»…The ingredients are known yet the director Slavčo Malenov »cooked« a quite new theatrical dessert. He preserved the starting point; he kept the classical approach of the Bulgarian marionette school, as well as the skill, the organisation and the widening of the set space through functional utilisation of the stylised set design. By introducing two animators (Caliph Stork was played and animated by just one actor, Robert Waltl), he gained more dynamics in the staging and enriched the performance in layers and distinction of characters. The performance is more fluid, it works as a classical piece in a positive sense, and at the same time it is fresh. There is more movement on the stage since more puppets are animated simultaneously on the stage, while the two actors - besides animating the puppets - represent also their own characters, story tellers, not only through their voices but also through their live acting. The roles were performed by Milan Štefe and Tomislav Tomšič. They were both very good in animating the puppets and even better in their roles of story-tellers, where they completed and got along as actors very well. «
(Mojca J. Zoran: Caliph Stork in new edition, Dnevnik, 17/1/2007)
»…The best recognisable novelty in this staging is the casting since now, the animation of almost a dozen of fairytale characters and puppets is equally, clearly and fluently divided between the two actors/animators – Milan Štefe and Tomislav Tomšič, while before the performance was played by one master only (Robert Waltl). This symmetrically and circularly conceived staging – which through an oriental fairytale speaks about the relativity of individual freedom and power (be this a seemingly almighty yet bored caliph, caught and isolated behind the walls of the despotic Baghdad palaces, or later the enchanted caliph-stork condemned to the 'freedom' of the sky until a liberating marriage to a princess bewitched into an ugly awl brings back the state of happiness identified only after a drastic life experience) – achieves doubtlessly a little more dynamics with two protagonists, the course of the story becomes faster, while individual fairytale characters become more plastic and better recognisable, especially due to well conceived voice and speech interpretations.
(Slavko Pezdir: Dynamic and plastic, Delo, 9/1/2007)
»…The Enchanted Storks as already Caliph Stork before have been staged on a slightly elevated surface designed to the main, actually the only set creation, rotating in its axle when necessary – and artfully designed and in darkness ornamentally interlaced and refined framework offering the possibility of gradual opening of its mutually connected parts (sides or wings) into width. This is undoubtedly an achievement, an extraordinary thoughtful design solution – first as an image of wrought doors (to caliph's palace), and then changing through further actors'/animators' intervention into other scenes. One of the main characteristics of this set-design, however, is the atmosphere of a cage – as the palace is felt by the caliph, being willingly or not so remote from his people, caught within the emptiness of luxury he wants so much to escape...«
(Uroš Smasek: Expressive marionettes freshened, Večer, 11/1/2007)
