Actors from the Belgrade Drama Theatre performed the play “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” yesterday as part of the dramatic repertoire at the “Ohrid Summer” festival.
The play, based on the novel by Ken Kesey and directed by Žanko Tomić, marked the grand return of actor Dragan Bjelogrlić to the stage of the Belgrade Drama Theatre. It is a dark humorous satire about the individual in a repressive system, mental institutions, and the freedom of the spirit.
“My life has become a part of the process that happens on stage, and what happens on stage has become a part of my life. When you play such a powerful role for so long, in a play that has become a cult hit and sells out all the tickets, after we were greeted with ovations across the former Yugoslavia last year, I truly don’t know what to say. I’m no longer just talking about something that’s an artistic work, but about something that’s a part of my life. When I put on McMurphy’s costume, I quickly become him, and when I take off the costume, McMurphy remains within me for a long time,” said Bjelogrlić.
The role of Cheswick is played by the well-known actor Mima Karadžić, who has been part of the cast for the past two years.
“The play is a hit among hits, and we play it with all our strength. When we performed it in Skopje in 2022, we received ovations, and I’m sure it will be the same in Ohrid. The last time I performed in Ohrid was in the play ‘Mixed Marriage,’ which later became a TV series. But the point isn’t whether the audience recognizes me, but for them to enjoy the play,” said Karadžić.
Actor Slobodan Boda Ninković has been playing the role of Broadman in the play for two years, inheriting the role from the late Milorad Mandić-Manda.
“This is a play that you will find hard to part with. Unfortunately, many from the original cast have passed away. The Indian character that I play resolves everything in the end, representing what really happened in America—that their land was taken away, that their right to speak was taken away, which happens throughout much of the play,” Ninković said.
Actress Milica Zarić said that “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is a story about the collective, about people’s orientation towards one another, and, as she adds, it’s something that people today are missing.
“This play is more than theater, more than life. It’s been performed for so long that I can’t remember a time before it was performed. I was a different person back then, and that was a different life for me. The play is very significant to all of us, and we love it very much. We’ve performed it throughout the region and beyond, at many festivals. It has gone through many changes but has endured, and that shows that theater is stronger than life,” said Zarić.
The drama was written in 1962, with its first performance in 1963 on Broadway, starring Kirk Douglas in the lead role. The Belgrade actors have performed it more than 250 times.
