NEW YORK – In late December, Yara Arts Group got together with Nova Opera, from Kyiv, and the Koliadnyky, from the Carpathians, to produce “Winter Songs on Mars.” The result was a fun and surprising performance that took place at La MaMa Experimental Theater Company in New York City’s East Village and was directed by Virlana Tkacz, with musical direction by Julian Kytasty.
Setting the traditional Koliada and Vertep nativity play on Mars led to a playful and imaginative show for the audiences. The performance on December 21, 2019, was enjoyed by both the hundreds of students of three Ukrainian studies schools that watched the show in the afternoon, and that evening’s audience, which was a more typical mix of downtown hipsters and the local Ukrainian community members Yara’s shows usually attract.
Upon entering, the audience saw the lights on stage that looked like stars. The audience focused on the stars, before narrowing their focus to Mars when the show started. The first characters that they met were the Martian guards performed by Darien Fiorino, Chris Ignacio and Max Lozynskyj. The three were supposed to guard the forbidden technology that once let Martians observe Earth, but instead set the story in motion by accidently teleporting the Koliadnyky to Mars. Their costumes were striking. They wore black and silver and looked as if they were wrapped in space capsules. Their movements were stilted as if they were beyond human. They spoke and sang to Martian music created live by the great jazz pianist Anthony Coleman.
Pavlo Terekhov
Koliadnyky appear on Mars.
Later, this creative musical collaboration involved the Koliadnyky, or winter song singers, from a village in the Carpathian Mountains of Ukraine. The Koliadnyky have participated in Yara Arts Group performances since 2003. Though they have performed in New York many times, they still projected a feeling of having stepped onto the stage for the first time. The Koliadnyky played traditional instruments such as the duda (bagpipes), tsymbaly (a hammer dulcimer), trembita (a long wooden mountain horn), and other wind instruments. Ivan Zelenchuk is the leader of the Koliadnyky. Traditionally, a group of Kolianyky walk around the village, performing at individual houses. Mr. Zelenchuk hit the wooden ax against the floor in a dignified way with the singing of songs, such as the one in which they called to the master of the house and invoked his presence during the holidays. In “Winter Songs on Mars,” the Koliadnyky bring the lady of the house, Aelita, Queen of Mars, back to life with their song to her.
As the title “Winter Songs on Mars” suggests, the traditional and ancient worlds of the song singers were combined with the contemporary worlds of Nova Opera. Yara Arts Group performed the show “Opera Gaz” using the same set the night before. It proved to be apropos for this performance as well. The set for “Opera Gaz” was designed by Waldemart Klyuzko and its elements were used in the set design for “Winter Songs on Mars” by Watoku Ueno, who added folk designs carved on metal sheets to the futuristic design. The main element of the set included a metallic spiral decorated with lights that appeared very futuristic. In the performance of “Opera Gaz” it offered the main visual focus for an emotionally powerful story in contrast to “Winter Songs on Mars,” which had a celebratory story full of color and light. Even the silver piano used in “Gaz” was also used in “Winter Songs.”
Pavlo Terekhov
Marina Celander as Aelita, Queen of Mars.
Vertep, the 18th century Ukrainian nativity play, was also mixed into the world of the future. The future was especially beautifully represented by the costumes designed by Keiko Obremski based on the work of Alexandra Exter. Akiko Hiroskima’s Angel with her hoop skirt and brightly flowered bodice stood out. Marina Celander’s Aelita, Queen of Mars, wore carefully draped silk and an outrageous hat. The set and costumes, with their colors and design, turned the show into a visual masterpiece.
One of the Koliadnyky, Ostap Kostyuk, did an outstanding job playing King Herod, speaking in Russian (as in the original 18th century script) instead of the Ukrainian spoken by his soldier Mykola Zelenchuk. The use of different languages added another layer to the performance. Some of the Koliadnyky donned robes over their Ukrainian costumes as they played the Wise Ones. The Wise Ones were played by Ivan Zelenchuk, Vasyl Tymchuk and Mr. Lozynskyj.
“Winter Songs on Mars” is another example of Ms. Tkacz’s ability to bring together disparate pieces to create a unique theatrical experience. As musical director of the piece, Mr. Kytasty brought his contemporary sensibility to traditional pieces. The performance overall was about weaving together time and music sensibilities. It was about creating a community together in spite of differences. A panoply of performances added to the joyous beauty of the show. The celebration after the Vertep included Zhanna Marchinska on the cello, the Koliadnyky, the Ukrainian Village Voices and Nova Opera singing the finale, which was the song “Shchedryk” composed by Mykola Leontovych in 1914.
The weaving together of Ukrainian and English was as important as the weaving in of the music, yet another language. The piece was about communication between languages and between the past and future. It was also more simply about holiday celebration and having fun.