From the Red Light district in Second World War Germany to the lost tunnels under the Red Gate of Tibet, this original rock opera by the Maciej Pawlowski Musical School follows the adventures of four ambitious young Germans in their search for the lost civilisation of Szambalia.
Absolutely sensational and executed beautifully.
The story is portrayed through contemporary dance and operatic style arias, accompanied with great pizzazz by Dominik Roslon on piano, Piotr Filipowicz on bass and Piotr Pietrzak on drums. The choreography by Wiola Fiuk (winner of ‘SoYou Think You Can Dance’ 2010 in Poland) was absolutely sensational and executed beautifully by the fearless all female ensemble.
The vocals were also of an exceptionally high standard. The group harmonised to perfection even while performing an intricate section of choreography. The male leads also excelled themselves, however the two young women who played Morgan and Pas definitely stole the show.
The Polish lyrics obviously proved difficult for non-speakers and as a consequence of this I sometimes struggled to follow the plot. At the beginning of each scene, the time and place of the event was announced, in English thankfully, however there appeared to be a total lack of chronology. Or, at least, not one I could decipher. And at two hours long without an interval it was quite taxing on the old brain cells.
Nevertheless, the parts of the story I understood were exciting and in many ways reminiscent of National Treasure, which if you loved the films as much as I did, was certainly a good thing. Overall this tale of young love and adventure was an enjoyable experience which I would recommend to anyone. And if you know someone who speaks Polish, I would definitely advise bringing them with you!
