Lapland
Drama
Cristina Clemente and Marc Angelet

85 minutes

Lapland

Lapland is a witty, charming, and sharp comedy by Catalan writers. Its world premiere was in January 2019 in Barcelona.

Lapland

In its style, it somewhat resembles the works of Yasmina Reza, particularly God of Carnage, a play performed successfully at the Croatian National Theatre in Split, also directed by Nenni Delmestre. The story is set in Lapland, where, during the Christmas holidays, one sister and her family visit the other sister's family, excited about the Christmas festivities and their children's meeting with the "real" Lapland Santa Claus. Problems arise when the Nordic branch of the family refuses to participate in this tradition, and their four-year-old daughter tells her five-year-old cousin that Santa Claus doesn't exist and that he gets presents from his parents. From that moment, a Pandora's box is opened, unleashing various family secrets, but above all, conflicts over cultural differences between the "organized" Nordic society and the "irresponsible and sloppy" Mediterranean lifestyle (in Nenni Delmestre's adaptation, Catalonia becomes Dalmatia).

Is Santa Claus merely a means to introduce children to a hollow world of false materialism, or is he an innocent childhood illusion that enriches and extends the right to be a child? Through the conflict between two sisters and their husbands (one Finnish, the other Dalmatian) over their approaches to raising children, this insightful comedy explores an intriguing question: is strict rationality the recipe for a "better world," or can the world still be saved with a bit of magic and childhood illusions? In the end, the frozen polar Christmas Eve, marked by the quarrels of the sisters and their husbands, is ultimately thawed by love with the help of a magical event.

Translation and adaptation

Nenni Delmestre

Director

Nenni Delmestre

Set and Costume Design, Music

Lina Vengoechea

Light Design

Miroslav Mamić

Sound Design

Marko Mandić

Stage Manager

 

Monika

Monika Vuco Carev

Robi

Siniša Novković / Pere Eranović

Olavi

Nikša Arčanin

Nela

Zorana Kačić Čatipović