The Tsar’s Shears
In ‘The Tsar’s Shears’ three people live together in one room, secluded from the outside world. Every day when the sun rises, the inhabitants of the room get up and repetitively perform their rituals until the sun sets again. Some things go wrong, others go well, but there is a fixed and indisputable order to all things. Switching between their roles as father, mother and child, the characters explore the objects sent to them through a massive and mysterious tube.
With his multi-layered and convincing text, director Freek Mariën manages to nail the art of simplification. 'Who is the boss?': he needs no more than these four words to make a complex issue such as migration crystal clear to children.De Standaard
Until one day the tsar emerges from the tube and disrupts the order of their micro society. All of a sudden the rules don’t seem that logical anymore. The tsar starts questioning things, cutting through the everyday rhythm and thus threatening the life that the characters had carved out for themselves. The tsar exposes the irrationality behind their customs and how these prevent the trio from truly listening to each other. Their bickering translates big issues such as migration, identity and authority into funny, simple, but astute discussions. Ultimately it forces the inhabitants to make a choice: cling to their routine or adapt to the tsar, who has now become an inextricable part of their lives.
Darkly aesthetic, wittily absurd, strangely illuminating.De Bond
