"Why Not Make a Celebration?" the Us Premiere of the Pig, or Václav Havel's Hunt for a Pig

Galella, Donatella, Slavic and East European Performance

At the beginning of The Pig or Vaclav Havels Hunt for a Pig, an American reporter interviews a famous pig farmer and covers a zabijacka, a celebration for friends and family who feast on a pig. She soon realizes, however, that the celebration is not what it seems and the so-called farmer is actually dissident playwright and spokesman for Charter 77 Vaclav Havel. Meanwhile, the chorus performs excerpts from Bedrich Smetana's nationalist opera The Bartered Bride that interrupt Havel's tale about his tortuous attempt to secure a pig, at times underscoring his implied critiques of communism and at other times pointing the way toward a bright future with Havel's presidency. Already apparent in …

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Publication information: Article title: "Why Not Make a Celebration?" the Us Premiere of the Pig, or Václav Havel's Hunt for a Pig. Contributors: Galella, Donatella - Author. Journal title: Slavic and East European Performance. Volume: 31. Issue: 2 Publication date: Fall 2011. Page number: 61+. © Martin E. Segal Theatre Center Fall 2009. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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