The Cabinet Minister's Wife - Notions That Still Live Today

On Tuesday, April 21, at the ABF Theater, students could take a break from the stress of the forthcoming finals week and enjoy "The Cabinet Minister's Wife" – a play directed by prof. Nedyalko Delchev and co-directors Lachezar Stoykov and Nikolay Penkov, and performed by AUBG students.

"The Cabinet Minister's Wife" is a Serbian play, written in 1931 by Branislav Nusic, which presents a reality of the Balkans that is still valid today. It manages to criticize certain tawdry features while concealing them in laughter. The play was performed by ten main characters and other supporting ones. The leading parts were played by Dayana Vidolova, Peter Ivanov, Lachezar Stoykov, Nikoleta Gancheva, Nikolay Penkov, Ilian Velev, Gabriela Georgieva, Teodor Dimitrov, Desislava Alexandrova, and Rosen Petkov. The actors skillfully assumed their roles as their characters presented a vivid portrayal of the true nature of vulgarism and everything that accompanies it. Their level of professionalism was very high, making it evident that a lot of time and effort was put in this play. "It is full with metaphors and shows the Balkan culture a little bit exaggerated, which I think is enjoyable for the audience," Gabriela Georgieva, one of the actresses, commented. In the role of the Cabinet Minister's wife was Dayana Vidolova. Her heroine goes from being an ordinary woman with everyday problems to being the wife of a minister. Naturally, she assumes the perverse form of a quasi-minister's wife, who only concerns herself with the benefits of her new social status. As a whole, the action took place around the attempts of the minister's wife to "re-marry" her daughter to the consul of Nicaragua. Through a series of comical events, this plan fails as it eventually leaves the now ex-minister's wife with nothing but blighted hopes and ambitions. In general, the audience was very excited about the play. "I really liked it. Honestly, I haven't laughed that much recently. If it's performed a second time, I would definitely watch it again," Mirela Cholakova, a third-year student, said. "I believe the play showed the true spirit and culture of the Balkans," Dimitar Kumanov, a first-year student, said. "The acting was also extraordinary when you realize it was done by university students."

The story concluded with a short, emotional monologue of Vidolova, an interaction between her heroine and the audience, condemning the public for being the same as her.