The Plovdiv Theater Festival "Scena na Krystopyt," running September 12-23, 2002, includes this premiere from the Adriana Budevska Theater in Burgas on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast. While most performances are inside the Nikolai Masalitinov Dramatic Theater, this one of Happy Days is outdoors in the entrance courtyard.
Beckett in Bulgarian takes on the cultural influences of the Russian school of acting. Winnie is more pointedly on the edge, rather than the merely extremely eccentric woman that we usually see in the Anglo-American world. Nervous, breathless, hysterical, and ironic in turn, Dimitrina Teneva's is an expansive performance, even within nestled within the confines of Mariyan Dimanova's picture frame as set (which leaves straw-hatted Willie (Todor Bliznakov) with plenty of room to roam). Director Borislov Chakrinov has elicited an outstanding performance from this outstanding actress. One lovely touch is Teneva's over blouse of exquisite Bulgarian crocheted work.
