RILKE: 1MILLION WORDS
A SOLO PLAY, WRITTEN, PERFORMED AND PRODUCED BY
IVO MULLER AT TORN PAGE PERFORMANCE SPACE.
Directed by: Arieta Correa
Lighting by: Lucca Del Carlo
Costume by: Sophia- April Gross
Ivo Muller, a Brazilian actor has taken the challenge to do his solo play in English for the very first time
and he is pretty brilliant throughout his 60 minute long show in which he connects himself as an actor in
2025 with one of the greatest poet, Rainer Maria Rilke who was born a Century ago in Prague and
settled in Germany and created amazing and soul searching poetry in German language.
In an extremely intimate and fascinating space belonging to Late Rip Torn and Great actress, Geraldine
Page. The room is littered with tons of aged looking envelops with a school desk and a child's small
chair. There is a pair of ruby colored slippers on the side. This minimalist approach enhances the poetry
and the idea of age and youth's freshness.
In 1903, a young poet took the courage to write Rilke a letter seeking his advice about how to create
poetry. That correspondence continued till 1908 and Rilke wrote numerous letters to the young poet.
Actually, that's how I discovered the greatest poet Rilke myself. A book, "Letter to a young
poet." as a gift and read the whole book in one sitting amazed by it's shear brilliance and the soul
searching effort and desire to create something worthwhile. Rilke tells the young poet to reflect what's
the most important yearning within the deep depths of his soul, without expressing that desire he would
perhaps perish and always feel like a child so he can have a sense of freshness and originality and child
like truth and honesty in his reflection.
Ivo Muller uses his own inner desire to create as an actor in the present time remembering Rilke and
also playing him in the very beginning of the show, anxiety stricken dealing with the numerous letters
lying on the floor and suddenly changes into the actor paying homage to Rilke.
The show is mesmerizing and Ivo Muller is very capable and rooted in his creation sticking his courage
to the moment and he succeed. He relates to us about his scattered identity as an immigrant where his
foreign sounding name making it difficult to connect with the inner and the outer worlds especially as
an artist.
Ivo Muller's struggle and dedication and love for Rilke is there all along and it absorbs us throughly.
I loved the show but at the same time wanted more of Rilke and his amazing poetry which I simply
adore.
REVIEWED
bY
BINA SHARIF
ATCA
Editor/Publisher :artsinternational.blogspot.com
Email:binashariff@gmail.com
Cell: 212-260-6207
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