Legendary Mime Shalikashvili Dares to Stage Georgia’s Knight in the Panther’s Skin

Poetry of Silence is one of the many books of Amiran Shalikashvili Senior, the great maestro, living legend of Georgian theater, first mime ever in the country, founder of the corresponding faculty and the Georgian State Pantomime Theater. However, the latter has been in a very poor state for years, while Shalikashvili perceives life silently, perhaps finding an inexplicable self-salvation in the chaos of our rocketing tempo and fast technologies.

But at the age of 78, the genius mime has decided to grab the immortal Shota Rustaveli’s ‘The Knight in the Panther’s Skin,’ Georgia’s greatest poem both in its importance in terms of incomparable wisdom as well as size. The Knight in the Panther’s Skin, an immortal saga of love and friendship, is soon to be revived for the first time on stage by in both word and mime.

GEORGIA TODAY met Amiran Shalikashvili Junior, the maestro’s son, actor, and Director of Pantomime Theater, to find out more.

The poem was written in the 12th century and no theater or cinema has ever dared touch it. Why, after nine centuries, did Amiran Shalikashvili senior decide to take on the challenge of adapting this immortal and enormous book?

Writer Revaz Mishveladze wrote the script first, then re-wrote it with my father, as pantomime requires different specifics that only my father is good at in Georgia. Father has been wanting to stage Knight in the Panther’s Skin for some 30 years, but youth made him reluctant to follow though. Now, his age has played a positive role. The performance is very interesting not only for him, but for all of us actors. This has been a very perilous bridge to cross. Of course, “Terenti Graneli”, “Guest and Host” and “Pirosmani” are his works, too [Note: the first one depicts the portrait of a famous poet, the second is the stage version of the best poem of the second Georgian literary giant, Vazha-Pshavela, and the third is about Pirosmani, the self-taught painter and father of Georgian primitivism in fine art]. I mean that the national motifs are not new sport for him. But this was the biggest challenge ever, and we did it! Of course, nobody could expect us to retell the whole book- the main thing that my father got interested in was the love- the central topic of the epochal poem.

Describe the working process

It has been extremely tough. Barely anyone knows the whole poem by heart and an ordinary reader can hardly understand the essence of Shota Rustaveli, but Amiran Shalikashvili Senior has an ability to make you comprehend something you cannot by yourself. I would tell all schoolchildren now studying Knight in the Panther’s Skin to come and see our staging, as they will discover another poem and a different author. This is a very deep, educational performance.

How long did it take to prepare the poem for the stage?

Around 5 years. He took about three years just for the text. This is a plastic performance, as is usual in the genre of pantomime. The text will be the background of the performance. In the hardest period of his life, the poem became the greatest inspiration for Shalikashvili Senior. One of his sons, my elder brother, died some months ago. It is a well-known fact that geniuses are often fed by life’s tragedies. Probably that is why this performance has been such a big success!

He also participates in the performance, right?

Yes. We kept it a secret as long as we could- but, yes. The great maestro will read the abovementioned text himself as Shota Rustaveli!

After Marjanishvili Theater, the usual space for your premieres, will this performance be included in your repertoire?

No. In a year, in January 2018, this performance will visit London, one of the most prestigious festivals in which we have several times tried to participate and in vein. But as soon as I mentioned Knight in the Panther’s Skin, they included us among the participants. I will not play it before London. Only after that, we can play it at the Opera Theater with an orchestra and all the pomp and circumstance, if they offer us, otherwise, the whole charm and bliss of it will be lost in our poor space.

Tell us about the scenography

It is minimalistic. I can tell you that the form my father has applied is an absolute novelty worldwide. Some have used sand, others water, or plastic bags, but nobody before has ever used wool. The decoration, costumes and the scenes are all made of knitwear. Lasha Devdariani, painter, joined us in preparing this.

What are your expectations?

Amiran Shalikashvili Senior said that this performance will solve all our problems, as pantomime theater is really in need of help! I would have never imagined that a performance could be better than “Guest and Host”- this is our classic, but it is. “Terenti Graneli” is the performance of the century, but Knight in the Panther’s Skin is the best of the best!

The premiere will take place on February 11 at Marjanishvili State Drama Theater. Tickets are available on Tkt.ge

Maka Lomadze