Let's not forget the actors...

It's been ten years since a great actor left us: ION MÂINEA.

He left with the regret of not having played, perhaps, a King Lear or a Macbeth, characters to whom he would have undoubtedly given a masterful stage presence, but, I suspect, also with great happiness, that of having had the luck (his luck has a name: director Alexandru Darie) to play Salieri in a landmark show of the Oradea Theatre: AMADEUS. Salieri, a fabulous character, for whom Ion Mâinea created an imposing, moving, hard-to-forget dramatic stature.

Answering some sometimes uncomfortable questions, asked by me in the book of interviews "Theatre from the Inside, the Theatre from Behind the Scenes" (Bibl. Rev. Familia, 2005), Ion Mâinea made a few confessions about his life, confessions that strengthened our belief that his entire aristocratic demeanor had an explanation: he was a beautiful flower child, whose mother, a very young lady, fell in love, perhaps only for one summer, with an important gentleman who, however, did not marry her. This is how it happened that the boy was adopted by a family of thrifty, hardworking, intelligent and loving people, being raised in the spirit of esteem for work and fairness. His father's advice followed him all his life: "Do what you like, but don't forget that if you take up something, then do it well.".

This is probably one of the reasons why he was very close to the boys of his beloved wife, Vivi, boys who loved him immensely and who watched over him, together with their mother, with tender tenderness, sitting at his bedside, until the end. Emotional for all of us, his colleagues and friends.

But let's briefly follow the actor's artistic path.

The acting talent of the young Ion was noticed by valuable theater people, and he became a student of a remarkable director: Marietta Sadova. A true cultured person, Mrs. Sadova guided her students towards the stage, but she knew how to instill in them an interest and taste for culture, for reading, for knowing the arts - painting, classical music, film...

After a spectacular debut at the Little Theater in Bucharest, Ion Mâinea leaves for the provinces, honoring the stages he played on with his talent.

At the Oradea Theatre he played under the direction of artists such as: Marietta Sadova, Sanda Manu, Ion Olteanu, Zoe Anghel Stanca, Dan Alexandrescu, Szombat Gile Otto, Alexandru Colpacci, Sergiu Savin, Alexandru Darie, Victor Ioan Frunză, Mihai Măniuţiu, Anca Bradu, Ioan Ieremia, Tudor Chirilă… etc. Being a demanding, cultured and imaginative actor, he was always an exemplary collaborator of his fellow directors. Not easygoing, of course, but insightful, intelligent and with an inquisitive nature, he knew how to reach the deepest fiber of the character.

He played positive or negative roles, in classical and contemporary plays, from Romanian and universal dramaturgy: IL Caragiale, Lucian Blaga, VI Popa, Kiriţescu, DR Popescu, Mircea Bradu, Shakespeare, Beaumarchais, Brecht, Albee, Durrenmatt, Pinter, etc. The common denominator of all the roles performed: impeccable stage attire, imposing stature, the seriousness of the detailed approach to the characters.

He flirted, it comes to flirting, with directing, his performance in this artistic space as well, proving to be completely professional, both at the State Theater in Oradea and at the Arcadia Theater; shows like "In a Park on a Bench" or "Apollodor" have gathered an impressive number of performances - this is just to give two examples, but there are many more.

The audience loved and respected actor ION MÂINEA. He was certainly a role model for his young colleagues.

It's also the reason why I evoked, with emotion, his prodigious personality.

Those who want to be with their colleagues and family at the funeral service are invited on SUNDAY, May 20, at 12 noon, at the GOOD ANNOUNCEMENT Church.

Elizabeth Pop