Performances

 

“The Crazy Frogs” written and directed by Mélody Mourey
Directed by: Mélody Mourey

Venue: Theatre of the Society for Macedonian Studies
Οpening: 26 October 2022
Duration: 100 min (no interval)

 

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Α few words about the play

A talented young creator, Mélody Mourey, whose plays sell out in Paris and have earned her both nominations and wins at the Molière Awards, directs the Greek première of her play “The Crazy Frogs” (original title: “Les Crapauds fous”) at the NTNG.

 

Mélody Mourey writes and directs a wonderful tragi-comic play which takes a story that is true but unknown to the general public as its backdrop: an incredible trick two doctors played on the Nazis.

In 1990s New York City, a psychology student visits Stanislaw, an elderly doctor, so he can talk to her about her grandfather Eugene Lazowski (also a doctor) and his  activities during World War Two. Stanislav will share an adventurous and fascinating story with her, describing the ingenious plan that he and Lazowski devised to outwit the Nazis and save the lives of thousands of residents in Rozwadów, a village in Poland.

The play is based on the true story of the two doctors who resisted the Nazis, using the typhoid vaccine as evidence that the region was infected with the deadly disease. “The Crazy Frogs” is an adventure-comedy that uses humour and sensitivity to highlight the strength of people who accept the risks and resist, daring to defend humanity and justice.

Although the author presents the tragic events in a light-hearted way, she nonetheless creates an original and daring work which poses an important question: at what point will people stop obeying authority, when that authority is absurd, and to what extent does each new era need its own “crazy frogs”?

 

Performances Schedule

 

Director's Note

Note of Intent
“The Crazy Frogs” is a story inspired by real, but little known, events.

I was researching the great inventions made in Poland’s history when I discovered that the typhoid vaccine had been invented there and had actually allowed two doctors to save thousands of lives during World War Two, thanks to an incredible trick they played on the Nazis... This feat of theirs moved me and I immediately wanted to tell the tale.

I think it’s wonderful that, in the darkest of times, some people still manage to fight for what is just, when, by rights, fear should make them follow the herd and submit to orders, however unjust. When the crazy frogs’ adventure begins, the two friends, Eugene and Stan, are primarily interested in helping a friend who can’t bear the thought of returning to a labour camp. Only after this first act of resistance do they say to themselves: “If we can take the risk for someone close to us, we have to do it for the others, too”... It’s this shift that moves me most—this moment when they decide to do the impossible not out of friendship, but out of humanity and the desire to save as many lives as possible.

The play, which is very freely inspired by this true story, is narrated by one of the characters many years later, which allows for multiple imaginings: we don’t follow the story as it happens, but rather as it takes shapes through the memories of a man with a fine sense of humour. Above all, the work seeks to shed light on the incredible and deeply human story of two childhood friends, one determined and reckless, the other vulnerable and sensitive.





The direction

Although the subject is serious, the tone of the work remains light. The direction supports this duality between the seriousness of the content and the lightness of the form.

Stan’s memories provide a watered-down view of reality. The physical work done with the choreographer and artistic assistant Nina Dipla ensures continuity between the two eras, since the two actors who play the protagonist at different stages in his life do an excellent job mimicking each other. The rest of the cast switch between roles so they can play over 25 different characters, some of whom add a touch of burlesque to this dramatic comedy.

The music, composed by Simon Meuret, highlights the friendship between the two young doctors and adds to the frantic nature of the play. Simon composes visual music and the accompaniment it provides for moments of anguish and emotion imbues the performance with a cinematic dimension.

During the course of the play, we move both from place to place (a New York bar, a Polish apartment, a doctor’s office, a village post office, snow-covered alleys...) and from one era to another (1940, 1944, 1990...). The sets, which were designed by Hélie Chomiac and are mounted on wheels, they can be moved and transformed as needed, accompany all these changes. These simple changes are made by the actors themselves and incorporate fluidly into the scenes, so there are no interruptions to the flow of the story as it carries Anastazy—and, with her, the audience—along with it.




BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE OF MÉLODY MOUREY

After 7 years working as a journalist on “L’éléphant”, a general culture magazine, Mélody Mourey wrote and directed “The Crazy Frogs” (Les crapauds fous, which has received over 500 performances and been nominated for three Molières awards). Her second play, “La Course des Géants” (4 Molières nominations) is currently touring France, Belgium and Switzerland. Her first novel, “MaxTallent”, was published in September 2022 by Auzou.


Credits

Translated by: Giorgos Voudiklaris, Directed by: Mélody Mourey, Sets: Hélie Chomiac, Set and costume oversight: Danai Pana, Music: Simon Meuret, Artistic assistant - Choreographer: Nina Dipla, Lighting: Stelios Tzolopoulos, Assistant to the director: Alexis Tzimas, Production Coordinator: Eva Koumandraki

Cast: Antonis Antonakos (Nazi 1/ Stationmaster/ Telephonist/Villager), Stavroula Arampatzoglou (Anastazy Lazowski), Korina Vasilopoulou (Postwoman/ Villager/ Albert), Alexandros Zouridakis (Teresa/ Oktave/ Hitler), Stelios Kalaitzis (Eugene Lazowski), Thanos Kontogiorgis (Captain Steinmann), Evi Koutalianou (Waitress/ Madeleine/ Villager), Christina Konstantinidou (Anna Lazowski), Vasilis Papadopoulos (Misha/ Nazi 2), Virginia Tamparopoulou (Rebecca Laski/ Villager), Thanos Feretzelis (Stan Matulevich), Giannis Charisis (Narrator)


 

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