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first time i read the master and margarita i was 16. it was a hard start. i just could not get my head around the second chapter and pontius pilate. but once i got going, i just could not stop reading. it was so mesmerising, so exciting and by the end of the book, i could swear i was hallucinating. i guess i would not be the only one with the same experience. since then i read it another 4 times (both in english and croatian). it took the position on my dearest book ever.

then last year i went to see complicite’s play at barbican called shun-kin. i have to say i knew nothing about complicite at that point. i went because there was puppetry in it. that play, took my breath away. it was so cleverly done, so beautiful to watch and the puppetry was just magnificent.

so of course, when barbican announced complicite’s staging the master and margarita, it was no brainer. and on top of it, they were set to collaborate with the blind summit – the puppet theatre who so brilliantly did their job in shun-kin. i set the alarm for the day the tickets went on sale. i even bought a ticket for my husband – and i always go to theatre alone. i was so excited and i wanted to share this with him.

and so we went yesterday. to say that my expectations were great – it would be an understatement. i was so excited about it, that i actually put myself at a great risk of being disappointed. but none of it happened. the brilliant mind of simon mcburney kept the story very concise and lost no important detail at all. the stage design, solutions used were genius – especially the use of video. behemoth, the cat, was a puppet – a very scary puppet with red glowing eyes. as scary as in the book. great sense of humour too. i was a bit disappointed for it not to take a bow at the end 😉

i got taken away on another journey. this time it was not a private affair. we shared it with full house!

what can i say! i left totally in love not only with the play but also with simon mcburney too. the play is on until 7th april. if you haven’t seen it, pelase do go. you will be part of a great moscow adventure and fool around with muscovites and a brilliant satan’s company.

as for me, i feel an urge to read the book again.

“cowardice is the most terrible of vices.”