Heiner Müller
QUARTET / QUARTETT
Director: Ivica Buljan
Translation: Milan Štefe, Snježana Rodek
Costume esigner: Ana Savić-Gecan
Set designers: Ben Cain, Tina Gverović
Music: Mitja Vrhovnik Smrekar and Tvrtko Dujmović
Light design: Janez Kocjan
Sound design: Jasmina Bernjak
Make up artist: Gabriela Fleischman
Actors: Ana Karić and Robert Waltl
Musician: Tvrtko Dujmović
Opening nights:
August 2006: Zadar, Dubrovnik - Croatia
January 2007: Ptuj- City theatre Ptuj and Cankarjev dom Ljubljana - Slovenia
January 2007: Teatar ITD Zagreb - Croatia
February 2007, Trst/Trieste - Italy
Production: Mini teater Ljubljana,Teatar ITD Zagreb and Mestno gledališče Ptuj; Co-production: Slovensko stalno gledališče Trst, Cankarjev dom Ljubljana, Art radionica Lazareti Dubrovnik, Zadar Snova and Novo kazalište Zagreb
All essential characteristics of Dangerous Liaisons are preserved in Heiner Mueller's Quartet. While the story from Laclos's novel develops within 'the big theatre of the world', in Quartet the world is indicated yet actually not present. This 'bunker after World War III' – as defined by the author in his drama instructions – indicates an idea of a closed space, of secret societies, places of sadistic performances where everything is allowed, where everything can be said or done. Far for the eye of strangers and in total trust, Merteuil and Valmont dedicate themselves to a ritual known only to the two of them, while their bodies and their souls set up onto a path of pervert games. Their pleasure is manifestated in their will to destruct the other (one a virgin and the other, a spouse of virtue), to destruct God and the Church through radical atheism and through will of sacrifice, to destruct social and moral values, to destruct human kind through self-destruction and sterile sexual relations.
