Professional paper
https://doi.org/10.15291/csi.5080
Adaptation of N. V. Gogol's Work "The Tale of How Ivan Ivanovich Quarrelled With Ivan Nikiforovich" in the Repertoire of the Slovak National Theatre
Marianna Figedyova
; Department of Russian Studies, University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, Slovakia
*
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
The article examines the adaptation of Nikolai Gogol’s “The
Tale of How Ivan Ivanovich Quarrelled with Ivan Nikifor-
ovich” in the production of the Slovak National Theatre di-
rected by Oleg Liptsyn. The aim of the study is to identify the
characteristics of the stage interpretation of the classical text
and its transformation in the contemporary cultural context.
The methodological basis of the work consists of contem-
porary theories of adaptation of literary works for the stage,
as well as an analytical approach to theatrical semiotics and
performative studies, which allows us to consider a perfor-
mance as an interpretative and culturally conditioned event.
The study demonstrates how this nineteenth-century classic,
rooted in the satirical portrayal of human pettiness and fu-
tile litigation, acquires new resonance within the contem-
porary Slovak cultural context. The analysis highlights the
specific features of the production’s scenography, including
the intimate space of the Blue Salon, the symbolic design
of the characters’ households, and the grotesque doubling
of the roles of Ivan Nikiforovich and Agafya Fedoseyevna.
Special attention is given to the transformation of Gogol’s
comic material into a tragic and allegorical mode: the scene
in which the sow-figure destroys the lawsuit, the appearance
of a war invalid, and the final projection of conflict images
evoke associations with current geopolitical events, even
though the word “war” is never spoken on stage. The pro-
duction illustrates how a local domestic quarrel can become
a metaphor for destructive alienation, while the adaptation
of a classic text becomes an instrument of cultural dialogue.
The study underscores the strong public response to the per-
formance, its political and artistic multilayeredness, and the
significance of Liptsyn’s contribution to the contemporary
Slovak theatrical environment.
Keywords
adaptation; performance; play; cultural relations
Hrčak ID:
349346
URI
Publication date:
14.7.2026.
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