MUSICAL BALKAN EXPRESS
Theatre at Terazije, Belgrade
Gordan Mihić
Balkan Express
Composers: Zoran Simjanović, Aleksandar Sedlar
Director: Darijan Mihajlović
Playwright: Milena Depolo
Songwriters: Marina Tucaković, Milena Depolo
Musical arrangements, conductor: Aleksandar Sedlar
Choreographer: Igor Barberić
Scenographer: Aleksandar Denić
Costume designer: Lana Cvijanović
Lector: Radovan Knežević
Roles:
Stojko: Dragan Vujić Vujke
Kosta: Milan Antonić
Lili: Anja Mit
Popeye: Slaven Došlo
Pik: Miroljub Turajlija
Aunt: Dušica Novaković
Major Dietrich: Slobodan Stefanović
Milkman Ernie: Milan Tubić
Boško: Vladan Savić
Lea, the girl: Ksenija Repić
Slavuj: Nemanja Nikolić
Maksa, the porter: Dušan Kaličanin
Krajc the commander, the priest: Marko Bogdanić
Agent, the Serbian colonel: Ljubiša Dinčić
Drummer: Sara Ristić
The ballet, choir and orchestra of the Theatre at Terazije participate in the performance.
BALKAN EXPRESS OF OUR DAYS
Mihić’s play Balkan Express brought together famous heroes from his film story, which takes place in occupied Serbia and Belgrade during World War II and the struggle of its residents to survive, each in their own way. This story follows a group of musicians with a “romantic” profession, petty thieves by trade, who are united by a common misfortune – the occupying army. Mihić’s characters in this play are people of small stature, they have not advanced far in life even as swindlers, but it is about heroes and their sacrifice and sense of justice. Admittedly, in the way they see it, but which is not far from amazing. Even when they live on the edge of the law, for those petty thieves who, as it will turn out, are the least dishonest in that war madness, the moral customs and rules that they adhere to even in the most difficult, warlike circumstances come first for them.
Željko Jovanović, artistic director
DIRECTOR’S WORD
Balkan Express is a work by Gordan Mihić, underlined by the music of Zoran Simjanović – forever remembered for the ingenious film by Branko Baletić, which featured a stellar cast. Then we decided to take on the task of putting Mihić’s musical on stage, at the most popular musical theatre – the Theatre at Terazije. A huge challenge. Some lines are so well-known that we say them at the market, at work, and in the tavern. When the lines enter the people’s minds, they become part of the collective consciousness. A darkly humorous story about six funny band members whom Mihić surrounds with the whirlwind of war, it starts as a comedy, becomes serious in a thriller, and ends as a melodrama. A genre roller coaster, incredibly challenging for the director and actors. We had to give it our all. As Shakespeare says – to do great good, do a little bad. They are musicians and thieves, but that’s exactly why they go to “take the medicine to Auntie” – and become heroes.
Darijan Mihajlović
BALKAN BOOGIE
Zoran Simjanović’s music, in addition to a few legendary lines, is the most striking trademark of the film Balkan Express. His main leitmotif, Balkan Boogie, runs through various tracks, and is the connective tissue between old and new music. It was a great honor for me, and at the same time a great challenge, to transfer existing, iconic musical tracks into a new guise and a new context, as well as to compose new tracks to the lyrics of Milena Depolo, which continue the musical story begun by Simke, and round it off in the form of a musical.
Aleksandar Sedlar, composer and conductor
Darijan Mihajlović graduated from the Department of Theatre and Radio Directing at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade in the class of Prof. Lj. Draškić. He has directed over 100 plays, six operas and more than 100 hours of television programme. He is a guest director in theaters in Serbia, Croatia and Germany, and the resident director of the Berlin Amphitheatre. In the period from 2014 to 2024, he directed several plays in Berlin, at the Monbijou and Märchenhutte theaters. The plays Tartuffe, The Merry Wives of Windsor, as well as ten fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm for adults were seen by over 150,000 viewers in a year. He is an advisor to the Zürcher Theater Spektakel festival in Zurich. He was the President of the Board of Directors of the Syndicate of Dramatic Artists of Serbia (1999-2002) and the President of the BITEF Festival Council (2000-2004). He has received numerous awards for his work. He is a full professor at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, in the subject of theatre directing.
Zoran Simjanović (1946-2021), a composer who marked the history of Yugoslav and Serbian cinema with his great talent and originality. His diverse oeuvre includes music for around 70 feature films, around sixty TV films and series, more than 50 animated and short films and hundreds of commercials, as well as for around 40 theatre plays. His unforgettable music has colored some of the cult works such as the series Grlom u jagode, the film National Class. He is a two-time winner of the Golden Arena in Pula – for music in the films Fragrance of Wild Flowers and Balkan Express. He was a professor at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts.
Aleksandar Sedlar is one of the most versatile musicians of his generation. He graduated in composition in the class of Prof. V. Trajković, completed his master’s studies at USC Thornton Los Angeles, and his doctoral studies under the mentorship of Prof. B.Popović. He also graduated in conducting in the class of Prof. B. Suđić. He is a full professor at the Faculty of Arts in Niš and a guest conductor at the Terazije Theatre, where he has orchestrated several musicals. He is the author of music for theatre, film, radio and television, and his chamber and symphonic works have been performed in Europe, America, Australia, Russia, China and Japan. As a studio musician, he has collaborated with leading names on the regional pop scene. He is the frontman of the band Sale i Sedlari.
Milena Depolo graduated in dramaturgy from the FDU in Belgrade. Since 2006, she has been employed as a playwright at the Boško Buha Theatre. She has written scripts for many television shows, series and various events. Until 2024, she was the Vice President of the Executive Board of ASSITEJ Serbia, where she was involved in designing programs that affirm drama writing for children and young people. She won numerous awards for her work, among which the Annual BDP Award, the Audience Award of Sterijino Pozorje, the Step into Courage Award in Banja Luka, awards for the Best Play in Mladenovac, Kotor and Belgrade, as well as the award for the Best Text at the 47th Meeting of Professional Puppet Theatres of Serbia for Circus Mario and Neta, stand out. She also won the Award for the Best Female Achievement with the film When Love Is Late at BaNeFF in Stockholm, and the Award for Establishing an Innovative Approach (with Patrik Lazić) for the play All Unhappy Families Look Like Happy Families at the 58th Joakim Vujić Festival.