M & M, or The Marriage Birches

A musical play in two acts

Director: Ingomar Vihmar
Author: W. O. von Horn / Lydia Koidula / Ingomar Vihmar
Set and musical design: Ingomar Vihmar
Lyrics, music arranger and vocal coach: Feliks Kütt
Lighting designer: Karmen Tellisaar

Cast: Kleer Maibaum, Karin Tammaru, Tambet Seling, Nils Mattias Steinberg, Astra Irene Susi, Paul Samuel Vihmar (guest)

Lydia Koidula’s second play, “Maret and Miina, or The Marriage Birches”, was completed in 1870, shortly after the premiere of “The Saaremaa Cousin”. Koidula based it on the story “The Neighbour’s Daughters”, published in Jannsen’s “Sannumetojas”, itself a translation of German pastor W. O. von Horn’s story “Die Nachbarstöchter”. Koidula adapted the work to Estonian circumstances and added sharp criticism of contemporary life. Director Ingomar Vihmar takes this a step further, exploring how this evergreen story might speak to today’s theatregoers.