Tickets: I – 70 zł, II – 50 zł, III – 30 zł, standing – 15 zł (standing tickets are available only on the door or as advance purchase)
Who is really loved by philosophers?, asks one upon viewing "On the Banality of Love" ("Rzecz o banalności miłości") by Savyon Liebrecht, a play directed by Wawrzyniec Kostrzewski. The punning title undoubtedly refers to Hannah Arendt’s treatise “On the Banality of Evil”. The theatre narrative about the relationship of Arendt and Martin Heidegger becomes a simultaneous exposition of the thesis that love is unable to balance evil, to save the righteousness of the world.
Young Arendt, a student infatuated with her university professor, is played by Martyna Kowalik, while Arendt as a mature woman is played by Halina Skoczyńska. Heidegger (Adam Ferency) may be fascinated by her intellect and sensitivity, yet – once he endorses the thesis of the “awakening of the nation” and becomes obsessed with the Fascist ideology – he starts to be bothered by Arendt’s Jewish origins. In contrast, Arendt loves him unconditionally, attempting to understand his motives. Even after the Second World War is over, she defends him against European ostracism. The play does not intend to valorize the choices of the intrepid intellectual. Instead, it offers a way of becoming familiarized with Arendt’s rationale.