T he ArtLink festival and music at the for- tresses have marked the summer in Ser- bia and the region. It all began in late June at Belgrade’s Kalemegdan Fortress and continued with concerts at several destinations throughout July, only to culminate in August with a proper theatre spectacle. In collabo- ration with the Zaječar Theatre and Cultural Cen- tre, and under the patronage of the City of Zaječar, the Infernal Comedy stage play, featuring John Mal- kovich in the lead role, is arriving in Serbia and wi- ll be performed at Felix Romuliana on 8th August! The Infernal Comedy is a stage-play based on the real-life story of Austrian serial killer Jack Unterwe- ger. Imprisoned for murder, Unterweger became a po- et and writer while serving his sentence. Loved by critics, he was eventually pardoned by intellectuals and politicians, who claimed that he was an “example of rehabilitation”. Once freed, Unterweger became a journalist and highly sought-after lecturer… but also committed multiple murders. When he was caught and again convicted, he took his own life. This stage-play brings together Malkovich, the Vi- enna Academy Orchestra and the Wrocław Baroque Orchestra, as well as fantastic sopranos Chen Reiss and Susanne Langbein. To mark the play’s European tour, the team of Austrian magazine Culture&Leben made its interview with this famous American actor available to us... How did it come about that John Malkovich slipped into the role of Austrian serial killer Jack Unterweger? “Many years ago, I was having dinner with Martin Haselböck (an Austrian organist and conductor who’s considered one of the most important contemporary artists working in the world of historical performance) in California. We started to discuss various projects that we could work on together. I came up with the idea of Unterweger, because I thought that his sto- ry would make an exciting piece of theatre. Martin brought Michael Sturminger on board, who wrote the script. Actually, I was supposed to direct The Infernal Comedy myself, but I didn't have time to cast an ac- tor and rehearse with him. So, I took on the lead role myself. I said to Michael: "You do the directing, be- cause I'm certainly not going to do both”. Since 2008, we have shown the play all over the world – from Vi- enna to Istanbul and Santiago de Chile.” Had the idea of playing Unterweger been floating around your head for a while before the dinner in question? “I had read John Leake's excellent Unterweger study Entering Hades: The Double Life of a Serial Killer with great interest, plus many other articles about him. I spent some time pursuing the plan to make a film
THE RENOWNED JOHN MALKOVICH ON THE SERBIAN STAGE On catharsis, theatre, fame and society Fans of this famous actor have numerous opportunities to bask in his brilliant eccentricity, but for an undiluted, 100-proof shot of pure Malkovich, your best bet is his performance in the stage play The Infernal Comedy
Theatre » Pozorište | 29
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