Photo from Kaunas' state theatre archive

The performance staged by young director Agnius Jankevičius whose works always arouse contradictory discussions, based on the play by playwright Nikolai Erdman (exiled by Stalin), does not intend to sting social order – the sting of the performance that emerged under radically different social circumstances is pointed at individual dumbness.

Podsekauskas in pyjamas (by Eimutis Kvoščiauskas) lives in a crooked room with constantly reopening doors (set designer - Laura Luišaitytė). He’s an infantile and hysterical house drone implementing all outdoor complexes within the safe territory, and running for the role of a tyrant. The entire collective of his family members and neighbours is trying to render meaning to his pyjamas-like life (…).

By Vlada Kalpokaitė. Songs of Modern Heroes (Lith. Mūsų laikų herojų dainos). Literatūra ir menas, 14-04-2006

Funny from the very beginning till the end: stupidity of the behaviour of Podsekauskas by Eimutis Kvoščiauskas, the stature, language and behaviour of his wife Maria by Edita Užaitė, idiocy of his mother-in-law by Liucija Rukšnaitytė, and caricatural representatives of society (starting with masks and finishing with deformed silhouettes). (…) In order to justify their worthless existence, their daily carnival, all of them select a similarly helpless and carnival-like victim – Podsekauskas.

By Rasa Vasinauskaitė. Check to Theatre and Mate to the Gang of Intellectuals. From the Notes of a Theatre Critic (Lith. Šachas teatrui ir matas inteligentų šutvei. Iš teatrologo užrašų). 7 Meno dienos, 17-03-2006

“Audience, meet your fate!” – announces Podsekauskas entering the proscenium of the Kaunas State Drama Theatre and, most probably, the audience does not even suspect that fortune will smile upon it. (…) from the very beginning, Podsekalnikov turns into a domestic “neighbour” familiar to us – Podsekauskas, Kalabushkin becomes Kalbushka, and Cleopatra Maximovna – Kleopatra Maksukytė. All characters appear nearer, smaller and the play turns into domestic nonsense. Still, this nonsense is very stylish and observing it is great fun.

By Vaidas Jauniškis. The Fate of the Play – Suicide in the Name of Style (Lith. Pjesės likimas – savižudybė stiliaus vardan). Verslo žinios, 17-03-2006

Principal position of Jankevičius is to expurgate the subtext of The Suicide by Erdman and to create a joyful “balalaika” out of it. And, one must admit, it was embodied fairly well and quite precisely on stage.

By Šarūnė Trinkūnaitė. Theatrical Lights of Happiness (Lith. Teatro laimės žiburiai). www.menufaktura.lt