Andrus Kivirähk: The ABC Book Rooster

THE ABC BOOK ROOSTER

Author: Andrus Kivirähk
Director: Andrus Vaarik
Set designer: Hanna Allsaar
Lauri Liiv as Mauno

Mauno spent eight years in first grade. When he had already started growing a beard, his teacher suggested moving him up to second grade. Mauno did not want that, and so his school days came to an end. The ABC book mattered—and still matters—to him. Through its texts, Mauno interprets both the world and the people in his life and around him. He believes everything written in the ABC book is true. That is why he does not like thick storybooks with tiny print, either. There is nothing in them that is not already in the ABC book. Mauno has a good memory for what is recorded there: he knows all the poems, riddles and stories by heart. So he sits by his home window all day, watching the life outside and the old memories within him. But besides the ABC book, Mauno also has an important job and a big secret…

“The ABC Book Rooster” is a one-man play by Andrus Kivirähk, published as a book in 2006. At the Estonian Drama Theatre, “The ABC Book Rooster” premiered in 2004 (directed by Andrus Kivirähk); its first performance took place in Tartu at the Lutsu Theatre House during the comedy festival. Tõnu Oja played the lead role of Mauno more than 300 times over a total of nine years.

“The ABC Book Rooster” is a comedy whose several layers touch on a range of issues and problems, explored in a distinctly socially critical way. The play’s central theme is the small, poor person who is constantly treated unjustly. Yet this small person has someone or something in the world to rely on: the ABC book and his uncle. The ABC book has an answer to every question. His uncle supports Mauno, telling him what to do and how to live. This makes it easier for a poor person to get by in life, since there is no need to think for yourself after all.

Duration: 1 hour 25 minutes, no interval.