 3 who wants to be either hugged or hated In a humorous scene which parodically imitates psychoanalytical sessions and tai-chi classes, Mr. 5 admits in the most appropriate tone that he can t walk, nor react to anything, nor wishes anything. He suffers from apathy from which he is cured by Ms 1 in a comic way. First she asks him to look straight ahead and feel his legs leading him forwards driven by an invisible thread from his belly; then she orders him to concentrate on her finger posed to him. Humour is also connected with the actor s deliberate slow speech delivery. In another scene Mr. 3 orders in a somewhat distanced way that he prefers to be given a loving or even a hateful glance, rather than a disinterested one. His statement is then discussed by the other characters who eventually get involved in a heated debate as to how to behave towards him. 3.2. Absurd humour and the transformability of the sign Much of the dramatic action and dramatic discourse of the theatre text foregrounds the conflicting relationship between reality and cognition, reality and truth, imitation and representation in theatre. This emphasis on polar oppositions is, on one hand, pertinent to the post-modern aspect of the performance while, on the other, owes much to the transformability or dynamism of the theatrical sign (Elam 1980: 12). The post-modern aspect of the performance takes advantage of the mobility of the sign-relationship, not only at the connotative level but also at the denotative. In most cases, I content that such stage representations create humour, due to the absurd dramatic functions that objects are called to perform, the loose representation of the dramatis personae (i.e. frequent transformation of actors from one character to another), and, by contrast, the actors strict codified gestures to signify truthful dramatic actions in an unreal dramatic world. The following scenes illustrate my point: Ms 4 in full attire is having a bath in a bath tub. When she meets Zorbas, she explains she has just had a bath in a tub with no water. In a carefree way Zorbas encourages her that this is perfectly OK. After singing in chorus Song 1 the actors stop running in circles except for Mr. 5. When they announce that they have reached their destination Mr. 5 wants to know where exactly. Look into yourself suggests one of the characters and Mr. 5 looks
into his pants. Not this way, look in the right way suggests another character and compares Mr. 5 to a photo album. The discourse in the scene is full of humorous metaphors based on polysemy. The following dialogic exchange is characteristic: Mr. 3: Can you hear anything? Mr. 5: Yes, I can hear something beeping I feel like a TV beeping. At a certain point the actors perform as a chorus of miners and sing accordingly. Mr. 2 interrupts the chorus by commenting on its representational quality: I m sorry but to me this doesn t look like working in a mine. You rather look like sculptors than miners. Ms 1 enters and tries to convince Mr. 2 that the characters were mining all right, axing the stone and not the air, as Mr. 2 purports. She also preaches him on the supposed qualities of matter. In another metatheatrical or self-referential scene, Mr. 2 questions the representational quality of Ms 4 (Excuse me, how did that woman come about?), to which Ms 4 answers I dreamt of her. Mr. 2 then responds: You re saying that you dreamt of a woman whom he now thinks he sleeps with. Ms 4 subverts his argument by asking about the limits of reality and dream (Who may claim that we are just now talking rather than dreaming?). The other characters agree with this point of view and, in a humorous sequence, repeat in different acting styles: I dream that you dream that he dreams. The characters pretend to sail in the Aegean Sea on a boat (a tub). They sit on the boat and use imaginary oars. During their trip boat they meet dolphins (i.e. some of the actors now represent dolphins rather than dramatis personae). Finally they come to a Cretan beach. Zorbas remark is indicative of the oppositions between reality and cognition, reality and truth, imitation and representation: Come on, step down. We ve arrived. We re on the island. It s like a table. Or the table is like an island. Both ways are correct. Then Zorbas encourages everyone to swim and enjoy the sea. This is represented with each actor taking off their clothes and staying half-naked or fully dressed, performing a dive, finding pearls on the sea bed and swimming backstroke or freestyle in a bowl filled with water. At a certain point the actor who represents Mr. 3 stands for a religious figure, too (probably God or Peter the Apostle). Customary house objects as well as miniatures are placed on the table by the actors and are recognized as churches, houses, hills, and the land of the island the characters have supposedly reached. All characters pretend to drink rum from imaginary glasses and make a toast: A toast to God and to devil. Zorbas addresses the pleasures of sailing
the Aegean Sea. Both the toast and Zorbas reference are intertextual references to Alexis Zorbas philosophy as illustrated in Kazantzakis novel. Verbal indications (a word or a phrase) and acoustic signals (a cling on a glass) are means to change dramatic time and indicate certain events (Christmas, New Year s Day, a christening service, a funeral, Easter) and subvert an analogically stage configuration through scenography. 4. Performance songs SONG 1 The mum oh mum song The song can be viewed as a parodic allusion to children s discourse adding to the absurd humour of the performance with the actors performing in a row and singing in chorus. Transcription of Song 1 Ω µαµά, ω µαµά Oh mum, mum oh mum Γιατί µου έδωσες τα πόδια, µαµά Why did you give me my legs, mum Ω µαµά Oh mum Τα πόδια µου είναι πρόβληµα, µαµά My legs are a problem, mum Ω µαµά, Oh mum Τα πόδια µου είναι πολύ αργά, µαµά My legs are too slow, mum Ω µαµά, ω µαµά Oh mum, mum oh mum Θα συγκεντρώσω τα προβλήµατα I ll put the problems together Και θα τα βάλω ένα ένα And sort them out Ω µαµά Oh mum Θα µαζέψω τα βήµατα I ll pick up all steps Και θα τα βάλω ένα ένα And sort them out one by one Ω µαµά Oh mum Θα τρέξω θα τρέξω µακριά I ll run run away Δεν θα γυρίσω ποτέ ξανά Never come back again Ω µαµά Oh mum SONG 2 The miners song The song may be viewed as a parodic imitation of a classical Greek tragedy chorus which eventually transforms into a wild group of dancers dancing to an electro-pop rhythm under strobe-lights. At first, it is a chorus of miners with its members pretending to dig while singing and dancing all in unison, except for Mr. 5. The scene draws intertextually on Kazantzaki s novel and particularly the hero s dream to travel with the Author to an island where he will work as a miner and the Author will be the Boss.
