Absolute premiere by Tudor Popescu

Text selection, collage, light-designing and artistic direction: Alexandru Darie
Scenography: Maria Miu
Paintings executed by Iosif Kudelász, Amalia Perjovschi, Catherine Kovacs, Maria Miu
Musical illustration: Gheorghe Hausmann
Premiere date: December 29, 1987

„"Ten Laughter" is a selection made by the author himself from the multitude of skits, theatrical sketches and satirical moments created over time. In the generous formula of "theater within theater", a series of sketches, satirical pills are assembled, a pretext for the author to launch theoretical considerations in various registers, on the theme of the actor's personality, of transvestism, of the meaning of theater in general. The scenic binder of the pills is of Pirandellian origin: a theater director unfolds fragments of the life of the collective he leads in front of a reporter. Justifying this part of the show, Tudor Popescu confesses in the program of the show: I tried to write a play in which the life of the theater would be shown directly, "told" with humor and sweet irony and in which my love for all those who serve it would be felt, but especially for those who are "theater itself", as I like to say: the actors. "Ten Laughs" is not written (in the part that refers to the theater) in a satirical key, with the ducal humor dominating. Satire is taken refuge in pills and it does not refer to the world of theater."”

Indeed, the skits, entitled: "Love in the Workplace", "The Right Time", "The Beast", "The Funeral Speech", "The Gifts", "Love in a Beautiful Act" and "The Silver Fish" have a pronounced satirical tone, the underlying texts being written by IL Caragiale, Teodor Mazilu, Aurel Baranga, Ion Băieșu and Tudor Popescu himself. They set in motion two or three characters and constitute small comic moral radiographs, denouncing opportunism, the deception of good faith, small arrangements, linguistic clichés, the stereotypes of officials, half-doctrine and stupidity.

Initially, the premiere of the show was banned by the communist censorship committee, which considered the creation subversive. After several changes to the text and directorial vision, after a series of tweaks and several viewings, the show was presented with only eight pills in its structure allowed by the authorities, but even so, it was a great success.

Distribution:

Love in the workplace
It:  Mariana Vasilit is
He:  Daniel Vulcu
Bridge:  Petre Panait

The right moment
Cassian:  Laurian Jivan
Host:  Marcel Segărceanu

beast
Sitar:  Ion Tomorrow
Bridge:  Petre Panait

The funeral oration
Florentine:  Florence Manea
Lica:  Nicolae Barosan
Vic:  Laurian Jivan, Daniel Vulcu

The gifts
Dance:  Mariana Vasile
Costel:  Ion Tomorrow

Love for a beautiful gesture
Hortensia:  Mariana Neagu
Gogu:  Daniel Vulcu

In vino veritas
Lisa:  Simona Constantinescu
Amalia:  Mariana Vasile
The river:  Nicholas Thomas

The silverfish
Aglaia:  Simona Constantinescu, Alla Tautu
Gentle:  Nicolae Toma, Petre Panait
The director:  Ion Tomorrow
Reporter:  Alla Tautu, Ileana Iurciuc
The director:  Marcel Popa
Superstar:   Alla Tautu, Simona Constantinescyou
So:  Nicolae Barosan

Technical director: Mărioara Goina
Prompter: Florence Szabo
Lighting: Vasile Blejan, Iosif Balogh
Sound: Valentin Bodonea