The show is an innovative take on the mythical couple Maria Skłodowska Curie and her husband Pierre and its symbiotic dynamic. Based on various sources documenting their private life and their experimentation with radioactivity, it draws a broad portrait of the science-minded pair
"Book of Genesis / Naked to the Bone" strives to capture the essence of a scientific partnership and the direct correlation between Marie Skłodowska Curie’s winning of the 1911 Nobel Prize Award and her husband’s participation in her accomplishments, following the leitmotiv taken from the Book of Genesis: "It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."
The show’s unique narration depicts the couple’s invention and creativity, as well as its numerous scientific and artistic interpretations, under an unusual theatrical form. Jolanta Juszkiewicz sets her characters on a fantastical journey, featuring original costumes and a surprising selection of Oriental music. Performed in English (with French subtitles), the play is a vibrant and poetic account of the successes and struggles of Marie and Pierre Curie. Combining original music of Tibetan Mahakala Buddhism with the soft melodies of Georgian Djivan Gassparyan, the modern and mystical spectacle is empathised by the exceptional plasticity of the characters, dressed in oriental gear, a highlight of the alternative productions of the Kropka Theatre.
By the end of 1911, Maria returns to Paris after receiving the Nobel Prize in Stockholm. Struck by the weight of recent issues related to a turbulent affair that destroyed her reputation, she is very sick, close to death. Through her subconscious, she travels back in time to meet with her past, including her wedding day. Her companion on this illusory journey is the phantom of Pierre, who passed away in 1906. Accompanied by haunting Tibetan music, it seems that a spiritual ceremony is set to begin. Two figures, wearing identical woollen gowns of a height under the rib cage, and elaborate multi-meaning vests wander in measured steps across an empty stage, among flashes from the past and a chaotic chronology of events. Thanks to the specific aesthetics of the set and costume design combined with the musical score, the actors gradually escape the formal setting of the story to form fascinating body sculptures, creating a rite outside of time, in an intimate and surreal space.
"Maria Sklodowska Curie: Book of Genesis / Naked to the Bone"
Concept and adaptation: Jolanta Juszkiewicz
cast: Jolanta Juszkiewicz and Steve Karier
costumes: Kinga Kowalewska
production: Kropka Theatre and Fundamental / Jérôme Konen
free admission, with prebooking required at kropkatheatre@gmail.com or esufin@gmail.com.
The performance premiered on the 28th of November, 2011 at the Cultural Centre lu Abbaye de NEUmunster, Luxemburg
The event was organised within the framework of the international cultural programme of the Polish EU presidency 2011.
Date: 15th of December, 2011, 12.30 p.m.
Venue: UNESCO Headquarters, 7, Place de Fontenoy, Paris
Partners: UNESCO, the Polish Ministry of Economy, Nuclear Power Department, the International Theatre Institute ITI, The Mayor of Warsaw, Warsaw City Hall, the Polish Artists Association, the University of Technology in Warsaw, Adam Mickiewicz Institute, and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland
For more information about the event, see www.institutpolonais.fr