„For All Life” directed by Wojciech Malajkat to premiere on 14 January

On 14 January, 2023,  Powszechy Theatre in Łódź – Polish Comedy Centre will present, for the first time in Poland, a play „For All Life”  („Per tutta la vita”) by Paolo Costella, adapted and directed by Wojciech Malajkat – it will be his second production in our theatre.  

The Italian play puts a question of the nature of our relations. Four couples discover that their marriages are no longer valid because they were all celebrated by a man who was not a real priest. The couples have to decide what to do next – are they going to say „yes” again or will they use the excuse to run away from their marriages? 

Questions on relations

- I saw the Italian movie „Per tutta la vita” by Paolo Costella at the beginning of the year. What made me interested in it was a different approach to the institution of marriage. I talked to Wojciech Malajkat who was interested in this project. We managed to get copyrights pretty soon and Wojciech Malajkat decided to adapt and direct the play with a changed title „For All Life” – Ewa Pilawska, the Powszechny Theatre director, says.

- This is a spectacle about our life and its instability. We never know when and how we are hit by this unexpected blow which guts our life and makes it hard to gather ourselves together. There is a revolution that comes in „For All Life” as regards the institution of marriage. What does it mean nowadays? Does it mean anything? Is marriage a relation of people or a formal relationship only? We put the questions but we do not want to give set solutions – Wojciech Malajkat emphasises. 

- The plays shows weakness of the construction of the family in a traditional meaning as well as a certain crisis we have been going through. In extreme situations the crisis manifests itself in violence – such cases must be shown and condemned. „For All Life” touches also problems of losing our faith and religiousness. What does faith mean to us? Does it have anything in common with real search for God or does it involve only rituals and ceremonies? How much faith is in it, how much hypocrisy and window dressing? – Ewa Pilawska asks.    

With a distance and hope for difficult themes 

- Can you talk about it all using the comedy language? In my opinion it is absolutely possible. Intelligent comedy does not mean lack of reflection. Using other means it can tell about traumas and difficult themes whole giving some hope. These distance and hope are very important.  Sense of humour gives new light to many problems, the most difficult ones included. Director Wojciech Malajkat watches the truth, tells a story and I am convinced his spectacle will have many meaningful levels – Ewa Pilawska says.   

- I have always been interested in the theatre’s function of a mirror we have looked at ourselves in to get more information about us. I want to connect reflection with a clever sense of humour – in this way we can look at ourselves from a different angle. When talking about comedy I do not mean simple entertainment. In my opinion a comedy gives more sense to the theatre, it „interrupts” a certain stream of everyday life, a stream of happenings, an accumulation of banal activities and tasks. Out of a sudden we can watch them from a different angle and it gives us some necessary air. The poinf of view of Ewa Pilawska – the Powszechny Theatre director and the creator of Polish Comedy Centre who has long fought for high level and nobility of comedy genre – has been very close to me – Wojciech Malajkat emphasises.    

The opening night will take place on 14 January, 2023, in Powszechny Theatre (Big Stage). Next presentations will follow on 15, 17, 18 and 19 January.

Tickets are available at the theatre’s box office, ticket machine in Galeria Łódzka and on our website.   

„For a Lifetime”
based on a film „Per tutta la vita” by Paolo Costella
Translated by Maria Trzoch
Adaptation, direction and music arragement: Wojciech Malajkat
Stage design and costumes: Wojciech Stefaniak
Cast: Aleksandra Bogulewska, Małgorzata Goździk, Marta Jarczewska, Barbara Lauks, Karolina Łukaszewicz, Paulina Nadel, Ewa Sonnenburg, Marta Maria Wiśniewska, Magda Zając, Andrzej Jakubas, Sebastian Jasnoch, Jakub Kryształ, Michał Lacheta/Kamil Suszczyk, Jakub Wieczorek, Jan Wojciech Poradowski.