A life episode of a divine singer who, in the 1970s, left his socialist homeland to fulfill his dreams in a capitalist foreign country, inspired playwright and director Jakub Čermák to create a new production written specifically for the Švandovo Theatre. The Return of the King offers a journey into the past, a story of improbable love, and a tragicomic battle for the meaning of art. Catchy music, including songs referencing period melodies, was composed by Petr Marek, the frontman of the band Midi Lidi. "We do not want to trivialize the significance of pop music emanating from radio and television in the 1960s to 1980s in the production, even though these songs may seem funny to us today; however, they are deeply ingrained in the memory of several generations and whether we like it or not, they remain part of our identity. It's hard to just hum a Bach symphony," explains Jakub Čermák. Petr Marek adds: "I unabashedly plunder clichés of Czech pop music culture from the 1950s to the 1980s. Everything you hear will be immediately familiar to you."
In The Return of the King, we offer the audience a guilty pleasure of listening to this type of music. Gabriel Král (Jan Mansfeld) is the biggest pop star of socialist Czechoslovakia. Music is his life, and he is convinced that his songs bring harmony and unity to society. He wants his performances to be perfect, so he demands the maximum from himself and others. However, many things are lacking in his poor homeland: costumes with sequins, colored filters for spotlights, or purely singing vocalists. Král's determination to deliver a perfect show is hindered by the lukewarm attitude of the State Agency Director (Jan Grundman), the reluctance of the Secretary General (Luboš Veselý), and his own cowardice. One day, Gabriel Král disappears. Finally, he finds himself in a country where his dreams come true! But they always ask him for just one song. And that song is a song about insects...
