Unforgettable 'Host'

Face to face with ethnic animosity

By Jayne Blanchard | Wednesday, October 1, 2008

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You may think "been there, done that" with "Host and Guest." However, six years and recent events in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia have only enhanced the intensity and artistry of one of Synetic Theater's signature pieces.

Director Paata Tsikurishvili, a native of Georgia, originally intended to start the fall season with an adaptation of the silent horror film "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari." Real horror supplanted the cinematic kind as Russia exercised military might in Georgia during the summer, and Mr. Tsikurishvili, along with his actor and choreographer wife Irina, decided that something that speaks to the legacy of ethnic hatred would be more fitting.

Not that previous incarnations of "Host and Guest" have been anything but gripping. However, this production has renewed vigor and a stately beauty that just gives you the shivers. Credit company members Ben Cunis and Dan Istrate — playing hunter-warriors who meet by chance in the forest and befriend each other — for infusing graceful swiftness and immediacy to the work. The score, by Konstantine Lortkipanidze, a mix of Georgian folk tunes and original music, also blooms in your brain in a way never felt before.

"Host and Guest" was adapted in 2002 by Roland Reed from an epic poem by Vazha Pshavela that was written at the turn of the 20th century and has become a classic in the Georgian literary canon. The poem (its synopsis appears in the program, and it's advisable to arrive early enough to read it so you won't get so caught up in the action that you might miss the poem's subtleties) centers on two men, the Muslim Joqola (Mr. Istrate) and the Christian Zviadauri (Mr. Cunis). The two lay down their weapons so they both may get a drink of water, and from that simple act, a tragically short-lived friendship evolves.

Joqola and his wife, Aghaza (Miss Tsikurishvili) welcome Zviadauri into their home and prepare a feast from a deer caught by the men. In the tradition of their culture, guests are sacred, "the last to die," and Joqola generously adheres to this custom.

The other villagers, roused by the wrathful Musa (Irakli Kavsadze) and the spy Mullah (Armand Sindoni), are not so accommodating, and they attack both men and Aghaza for their act of friendship. War breaks out between the two communities, a conflict based on prejudice and tolerated ignorance.

Synetic's trademark poetic imagery is particularly strong in this production. With mere sticks, the talented ensemble portrays trees waving hauntingly in the mountain wind, winding paths to the village and weapons that taunt and torture. The ensemble also vividly evokes a graveyard filled with restless souls who torment Aghaza, played magnificently by Miss Tsikurishvili in a mad scene that rivals that of Lady Macbeth.

The honed, wildly creative staging of "Host and Guest" perfectly fits the production's crystalline condemnation of provincial brutality that can erupt in any country and is not confined to the Caucasus.

Rating: ****

WHAT:"Host and Guest," by Roland L. Reed, adapted from a poem by Vazha Pshavela

WHERE: Synetic Theater at Rosslyn Spectrum, 1611 N. Kent St., Arlington

WHEN: 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays. Through Nov. 9.

TICKETS: $15 to $40

PHONE: 800/494-8497

WEB SITE: www.synetictheater.org

MAXIMUM RATING: FOUR STARS

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