Mrożek and his „Tango” – Krakow, Teatr Stary

Fact of the Polish figure „Man of Marble (1977)„

Part of the „Culture against communism„ topic

„Tango” by Slawomir Mrozek is one of the most important dramas of Polish theatre of the 20th century, written in 1964. What is more important, Mrozek was able to write his work thanks to the fact that he emigrated to France a year earlier, he returned to his homeland only in 1996. This play is a grotesque satire on society and shows the mechanisms of power and decadence within the family, which is a metaphor for broader social structures. In the drama, the conflict of generations for power and the desire to impose one’s own vision of order lead to dramatic consequences.

The title tango becomes a symbol of social transformation, a dance in which everyone wants to lead, but as a result everyone falls into a vortex of destruction. Mrozek in „Tango” shows an ironic and at the same time bitter picture of the collapse of value and the inevitability of changes that destroy the old order, but give nothing valuable in return.