Παίρνεις τα εργαλεία σου και χτυπάς το πέτρωµα Αει σκάβε, αει σκάβε κι έγινε η δουλειά Στηρίζεις ξύλινα δοκάρια για να µην πέσει, για να µην πέσει Αει σκάβε, αει σκάβε κι έγινε η δουλειά Βάζεις τα δοκάρια στην κορυφή και τις κολώνες πλάγια Αει σκάβε, αει σκάβε κι έγινε η δουλειά. Transcription of Song 2 Get your tools And hammer the rock Come on dig, come on dig and the job is done Fix the stulls so that it doesn t fall It doesn t fall Come on dig, come on dig and the job is done Place the stulls on top And the props sideways Come on dig, come on dig and the job is done SONG 3 The tiny song The song can be viewed as a parodic imitation of a children s song which employs the particular genre s structure and modes (i.e. rhyming couplets, diminutives) and enhances the absurd humour of the scene on the Cretan beach. Transcription of Song 3 Όπου εκκλησάκι, σπιτάκι Where ever there s a tiny church, there s a tiny Όπου σπιτάκι, τραπεζάκι house Όπου τραπεζάκι, πιατάκι Where ever there s a tiny house, there s a tiny Και ανθρωπάκι, και κουταλάκι table Where ever there s a tiny table, there s a tiny plate And a tiny man, and a tiny spoon Song 4 Madame Ortanse s song This is a parodic allusion to cabaret songs. Ms 4 sings and dances in a style which reflects both the persona of the French artist created by Kazantzakis and the French actress who starred in Kakoyiannis film. Consequently, the actress who performs the role of Ms 4 may be viewed as an intertextual persona, consisting of her own dramatic identity as well as fragments of Kazantzakis intertext and Kakoyiannis filmic representation. The scene bears more intertextual allusions to Kazantzakis novel, for example Zorbas address to Ms 4 as Boumboulina and their love affair which is represented in an anti-illusionary mode. Με µεγάλο πισινό και τεράστια βυζιά Στο πηγούνι µια ελιά µε τρεις τρίχες Transcription of Song 4 Who s that lady with the huge ass and the huge tits And the hairy beauty spot on her chin
Στραβοπόδα, παχουλή και µε ξέθωρα µαλλιά Κουνιστή και µε µπόι δυο πήχες Ποια γυναίκα είναι αυτή Το άρωµά της µε έχει ζαλίσει Κι αν το µάθεις, θα χεστείς Θα χεστείς από χαρά Η Μαντάµ Ορτάνς από το Παρίσι. That bow-legged, chubby lady, With bleached hair And of small stature who sways her hips while walking Zorbas sings Who s that lady? Her perfume is intoxicating Ms 4 signs If you know her name, you ll shit out of joy She s Madame Ortanse from Paris Ms 4 dances Song 5 The serenade This song parodically imitates serenades and semantically relates to religious humour (i.e. a comic representation of God). It adds to the religious themes and philosophical point of view addressed in the scene and concludes with a comic gag with an actor imitating Peter the Apostle and the other ones waiting to enter paradise. The scene comically reconstructs Zorbas religious orientation and philosophical views, successfully represented with the dramatic character reflecting on his supposed warm welcome by Peter the Apostle at heaven s doorway when the former will be dead and the latter will shout enthusiastically: Come in, you brave lad! You smart guy! Welcome to paradise, Mr Colleague. Φαντάζοµαι τον Θεό Απαράλλαχτο µε µένα Πιο ψηλό, πιο δυνατό Να κάθεται στα ζερβά απ την κόλαση, Ζερβά απ την κόλαση Και κρατάει, τι κρατάει Και περνάνε οι ψυχούλες, Τσίτσιδες οι καηµενούλες, Τουρτουρίζουν, τουρτουρίζουν Ο θεός χαµογελάει, Τη φωνή του τη χοντραίνει Έλα εδώ καταραµένη Ήµαρτον θεούλη µου, Έφαγα, αµάρτησα, πόθησα, µίσησα, Transcription of Song 5 I imagine God Is my spitting image Taller and stronger Sitting to the right from hell Right from hell God is holding what, what is he holding? The souls go by, the poor ones, Naked and shaking from cold Shaking from cold God smiles and his voice is now deeper Come here, you damned God forbid, I have eaten, I have sinned, I have desired, and I have hated
