‘Anti-war’ comedy play riles Bulgarian nationalists

John Malkovich's 19th-century play sparks protests in Bulgaria, accused of insulting history by nationalists.

A 19th-century play directed by U.S. actor John Malkovich has enraged nationalists in Bulgaria who call it an insult to the country — a claim the Hollywood star rejected as stirred up by the far right.

Last week’s premiere of Arms and the Man by renowned Irish-born playwright George Bernard Shaw sparked raucous protests by nationalist groups.

Holding up banners that read “Malkovich go home”, protesters blocked access to the Ivan Vazov National Theatre in the capital Sofia on Thursday before attempting to storm it, accusing the 70-year-old director of ridiculing the country’s history and its citizens.

“This play is a disgrace and must be banned. It makes a mockery of our ancestors who perished for Bulgaria,” shouted 21-year-old student Yoana Ilieva, part of an infuriated crowd. After the play premiered in an almost empty theatre, Malkovich expressed his astonishment over how his production was received.

“It is a quite odd reaction, but it is a strange time in the world — more and more people love to censor things they do not agree with,” he said at a press conference alongside several actors on stage.

The play is a humorous take on the Serbo-Bulgarian conflict in the late 19th century, exploring the absurdity of war while exposing the flaws of heroic adulation and militarism.

It is a “charming, light, kind of anti-war” comedy that he had already staged on Broadway in 1985, Malkovich said. He said he considered that seeking historical accuracy in a play was “frighteningly naive”.