“Nikola Tesla – full circle” premieres in New York

by croatiaweek
November 9, 2023
in Entertainment

by Srecko Mavrek

The play “Nikola Tesla – full circle” successfully premiered in New York This great success was achieved by the small theater Tvornica lutaka under the leadership of Petra Radin and Mario Kovac, and the media sponsors are Vecernji list and Croatian Radio New York.

“Nikola Tesla – full circle” is an event consisting of three performances in three different locations across New York. On the 80th anniversary of Nikola Tesla’s death, this theatrical project pays tribute to the work and genius of Tesla, born in Smiljan, Croatia, as one of the world’s greatest scientists and brilliant inventors ever.

The first performance was held on Sunday at the Croatian Catholic Apostolate of Blessed Ivan Merz in Astoria in Queens. The second performance was on Tuesday at the famous Delmonico’s restaurant in Manhattan, organized under the auspices of Croatia’s Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Croatian Consulate General in New York. In Delmonico’s Tesla was a frequent guest and there he thought about inventions and gave his most famous interview.

By the way, this famous and iconic restaurant reopened its doors under Croatian ownership in September. The third performance is also planned to be performed on the street, at the Tesla Corner, named after him in 1994. Authors Petra Radin and Mario Kovac are particularly pleased that the world premiere of their play took place in the city where Tesla achieved his greatest inventive achievements.

In her emotional interview for Hrvatski Radio NY, the director Petra Radin stated that all the actors and performers are very excited to perform in New York and mentioned the many similarities between the main actor Vladimir Tintor and Nikola Tesla, such as the physical resemblance, his humble personality and love of nature, looking at the actor’s dedication to the role and the truly incredible physical resemblance to the great inventor, it is quite clear that she made the right choice.

You can hear her entire interview here

An emotional moment happened during a rehearsal at the Croatian Catholic Mission of Blessed Ivan Merz, whose large hall was filled by a large number of curious audiences on Sunday. Many of them are first- or second-generation Croatian immigrants to New York, and this guest appearance was a rare opportunity for them to watch Croatian actors on stage.

Tintor was surrounded by a large audience after the performance. There were also conversations about philosophical topics, as well as commenting on Croatian soap operas and taking pictures together. Tesla created in flashes, which is evoked in the play by music and effective videos by cinematographer Filip Bašic and editor Sanja Padjen. Tesla’s mother is played by Hana Hegedušic, the champion of the Varaždin HNK, who also reacted very emotionally to the premiere.

– Some will wonder how Tesla’s mother is played by an actress who is the same age as Tintor, but for Tesla time does not exist, which is also written about in the book “My Inventions”, which we used a lot. That’s why we mix the present, past and future in the play, and we also mention expressions that had not yet been invented in the time Tesla lived in – said director Radin.

Apart from the two actors, the play also features the young soprano Josipa Bilic, who earned thunderous applause from the audience with her interpretations of classical and modern themes, and the director of the Zagreb Philharmonic, Filip Fak, performed on the piano. Before and after the performance, maestro Fak together with the other performers spent a pleasant time with the charismatic Rev Saša Ilijic, who kindly hosted a performance about Tesla in his parish in Astoria.