The Increased Difficulty of Concentration

Václav Havel

Václav Havel is one of the most important authors of the theatre of the absurd in the world. In his late 1960s situation comedy The Increased Difficulty of Concentration, he reacted to a revolutionary innovation: the advent of intelligent computers. He questioned humanity’s readiness for the new technology. The present-day rapid development of artificial intelligence has given one of Havel’s best plays a new relevance. The director and director of the National Theatre Brno, Martin Glaser, decided to make use of this newly found topicality and to put the play on the stage.

The main character of the play is Dr Eduard Huml, a sociologist who coincidentally becomes a participant in a scientific research of human individuality with the help of a super-intelligent computer. However, the research does not go according to plan. The supercomputer is tasked with gathering and evaluating as much information about Huml as possible. But the more the computer knows, the less it seems to want to continue its work. Is this related to Huml’s countless love affairs, his cheating on his wife, and his inability to choose which of the many women in his life he really wants to live with? Is the supercomputer starting to feel sorry for Dr Huml?

Havel’s play about the disintegration of identity in modern man and about a machine that begins to behave more human than its creators impresses not only with its many absurd comedic situations based on Huml’s desperate attempt to still keep all the women at the same time but also with its philosophical dimension and unusual work with time. Havel’s original way of telling the story, comparable for example to the original time-jumping in Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, continues to fascinate audiences to this day.

Martin Glaser’s conception of the play demolishes the somewhat fixed myth that Havel’s plays are intended solely for a narrow group of intellectuals. His production, on the other hand, is becoming one of the most successful and most sought-after comedies of the whole repertoire of the National Theatre Brno. In addition to Glaser’s sense of situation comedy and gags, the credit for this also goes to the designer David Janošek whose set creates a visually stunning retro show, and the extraordinary comedic performance of Dr Huml’s portrayer Tomáš David. Glaser’s production has the potential to convey the play’s philosophical message about modern man and his (lack of) morality to a wide range of audiences. Perhaps that is the reason why the leading Israeli Habima Theatre in Tel Aviv has invited this production for a guest appearance in 2025.

 

Directed by Martin Glaser
Dramaturgy by Hana Hložková
Stage and costume design by David Janošek
Music by Ivan Acher
Lighting design by Martin Špetlík

Premiered on 11th February 2022 at the Reduta Theatre

  • “Director Martin Glaser utilises Havel’s absurdity with all that goes with it. He consistently uses the situations and motives of people who cannot understand their partners on stage or indeed themselves. Glaser never omits anything that highlights the grotesqueness of the situation. He uses the set and the cleverly chosen costumes designed by David Janošek, plays with the sounds of the ‘computer’ and, above all, leads the actors to grotesque expression in expressing feelings and desires, happiness and... above all, disappointment.” — Peter Stoličný, i-divadlo.cz

    ;

  • “Havel’s absurd drama in a delicious deluxe package, or when a machine is more human than a man. Tomáš David is great (hats off to him for learning that pseudo-philosophical work he had to dictate to his secretary), similarly unforgettable is Tereza Groszmannová (her enormous comedic talent is simply undeniable) who plays Dr Balcárková who so far in her life has only enjoyed the computing machine Puzuk. If you don’t have much experience with this type of drama, don’t be scared of the alternation of time and space – after the interval, everything starts to fall into place and it all builds up very nicely. Thank you to the Drama ensemble of the National Theatre Brno for yet another excellent evening!” — an audience member

    ;

  • “David Janošek’s stage design is a breath-taking ride into the years of the genesis of the play. It is an extraordinary retro show... All those combed wigs, quilted dressing gowns, pleated skirts and ladies’ shoes – simply a true feast for the eyes. The intimate stage of the Reduta Theatre was transformed into a stunning replica of a room dominated by two tall oversized glass display cases full of period pressed glassware. Even the coffee service and cups used and the sculpture on the living room wall all refer to 1960s Czechoslovakia in rich green-blue shades.” — Luboš Mareček, Divadelní noviny

    ;