Theater
Musical drama ''Emilija''
About this event
The story of the warrior Emilija Pliaterytė returns to the stage with a new famous singer!
Having conquered the major arenas of Lithuania, the state ensemble "Lietuva" musical drama "Emilija" returns for one night only – February 10 at the Kaunas "Žalgiris" arena. A new face for Emilija, but the name remains the same: the lead role will once again be played by Monika. The audience-beloved Monika Liu is replaced in the lead role by Monika Pundziūtė – one of Lithuania's most prominent music performers, who is diving into a new creative challenge and promising her own version of Emilija: close to the historical figure, yet complemented by her own character and interpretation.
"When I received this offer, I felt a very good feeling. It seems I even manifested it: I really wanted and dreamed of a new role that I could enjoy and immerse myself in completely. Now my thoughts revolve only around Emilija – I am reading about combative women, Joan of Arc, Mickevičius's "Gražina", Pliaterytė herself, and I am very eager to get to know and discover her, while bringing a lot of myself into the role – because I see a lot of myself in her attitude. I want to master the role, understand it, and when it's time to step onto the stage, be fully prepared to do the best version possible," rejoices the heroine of the upcoming performance "Emilija".
Monika Pundziūtė, previously known by her stage name Monique, is well-known to the Lithuanian public since her victory in the music project "X Factor" and the successful career that followed with notable episodes. The musical theater stage is also well-known to the performer – she played the lead role of the Queen of Serpents Eglė in Laimis Vilkončius's rock opera "Eglė", and portrayed Steponas Darius's wife Jaunutė in the musical "Lituanica". In recent years, M. Pundziūtė has turned to more personal original work and chamber concerts, so the role of Emilija also marks her return to the big stage.
Together with M. Pundziūtė, other famous guest actors and performers will participate at the "Žalgiris" arena and embody historical characters – well-known opera bass Tadas Girininkas, Mantas Zemleckas, Jovita Jankelaitytė, Andrius Kaniava, Žygimantas Galinis, and others. The roles in the performance will also be played by the "Lietuva" ensemble choir and dance troupe, with live music by an orchestra conducted by chief conductor Egidijus Kaveckas and guest musicians.
"Speaking about the changes in the lead heroine's role, we want to say that a part of that warrior can be in each of us – we are different and yet in different life situations we can be very determined. Historically, this is also part of our identity. I understand that viewers who watched the project might be surprised to see a different type, but I have no doubt that the new Emilija will surprise with her uniqueness. We are happy to have had the opportunity to create together with the previously performing Monika Liu, but after she decided to dive into her own creative plans, we saw an opportunity to reveal more performers. With the team, we became convinced that Monika Pundziūtė has the necessary character and stage power – it is no coincidence that we call Emilija one of the "giants" of our history, so a strong historical personality also requires strength in every sense on stage," says the project's creator, head of the ensemble "Lietuva" Edita Klaunauskaitė.
