Everyone Wants to Live
Comedy | Based on Alcestis by Euripides
I hate orphans and whores so much, it’s like they’re made to find their way into wills where they don’t belong!
Translated by: Naaman Tammuz
Premiere:
1985
Directed by:
Hanoch Levin
Theatre:
The Cameri Theatre
Number of characters: 20
Subjects:
Death,
Greek Mythology Adaptation
Costume and stage design: Ruth Dar
Original music and orchestration: Yoni Rechter
Choreography: Oshra Elkayam
Lighting: Brian Harris
Participants: Yossef Carmon - Pozna (a country doctor) / Ilan Dar -Gulgelevitch (the angel of death's deputy) / Yehudit Yanai: Gulgale, (his son), She-wolf / Yitshak Hizkia - Mavetski (the angel of death), Old fortune-teller / Sasson Gabbay - Bamba, Pozna's negro slave / Geta Munte - Pozenbucha, Pozna's wife / Neta Oren - Pozensmark (Pozna's child), Shoeshine / Estee Haim - Pozensmark, Pozna's child, Blind woman; Shmuel Edelman - Death carriage front mule-driver / Roni Blitz - Death-carriage's rear mule-driver, Leper, Fat servant / Elinoar - Singing widow, Balding woman / Yoni Chen - Widow-admirer, Man with goiter / Lasha Rosenberg - Weeping maiden / Dror Teplitski - Hunchback, Traveling actor, Softov Rachmaninof (the savior angel) / Yonatan Cherchi - Leg amputee / Shmuel Edelman - Hand amputee / Yehuda Mor - Dying old man, Young fortune-teller / Avner Hizkyahu - Pozna's father / Edna Fliedel - Pozna's mother / Razia Israeli - Tsitsi (traveling actor)
Musicians: Misha Blecherovitz - Keyboard / Guri Agmon/Morton Kam - saxophone, trumpet / Itamar Argov - trumpet / Janet Rembaum - violin
Everyone wants to live - or to be exact, Nobody wants to die - tells the story of the owner of a desolate estate, not poor, not old or sick, sentenced to death by the celestial authorities because of a typo in the Angel of Death's notebook. However, amnesty will be granted if he can only find a substitute. Who might agree to replace him? His beloved wife? His dear sons? His elderly parents? Some terminally ill patient? An occasional desperately handicapped individual? Perhaps a Chinese person? And how shall he convince this potential substitute? With love? With force? With money?
Indeed, the world is swarming with potential substitutes, but as our terrified protagonist says, "Ahh, what a tragedy – everyone wants to live!"
Additional productions
The Cameri Theatre, Tel Aviv (2014)/ Directed by Udi Ben-Moshe
Productions abroad
2011 Luxembourg
This work was translated to: Polish, French
French éditions Théâtrales, France (2008)
Polish ADIT publishing, Poland (2013)