Aleksandra Borowiak, spokeswoman of the Danuta Baduszkowa Musical Theatre in Gdynia, said that:
It will not only be the first musical based on the bestselling novel by Andrzej Sapkowski, but the first theatrical performance at all using this iconic fantasy protagonist.
The script will be based on five short stories already popular with fans of the books: The Sword of Destiny, A Question of Price, The Last Wish, Something More, and A Shard of Ice. Borowiak explained:
The main protagonist is the white-haired Geralt of Rivia, a witcher with great power who uses magic and superhuman powers to defend people from dragons and other monsters without shying away from payment for his services. He often acts under the influence of emotions, he protects the weak, sacrifices himself for others.
The performance will be directed Wojciech Kościelniak and the set prepared by Damian Styrna. Music for the performance was written by Piotr Dziubek with lyrics by Rafał Dziwisz.
Gaming meets the stage
The Witcher is intended to be an attractive theatrical performance based on modern technologies, no doubt inspired by the character's massive success in the world of computer games. Kościelniak said:
We want to show an interesting, colourful world – different from everything that we’ve done the Gdynia Theatre so far. We are planning to use modern multimedia technologies, but in a way that does not dominate the humans on stage. We want viewers to feel that they are in the theatre, not in the cinema.
It is not Kościelniak’s first performance in the Musical Theatre in Gdynia. In September 2015, he staged the musical Zły / Evil based on the crime novel by Leopold Tyrmand. In addition, he directed Francesco, The Doll, The Ball in the Opera House, and The Peasants.
The Witcher musical will open the 2017/18 artistic season in the Musical Theatre in Gdynia.
The Witcher by Sapkowski is now present in almost every form of art - perhaps all that's left is puppetry?