The Diary of the King

Historic fresco-grotesque

A new and original Czech play by Zdenek Plachý and Jiří Šimáček, freely based on the motifs of Victor Hugo’s play ´The King takes his Amusement´ and Giuseppe Verdi’s opera ´Rigoletto´ and tailor-made for the ensemble of Brno City Theatre. On the basis of the original historic story of Rigoletto, immortalized by Giuseppe Verdi in one of the greatest works of operatic history, a thrilling contemporary drama takes place, the basic idea and moral message of which could be summed up in one sentence; ‘do as you would be done by.’ Seemingly small ethical oversights and errors return eventually, boomerang-like, in ominous strokes of fate. The merciless world of Marseilles’ underworld and organized crime warps human characters beyond recognition. It is a world full of fear and violence, in which there are also many unwritten and very strict rules. In seclusion, far from this cruel world of which he himself is a part, Rigoletto is trying to bring up his only daughter Blanka in so-called ‘decent society’. Despite all his efforts, as a matter of coincidence, Blanka unfortunately falls in love with the ‘King” - the boss of Rigoletto’s gang, to immediately become the victim of his mafia pals. Desperate, Rigoletto decides to draw up a plan of revenge. At the end of this thrilling story, the spectator witnesses, together with Blanka and Rigoletto, a mighty cathartic climax, during which the whole story gains a strong timeless charge. Poignant dialogues from the Marseilles’ underworld, surprising plot inversions (already anchored in Victor Hugo’s original), an impressive climax and strong moral message in this new original text by the progressive and innovative Plachý – Šimeček duo.