‘War in Times of Love’ is a tragic comedy written by Jeton Neziraj and the production premiered at the National Theatre of Kosovo on the 5th May 2015.
After three successful international plays, Blerta Neziraj, the young director from Kosovo, brings another provocative play to the public, with songs and dance, in which 5 talented actors tell, warts and all, their small stories, both tragic and comic, but above all, the stories of women in a beauty salon (and what does it matter that these stories were written by a man!!).
“These four women perform depilation and other forms of cosmetic torture whilst chatting about their love lives. In the metaphorical use of the beauty salon, allied to this world of make-believe, beautifying often has to do with dissimulation – to oneself and to others – in order to make this post-war period both possible and bearable. And behind a rather provocative title – which has something of the oxymoron about it – reversing, so to speak, the ingredients of an explosive cocktail, the play reflects with both humour and imagination the break-up of ex-Yugoslavia.” – Gilles Boulan, Le Billet des Auteurs de Théâtre (Paris)
“To an outsider, it seems as if Jeton is single-handedly creating Kosovar theatre in a tiny country that has experienced so much in so short a space of time. This play (War in Times of Love), born out of a particular place at a particular time yet with mythic resonance, is a testament to the blooming theatre culture of Europe’s newest country.” (Luke Dixon, Theatre Director, UK)
“Grotesque and tragic elements, everyday and fantastic aspects all blend their various fragrances to cover up the massacre and its stench. And behind a rather provocative title [War in Times of Love]- which has something of the oxymoron about it - reversing, so to speak, the ingredients of an explosive cocktail, the play reflects with both humour and imagination the break-up of ex-Yugoslavia. (Gilles Boulan, Le Billet des Auteurs de Théâtre, Paris)