At the time of Palárik Slovakia did not yet have its indigenous theatre. Yet it did have comedies such as this one, with which Slovaks optimistically joined in the Enlightenment opportunities and ambitions of theatre as a moral as well as entertainment institution. Palárik saw no conflict in the two roles. His faith in theatre is contagious. It is informed by the genre of world comedy, whilst it sets out national themes, the idea of national, social and gender tolerance. It is not shy of its idealism; the naive idyll is source of pure joy. Palárik promotes the ideals of natural lifestyle that stands in contrast to the stylised, ridiculous pretence. The ossification, arrogance and stereotypes are ridiculous, though a change is possible. Reconciliation is not merely a matter of shaking hands among enemies, but also a matter of learning and coming to terms with our prejudice.

Runnning time: 2 hrs 50 mins with one interval