Review: KOSCIUSZKO at Capitol Musical Theatre, Wroclaw

This is a name we’ve all heard somewhere. For Poles, it’s synonymous with fighting heroically, even when you lose. For Americans, he’s above all the brilliant military engineer behind West Point.

Love is the thin red line running through the story. It comes and goes, slips into the narrative, disappears for a while, and then sneaks back under your skin. It’s not always the main event, but it gives the whole thing a pulse.

Rafał Kozok brings Kościuszko to life with passion, conviction, and a stage presence that makes you want to follow him wherever history takes him. He’s fully there, and it shows. His Ludwika, played by Ewa Szlempo-Kruszyńska, is a delight: incredible warmth, full of grace, and passion in one very convincing package. And then the rest of the cast starts stealing your

attention. Marek Nędza gives Hugo Kołłątaj just the right amount of lightness and character (it’s the best Kołłątaj smoking a cigarette you will ever see). Aleksander Pyśk is so ridiculously good as 

Poniatowski that I’d happily see a spin-off devoted entirely to him. Izabela Czartoryska, played by Justyna Woźniak with glorious gusto, is so ruthlessly good that when her song ends, your only reasonable response is: MORE! More! MORE! And just when you think you’ve had your fill, there’s Aniela (Wiktoria Glińska), a wonderfully energetic Aleksander Hamilton (Bartosz Horbowski), and a sharp, commanding Washington (Adam Hadi). Emose Uhunmwangho adds her unmistakable voice and a delicious sense of humour, making an already colourful story even more fun.

The show is full of ideas. Musical newspaper boys keep the story moving, while a choir on a giant screen turns into an army, there is humor, a guillotine song, a butcher song, scythes, and a lot of face powder. There’s always something happening, something changing, something else demanding your attention. And then there are five endings. FIVE. At some point, you start wondering whether the show knows how to say goodbye. I love an abundance of ideas as much as the next person, but even I can get tired when everyone and everything wants a moment in the spotlight.

The music, though? My, oh my.

I cannot recommend it enough. Rap, blues, rave, and musical; gentle ballads, passionate love songs, battle electronic music. And somehow, it all works together like someone threw all those genres into a blender and forgot to put the lid on. Somehow, nothing spilled.

Grzegorz Rdzak is the man behind this musical shape-shifting, and I genuinely struggled to believe that all this music came from one person. The changes of mood, rhythm, and style! One moment you’re somewhere completely unexpected, the next you’re already happily following him into another musical universe. A true musical chameleon.

Anna Chadaj’s costumes add another layer of fun. Trousers hiding beneath evening gowns? Yes. Aristocratic outfits with animal prints?

Absolutely. A flowing royal cloak in our national colours? Of course. The whole thing floats somewhere between historical tradition and glorious freakness, as if jabots and periwigs had decided to loosen up a

little. And why not?

Unfortunately, dance is where the show loses some of its magic. The group sequences in the second act work within the story, even if I wouldn’t necessarily call them dance. The first act is a different matter. The choreography feels underthought, and too often the execution simply isn’t there. The movement doesn’t always suit the dancers’ abilities, synchronisation is lacking, and the ideas are nowhere near as inventive as those we get in the music, costumes or staging. And that’s frustrating. Because dance could take this show somewhere even more exciting. Instead, it sometimes becomes visual noise. And it breaks my heart.

There’s no doubt about the love behind this production. Konrad Imiela clearly went a little Kościuszko-crazy  and thank goodness he did.

The result is a show fuelled by genuine passion, one that treats its historical hero with affection and respect without turning him into a dusty figure from a school textbook.

The story jumps between key moments in Kościuszko’s life. It can feel a little chopped up, as if we’re hopping from one bench to another, but the music makes the journey surprisingly easy to follow. And even when there’s a little too much of everything, there’s always enough energy to keep you going.

We needed this musical. And I’m glad we got it.

P.S. The show has English subtitles!

Photo: Łukasz Giza

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