Koltes' text is very dense, verbose, full of allusions, poetic images and complex twists. The author seems to be trying to confuse the viewer rather than help them understand the conflict. It is not immediately clear to the viewer (like the reader, perhaps after reading the text only once) that the object of the trade is sexual lust. Since both characters are male, we understand that this is a homoerotic play. And both men must confess their lust. However, neither one nor the other wants to call things by their real names, they talk in circles, and it becomes clear to us that this dispute will not be resolved. Today, the topic of forbidden, unspoken, but irresistible lust must be revealed in a different way.
Our show is about sexual perversion, about a hidden desire that is punishable, recognized as criminal by any society, but already according to today's laws. There are two actors in our show - Ingeborga Dapkūnaite and John Malković, but not two characters. We are in the subconscious, in someone's nightmare, and he is not physically on the stage. He lives in terrible internal disharmony because he has realized that his sexual desire is criminal. But that's his nature and he can't fight it. He wants to admit it to himself, but he can't, because it is both scary and dangerous. We are in a man who endlessly struggles with himself. It is a projection of his consciousness, a nightmare in which he is constantly trying to come to terms with himself. Therefore, he comes up with these two himself, the seller and the buyer. Two entities are fighting. The further we go, the better we understand what the story is about. The actors will change roles during the performance. And after a while we will realize that it is a person's inner monologue that breaks down into a dialogue. It is the last dialogue before the tragedy…
The idea is implemented using rather complex technical support. In addition to the actors, the performance involves five videographers who work online. Therefore, the performance is supposed to be very spectacular - with video effects, with close-ups of actors' faces.
— Timofey Kulyabin
Duration: 1h 10min
Language: English
Premiere took place in Riga, Latvia on May 28th, 2022.