Theatre personality, musician, poet, writer, graphic artist, collector, self-professed clown, eternally young in spirit – all this is Jiří Suchý, one of the key figures of the domestic cultural scene over the last six decades. He has put on 97 plays at the Semafor theatre and has written the lyrics for 1,400 songs and the music for 500. Today, in an era beset by an onslaught of images that are often of questionable worth, this legendary figure’s tireless efforts to enrich the Czech language and its poetic nuances have been of inestimable value. Olga Sommerová lays before us Suchý’s prolific creative and civic journey through life with the subtle distinctiveness we have come to expect; she also demonstrates her singular flair for capturing exceptional moments.
Direction
Sommerová's invisible hand lets Suchý's spirit do all the talking.
Writing
Suchý's lyrics are basically Czech poetry disguised as pop songs.
Director
Olga Sommerová
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Semafor theatre became a subtle resistance space during communist rule, with Suchý's wordplay operating as coded dissent.
Suchý's graphic art and collecting obsessions are so extensive that Prague has dedicated museum space to his non-theatrical work.
CZ