Λήστεψα, σκότωσα, πρόδωσα, ζήλεψα, Να να να να Ο θεός βαριέται και χασµουριέται Με το σφουγγάρι σβήνει τα κρίµατα Ξεκουµπήσου, ξεκουµπήσου µπες µες την παράδεισο. I have robbed, I have killed, I have betrayed, and I ve been jealous Oh la la la la God is bored and he yawns Sponges out all the sins Beat it, beat it! Get into paradise. Song 6 The Cuban song The song is a parodic allusion to Cuban rhythms, thematically linked to religious matters explored in Song 5. Both songs conclude in a positive, light-hearted view of human accountability and God s forgiving nature and contrast to the sad dramatic conclusion of the theatre text, in which all characters exit to death. Καλωσορίσατε στην παράδεισο Είσαστε όλοι σας εδώ κι εκεί Γιατί ο θεός είναι άρχοντας και συγχωρεί Κι ο διάβολος στην κόλασή του Έχει ξεµείνει µοναχός Τώρα που πάµε στην παράδεισο Εκεί που γίνεται χαµός Καλώς µας ήρθατε στην παράδεισο Ήρθατε όλοι σας εδώ κι εκεί Γιατί ο θεός είναι άρχοντας Είναι άρχοντας και συγχωρεί. Transcription of Song 6 Welcome to paradise You re all here and there Because God is the lord and can forgive And the devil is in hell Left alone Now that we go to paradise Where all hell breaks loose Welcome to paradise You re all here and there Because God is the lord He s the lord and can forgive. 5. Conclusion In this paper I demonstrated how a canonical work of Greek literature relates intertextually with a post-modern theatre text and is used in a playful, non-subversive way. The theatre text rather re-writes the myth of Alexis Zorbas, the novel s heroes, and the symbols of Kazantzakis fictional world and may be viewed as a humorous representation of moral and religious concepts originally introduced by Kazantzakis. It may also be compared to a representation reflecting a child s point of view. Consequently, it is possible that part of an educated, older audience of the National Theatre s performance may have recognized hints to Alexis Zorbas, albeit felt puzzled about Grauzinis post-modern open/free adaptation. The following quotation may be suggestive of the director s aim at challenging traditional modes of meaning construction and audience perception.
There is no attempt for a perfect theatrical version of the book. It is rather a version of our own reactions after reading it. It is our story. That is why it is called true story I hope the spectator forgets all their expectations. They will certainly need courage to accept something which contrasts them. Since nowadays everything we are given is followed by instructions, our attempt in Zorbas is to give audience the chance to regain their lost inner vision and go on a journey into the core of things. Grauzinis in Kleftogianni: 2009 I have also demonstrated that most of the humor of the theatre text relates, on the one hand, to the parody of songs and, on the other, to stage representations pertinent to an absurd dramatic function of stage objects, loose representation of the dramatis personae, and an acting style representing truthful dramatic actions in an unreal dramatic world. The former point further illustrates my argument that post-modern Greek parodic drama should broadly consider intertextual relationships with oral genres (Manteli 2011). Specifically, both theatre texts discussed in my studies are comparable in that their humour is related to a parodic use of songs. Concerning the humour of the performance text, this study shows that it is mostly realised in relation to truthful versus unreal stage representation and absurd characterisation. REFERENCES - PRIMARY SOURCES DVD of the performance Zorbas: the true story. Produced by the National Theatre of Greece. Winter season 2009-2010. Staged at Nea Skene Nikos Kourkoulos (Directed by Cezaris Grauzinis). Allain, P. & J. Harvie (2006). The Routledge companion to theatre and performance, London & New York: Routledge. Elam, K. (1980). The semiotics of theatre and drama. London & New York: Routledge. Kleftogianni, I. If Zorbas was real, then he would be locked either in a prison or a madhouse. Daily newspaper Eleftherotypia, Thursday 29 October 2009. Lehman, H.-Th. (2006). Postdramatic theatre. Translated by K. Jürs Munby. London & New York: Routledge. Manteli, V. (in press 2011). Humour, parody and Stalin in a National Theatre of Greece postmodern production: Stalin: a discussion about Greek
theatre. In D. E. Popa & V. Tsakona (eds.), Confronting power with laughter: studies in humour and politics. [Amsterdam: John Benjamins]. Pavis, P. (1998). Dictionary of the theatre. Terms, concepts and analysis. Toronto and Buffalo: University of Toronto Press. Staniškytė, J. (2002). New representations: the languages of contemporary Lithuanian theatre. Lituanus. Lithuanian Quarterly. Journal of arts and sciences, 48 (3). Retrieved 6 June 2010. http://www.lituanus.org/2002/02_3_03.htm