La is a play with some history. Actor Rashko Mladenov and musician Konstantin Tsekov from the Free Sailing Band (FSB) have been together on stage for more than four years now but their music show continues to attract audiences. They act two inmates of an old people’s home. They share a room and also share their memories and music ideas. They sometimes quarrel but overall get on well together – the way people who have devoted their lives to music get on. And music is precious for the two men as the only way of expression during old age.

It took quite some time to move from the idea to the production of the show. The actor and the musician worked together on the text and music.

„Well, let me admit that we were strongly pressed by my cousin Zhivka Shopova, the wife of Konstantin Tsekov from FSB. She has for quite some time urged us to team up for such a show”, Rashko Mladenov says. “I was writing the script, he was offering music… For the production itself we owe a lot to Krastyo Krastev, the CEO of the Plovdiv Theater who accepted the play. We acted the show there for one year and then went on parallel at Zad Kanala Little City Theater in Sofia. For this show the stage needed a grand piano, and Konstantin plays his electronic piano that has premium technical features. A piano dealer loved our play so much that he gave us a piano for all our shows at Zad Kanala Little City Theater. There the staircase is very narrow but he has made arrangements to move the grand piano every time. He even arranged to move it to Varna where we had a show as part of the Varna Summer Festival. We played the show at Nikolay Binev Youth Theater and now we give the show at the City Mark Center in Sofia, a new space for art and a former movie theater. Sometimes we have guests for the show – mostly musicians. We find funny ways to knit them into the show. We have had singers Vassil Petrov, Hilda Kazassiyan and Poly Genova and guitarist Ivan Lechev. On the 27 July we had a different guest star – actor and violinist Itsko Fintsi.“

In April Rashko Mladenov won the first place in his group at the amateur piano competition Vivapiano in Sofia. He was singled out for his rendition of Toccata on a theme from Rutchenitsa Dance by Bozidar Abrashev Jr. In recent years, Rashko Mladenov has been more active playing the piano.

„It could be that this competition that I accidentally came upon on the internet has inspired me to play more the piano. The festival’s director Daniela Dikova had commissioned a few contemporary composers to write music on themes by classic Petko Staynov to commemorate the great composer’s 120^th birth anniversary. I came across an exceptional piece – Toccata on a theme from Rutchenitsa Dance by Bozidar Abrashev Jr. I loved the piece and decided to go for the amateur competition. I even won a prize and played at the gala. In fact, music was my first choice in life. At age 5 I joined the National School of Music and was trained by Associate Prof. Lydia Kuteva. I was admitted to study at the Conservatory. Bu then – it was during communism – a strange letter came from the Ministry of Defense and the admission exams were annulled because there were not enough boys for the conscription in the army. I had to spend two years in a tank brigade in a village, and there was no way to practice piano. In the meantime I decided to run for the Theater Academy and was admitted. After military services I studied there with Prof. Zhelcho Mandadzhiev. He showed to me the greatness of theater. I became a professional actor, but I continued playing the piano. To go back to the show La, I am happy that it offers lots of fun and audiences respond. The show that we act together with Konstantin Tsekov is a great experience for both of us and we hope we pass this mood to the spectators”, concludes Rashko Mladenov.

English Daniela Konstantinova

Music

1.  The Other: music and rendition by Vassil Petrov, arranged by Konstantin Tsekov, lyrics by Zhivka Shopova

2.  Toccata on a theme from Rutchenitsa Dance by Bozidar Abrashev Jr. performed by Rashko Mladenov (piano)

3.  Attention, Doors Close, music and rendition by Konstantin Tsekov.