A long standing ovation greeted the beginning of the Laboratorium Dramatu's first performance in its' newest location. It was the first play to be performed at the old Przodownik Cinema. Magda Fertacz's Absynt is a good beacon of what we can expect from the LD in the future, under the guidance of Tadeusz Słobodzianek.
It was a hard hitting, unpretentious text, finely directed by Aldona Figura. The effect of the work of these two young artists is a play which has not even one bit of female warmth or sentimentalism.

Absynt is a raw, ironic look at the family and the relationship between three people - the fruit of which is death. Karolina, a young girl who - according to her parents - has everything she needs to lead a successful life, commits suicide on the day of her wedding. She is visited by various characters who she has known throughout her short life, almost like in Różewicz's Kartoteka. All of these people never noticed that she had been dying bit by bit over the years. Karolina's soul (performed by Matylda Paszczenko) recalls to mind all of these matters and all of the moments that have brought her to her present decision. The character of the mother and the father are very well performed by Maria Maj and Zdzisław Wardejn. There is no lack of harshness in Absynth, albeit it is restrained, used in proper proportions to the situation. The scene in which the audience learns of the abortion that the parents forced on Karolina is very well presented. Instead of just showing us a gynecolo