Comedy in four acts by I.L.Caragiale

Artistic direction: Corneliu Zdrehuş
Scenography: Charles Kudelász 
Costumes: Hortenzia Mottl
Premiere date: November 26, 1955

A major achievement of Caragiale, the comedy "A Lost Letter" demonstrates, by exploiting the valences of hilarity, like the sketch "Telegrams", that the dispute actually involves not differences in ideological principles, but only petty personal interests; as soon as these are covered, the conflict subsides.

The plot captures an event that seems minor, but which is ready to shake everyone's security: Zoe Trahanache inadvertently loses a love letter she received from the county prefect, Ştefan Tipătescu. Reaching the hands of Nae Caţavencu through the torment of the anonymous voter, the letter becomes an object of blackmail. After stirring up everyone's spirits, the letter returns to the possession of the Tormented Citizen, who, a former "postman", returns it to the "andrisant", that is, to Zoe. The critic Pompiliu Constantinescu appreciates in "Scrieri elese" that "the classical symmetry of the plot is Molieresque". There are two similar letters in the play: that of Tipătescu to Zoe - with a circular meaning and that of a "beaker" from an important person - with a unique meaning. The letter itself becomes a presence, an animated object, but also a symbol of power, of hidden immorality, of restless conscience.

The political conflict of the play is motivated by the circumstances in which the action is set: in 1883, when the issue of revising the Constitution was raised and elections for deputies were organized. The local organization of the government party, chaired by Zaharia Trahanache, supports the candidacy of lawyer Tache Farfuridi. Having the exponents of key institutions alongside them: the prefecture-through Ștefan Tipătescu and the police-through Ghiță Pristanda, the party has a chance to win. At the opposite pole is the independent (dissident) group, led by Nae Caţavencu. In the end, when the letter is found, Caţavencu, threatened, after a humiliating fall to his knees, admits that he forged the letter; moreover, he is forced to lead the celebration organized in honor of the election as deputy of Agamemnon Dandanache, sent from the center, an amalgam of stupidity, cunning and hypocrisy.

Distribution:

Stefan Tipatescu:  Valentin Avrigeanu  
Agamemnon Dandanache:  George Tomescu
Zacharias Trahanache:  Aurel Decu
Tache Farfuridi:  Ion Vilcu   
Iordache Branzovenescu:  George V. George
Nae Catavencu:  Constantin Simionescu
Ionescu:  Alexandru Fierascu
Pope:  Eugen Tugulea
Ghita Pristanda:  Misu Vladimir
A tormented citizen:  Grig Schiţcu
Zoe Trahanache:  Lulu Popescu
A son, voters, citizens and the public

Technical direction – Dalma Simionescu
Prompter – Cornelia Brezescu