THE PROMISE

by Alexei Arbuzov

Directed 1991 - The Library Theatre, Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv

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• Pictures from THE PROMISE

Background

A three-act, epic love triangle set in Leningrad from the Second World War to the dawn of the Sixties, The Promise depicts the lives of three teenage survivors of the savage winter siege of 1942, when over two million people died of cold, starvation and shelling. It follows their sufferings, their estrangement from society and their subsequent emergence as members of the Soviet system, through to the end of Stalinism.

A difficult play, "a testament to terrible times", as The Jerusalem Post critic put it. The war in which they lost everything but each other shadows their lives decades later. Linked in a symbiotic and troubled triangle, they cannot rid themselves of their irreconcilable love - or their unbreakable allegiance to each other. The "promise" of the title lies in their hope - ironic, seen from the standpoint of later times - that a new and better age must dawn once the war and its repercussions of death and devasation are over. In its day, The Promise depicted a daring preview of the disillusion that finally tore apart the Soviet Union.

The show was performed in Hebrew from a new translation based on the original Russian and previous translations in Hebrew (Miriam Oren, 1967) and English (Ariadne Nicolaeff, 1967). The Russian title of the play translates as My Poor Marat. It could not be used in the first English production (London, 1967) because Peter Brook's The Marat/Sade had been a recent success; to avoid confusion Ariadne Nicolaeff suggested My Poor Marik, then My Poor Hero and finally the producer suggested The Promise.

Cast

Lika played by Sandra Shenvald

Marat played by Sharon Alexander

Leonidik played by Mark Mason

Notes

My personal experience of The Promise was how strikingly difficult a play it was to rehearse and to perform, being almost three separate "mini-plays" in one. Act 1, which should be the key to the later acts, is possibly the hardest, as the characters are less clearly drawn and a little subordinated to the demands of setting the story.

The text of The Promise as performed is not available.
Please note that the original texts and translations are copyright - seek permission from the appropriate agents.

Thanks.

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