Martin Algus. Steel Magnolias

Translated from Estonian by Agnė BERNOTAITĖ-JAKUBČIONIENĖ

Ralf and Marta are a modern couple, concerned with their careers, healthy living and public image. After leaving her job as a lecturer, Marta decides to apply for the position of institute director and prepares carefully for the competition. But news of the sudden appearance of her father, who needs care, disrupts her life. The man lived with another woman for many years, but after she died, her children found Marta and said that, as his biological daughter, she was now obliged to look after the old man. This does not fit at all into Marta’s tightly packed schedule. What should she do? How will their lives change? Or should she refuse to take him in? The situation also affects Marta and Ralf’s relationship. His daughter has not a single good memory of the old man. How did he treat Marta when she was a child, and how will he treat her now?

Europe is ageing, but what is the place of older people in society? Are they merely old, unwanted bodies? What is the relationship between children and parents, between harm and care? The creators of the production ask how memory shapes our present. Memories, rewriting the past, begin to create a new narrative. To remember here is almost to learn. A sense of foreboding permeates not only the subject matter of “Steel Magnolias” but also the form of the play: by placing one fragmented word at a time in the characters’ mouths, Martin Algus creates tension, distrust and unease.