Amphitryon – A Story About Desires And Individuality. Performance Review, Amphitryon, Directed by Silviu Purcărete, Cluj-Napoca National Theatre, May 2023

Abstract

Amphitryon, a French comedy, consisting of a prologue and 3 acts, was written by Molière in 1668 (and translated into Romanian by Victor Eftimiu and Petru Manoliu in verse). Since then, the name Amphitryon has come to be used in the sense of good, generous host; in Spanish the word used for host is anfitrión and in Portuguese, anfitrião. The play is based on the story of the Greek mythological character Amphitryon brought on the stage of the Cluj-Napoca National Theatre in an intriguing manner: Jupiter (played by Ionuț Caras), the supreme god, used to satisfy his erotic desires by any means, takes the form of Amphitryon (Matei Rotaru) in order to seduce his beautiful wife, Alcmena (Sânziana Tarța). What is going to happen when not even the gods can control their animalistic desires? What are we, if not beings condemned to reason?