A bedroom farce with a conscience

Casanova in Spa, the newest production with English subtitles added to the repertoire at Švandovo divadlo, is a variation on the archetypal tale of the infamous Venetian rake and his exploits with women.

Set at a vacation retreat, the tale concerns the chaos that ensues when Casanova (played with confidence and poise by Kamil Halbich) sneaks into the wrong room and takes liberties with another man's lover by mistake. As the saga unfolds, the various couples and servants who populate the spa proceed to lust after each other and take what opportunities they can to indulge their carnal appetites. Naturally, their relationships begin to crumble around them, and the plot soon involves more than the fate of one couple. Love, faith and honesty all come into question in this lighthearted, irreverent piece.

The ensemble cast is strong overall, veering at times into parlor-room antics and a tendency in spots to play to the crowd. However, any such shortcomings are redeemed by the assured work of Halbich and Stanislav Šárský (as an older libertine and friend to the collected company), and the uncommon combination of sex appeal and wit in the female leads, Klára Cibulková and Eva Leimbergerová.

Written by fin-de-siecle Viennese author Arthur Schnitzler (and translated into Czech by Vojtěch Jestřáb, with English subtitles by Švandovo mainstay Lucie Kolouchová), the tale isn't the typical adventure in cuckoldry that one might expect. Casanova finds himself in the unlikely role of having to repair the relationship he has inadvertently unhinged with his misguided tryst. He works diligently to restore the faith young Andrea (Jan Meduna) had in his lover before the great Casanova despoiled her.

The author's work was branded "Jewish filth" by anti-Semites in the early years of the 20th century, and mere pornography by many others. While the promiscuity of the characters is hardly shocking in today's lurid theatrical landscape, the hedonistic notion of throwing caution to the wind - even where our most serious relationships are concerned - remains controversial.

The play's central theme is a novel one; namely, that it's not who you run around with that counts, but rather who you come home to in the end. It's a concept much in line with emotional fidelity, if not monogamy.

After Casanova's inamorata (Natálie Řehořová) returns to him following an extended bout of unfettered unfaithfulness of her own, he opines, "Is there, my friend, any bigger loyalty then Teresa's? She came back to me, after all ? Danger? It could only spice up our passion." When asked, "What about faith?" he replies, "It is in the return."

In Schnitzler's world, everyone fools around if given the chance, and he implores us to keep that in mind when we're tempted to be punitive to the adulterous. It's true the proceedings in Casanova are farcical, but the message is warm and intelligible. When it comes to sex and love, we all live in glass houses. It's best not to throw stones.

James Walling can be reached at
jwalling@praguepost.com