SHEPHERD from Levoča recounts stories of V. Pankovčin proses

Laco Zwanziger, a shepherd with mangled foot comes on stage to retell his story about how he met U.F.O. to the imaginary editor of the journal. At nearly empty scene which is framed by black leaning horizon at rear and before him only the chair and a bucket we, during next 45 minutes find out how he lost his hand-fingers, how his colleague at sheepfold is called and many amusing but also sad stories. Eastern-Slovakia language compressed of several types of dialects of eastern Slovakia suits Vlado Benko very easily, gradual discovering of world-view of this underprivileged man who shepherds his flock of cows somewhere out of civilization is very impressive. The individual scenes are mixed-up with musical parts and outcomes of three children. The naive character of play is underlined with paper cows on wheels which appear on the horizon at the end of the show. The story which director Péchy prepared with Benko is some mix of true story of a shepherd and of Pankovčin´s stories. Emotional drama of a simple man to whom U.F.O. carries cigarettes and meal can on the stage alone care for itself and does not need naivity or kitschy end. Because if someone tells interestingly it does not mean that it is too little for a theater. Pavel Graus