Total Eclipse

ABOUT THE PLAY

Sex, absinthe—and poetry.

The poètes maudits Verlaine and Rimbaud. Their lives intersected only briefly, yet the encounter set off an explosion. In a poisonous green haze, they brought out the very best—and the very worst—in one another.

Have you ever wanted to touch the unknown even while knowing you might burn in hell? A total eclipse is approaching—better put on protective glasses so you do not have to look away.

Anna Davidová's production stars Viktor Zavadil as Verlaine and Jakub Burýšek as Rimbaud, with Marta Dancingerová, Sandra Černodrinská and Jan Hájek in further roles.

Davidová assembled the song lyrics from Arthur Rimbaud's poetry, fragments of his correspondence and texts inspired by Paul Verlaine. The production also draws on writing by Adam Georgiev, Charles Baudelaire's poem A Carcass, a text by Maxim Bitto and a quotation from a poem by Verlaine.

Christopher Hampton's play premiered at London's Royal Court Theatre in 1968. The story is also known from Agnieszka Holland's 1995 film of the same title.

Content warning: The production contains strong language, violent and sexual scenes, smoke, sand, gunfire and lighting effects. Parents are advised to consider whether the performance is suitable for minors.

CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM

Paul Verlaine – Viktor Zavadil
Arthur Rimbaud – Jakub Burýšek
other roles – Marta Dancingerová, Sandra Černodrinská, Jan Hájek

author: Christopher Hampton
translation: František Fröhlich
director: Anna Davidová
dramaturgy: Markéta Kočí Machačíková, Barbora Sedláková
set design: Lenka Hollá
costumes: Petra Vlachynská
music: Jakub Kudláč