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The Wild East or, the Outlaw’s Note in Czech Musicals
Opekar, Aleš
The author comments on the unusual growth of various renditions of old outlaw themes in the Czechoslovak theatre and film environment of the 1970s, in the period of the reign of the authoritarian communist regime. The author focuses on the Czech interpretation of the Polish musical Na szkle malowane (Painted on Glass), and further on various versions of Czech musicals, whose storylines work with the fates of real outlaws, that is, historical characters known in folklore (e.g. Juraj Jánošík, Ondráš of Janov, and Nikola Šuhaj). The text looks at period reviews and the ways that composers and reviewers deal with the genre of the musical. Consequently, the author explores the changeable forms through which the processed material reaches audiences: from gramophone records, chamber musical, medium-sized musical with pre-recorded live music, musical film, to multimedia performance. In conclusion, the claim is made that an over-production of outlaw topics in Czech musicals of the 1970s was a consequence of the increased restrictions of the manifestations of social criticism, among other reasons. It has become an alternative possibility to show at least indirectly the topic of the revolt against the leading strata that oppressed freedom.
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