„The Match” („Meczycho”) – new comedy by Juliusz Machulski to premiere on 26 June

 Juliusz Machulski, the master of comedy, is to visit Powszechny Theatre in Łódź again! Starting 26 June we invite you to „The Match” („Meczycho” ) directed by Tomasz Karolak. The comedy’s first presentation will be accompanied by discussion panel „Machulski national treasure? The Juliusz Machulski theatre phenomenon”. Join us!    

In the play the meeting of grandparents and parents of 18-year-old Nela (during the family event she introduces her partner Aleks to her family) is a starting point for bringing up topics and conversations from the past… Juliusz Machulski is drafting a portrait of a Polish family. „This is my another contemporary comedy with the participation of three generations. And each generation, for certain reasons, has its own different attitude towards life”, Machulski says. The backdrop of the plot is a football match. And „football is the most important thing out of all unimportant things” – as Machulski notices, referring to words attributed to Albert Camus.

„Intergenerational meeting has many threads, some of them connected with xenophobia and homophobia, negative emotions determined by prejudices, stereotypes and historical traumas. Are three generations and three different worlds able to understand each other? Are we able to live in symbiosis? Machulski, with his inteligence and witty sense of humous, proves we are”, Ewa Pilawska, director of Powszechny Theatre – Polish Comedy Centre, says. „ I cannot think of any Polish theatrical play trying to heal historical wounds and dismantle xenophobic prejudices using comedy”, Machulski says.      

As Juliusz Machuski emphasizes, „Ewa Pilawska who has encouraged him to write for the stage, is the godmother of his comedywriting”. Invited by her he wrote four plays which premiered in Powszechny Theatre in Łódź – „Next-ex” directed by Justyna Celeda, „Brancz” directed by Michał Siegoczyński, „Matka brata mojego syna” („Mother of My Son’s Brother”) directed by Adam Wojtyszko and „Atrament. Wczoraj. Żyrafa” („Ink. Yesterday. Giraffe”) directed by Paweł Szkotak. Three of them were produced for TVP Theatre (and directed by the author). „The Match” („Meczycho”) is his latest and the fifth play written especially for Powszechny Theatre in Łódź. Juliusz Machulski also ran playwriting workshops accompanying the „Comedywriting”competition, organized by Ewa Pilawska in Powszechny Theatre.

Within the context of theatre and film work Juliusz Machulski underlines how important a role comedy plays in his work and in culture. „Every serious movie can be explained somehow. If it is boring, it was meant to be. If something did not work out, it was on purpose. It does not work like that way in a comedy. Laughter is the immediate review of a comedy […]. You can die of laughter, it happens, but rarely. You much more often die from a lack of laughter. Someone said that when we are laughing, we cannot shoot. Perhaps if the world were ruled by comedy audiences, there would be no wars”, the artist said in 2023 during the discussion „Why are we ashamed of comedy”, which took part on the Small Stage of Powszechny Theatre in Łódź.      

It is our pleasure to present you the spectacle’s poster created by Maria Machulska – a world-class poster designer and illustrator (she has been co-operating, among others, with „The Time Magazine”). 

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Juliusz Machulski

„The Match” („Meczycho”)

Directed by Tomasz Karolak

Stage design: Wojciech Stefaniak

Costumes: Anna Poniewierska

Choreography: Maciej Zakliczyński 

Music: Dominik Strycharski

Cast: Karolina Kleniewska/Aleksandra Bogulewska, Karolina Łukaszewicz, Paulina Nadel, Zofia Plewińska, Artur Zawadzki, Dymitr Hołówko, Filip Jacak