Maria Malicka. Portrait of a Friend ebook

IN MEMORY OF MARIA MALICKA

1898-1992

TO MAŁGORZATA MALICKA

Please accept this book:

prof. Jerzy Jakubowicz

prof. Piotr Chłosta

dr Przemysław Dudek

dr Zbigniew Darasz

dr Leszek Bolt

Nina Terentiew

Maciej Nowak

Marcin Chmielewski

Józef Opalski

Kazimierz Wiśniak

„When late in the evening we left the hospitable home of the Gliksteins, old Rosen discreetly called me aside:

– I wanted to ask you something else. But not in front of my wife, because she is jealous. There was such an artist, a beautiful woman. When she performed, I always ran to the theater like a madman, several times for the same play. Her name was… something like Ma…

– Malicka!

Mr. Rosen clasped his hands in ecstasy

– Malicka, is she alive?

– Yes, she is alive and performing in Kraków.

– Let her be in Kraków, as long as she lives a hundred years.

Antoni Marianowicz Dinner at the Gliksteins, „Życie Warszawy” no. 58, 1985.

She was at the funeral of Kościuszko himself, together with Solski

with Laura, not from Filon, she stood on stage

she was Zosia Pareńska in The Wedding

the Kraków theater became

dawn, day, and night

it opened the stages of Warsaw

not just for fame or entertainment –

for the love of the audience!

You have to be lucky – Mistigri and to be Malicka

once the Bride, once the Scottish Queen

and build your house of cards

live in the era of speed

not be a softie

overcome pain in The Fall of the Stone House

and play Mrs. Domańska in The Wedding on the same

debut stage

return to Bagatela, not as to Konrad’s cell

but for the Fan, memories of the sweet bird of youth

Węgierko, Kamiński, Frenkiel, those were the times

Beautiful, when later on Wawel the tapestries listened to her

Is the theater a toy or a game

Or maybe a poem of the Stars

Dariusz Domański for Maria Malicka

This is an outline for the biography of MARIA MALICKA, touching on her phenomenon, based on examples of many reviews, memories of the artist herself, interviews, press articles, etc. There is no full chronology here, and this work does not claim to be a biography of the artist. There are also deliberately included descriptions from her private life from pre-war press.

This is certainly a source of information about the actress, which may one day serve as a basis for more detailed research on Malicka’s artistic work. It is not easy to write a historical biography, a full document, an analysis, without studying such a rich topic for many, many years.

This work was created hastily out of the need to remind theater historians and theater scholars of the artist, whose memory has completely faded into the shadows. Unjustly, because through the example of Maria Malicka, we can draw one fundamental conclusion. There is no history of Polish theater without the beautiful page of its true Queen, whose name is Maria Malicka.

Dariusz Domański, Kraków, March 2024

“DIVINE MALICKA”

A Conversation with Maria Malicka by Dariusz Domański

Dariusz Domański – …In the evening, I attended the performance of “Madame Bovary” at the Malicka Theater (Marszałkowska 8). The theater – the latest trend in interior design, white and purple, straight lines… Only the stalls and gallery were open. They performed excellently. Especially Malicka. Madame Bovary was magnificent, but the play itself as a drama was weak… I visited Malicka backstage… I like Malicka, I value her great talent and upright character… These are the words of the writer and legionnaire Wacław Sieroszewski. Maria, I wanted to ask you about your theater, memories from the Malicka Theater, the theater that was the theatrical hallmark of the capital before the war.

Maria Malicka – Dareczku, the most wonderful memories. Anyone who visited my theater would feel a tear in their eye, not just Wacław Sieroszewski, but also Jan Lorentowicz, the poets of “Skamander”: Antoni Słonimski, Jan Lechoń, Kazimierz Wierzyński, Julian Tuwim. Słonimski “ran” to every premiere, I greatly valued his comments. Jan Parandowski also visited us. I was very fortunate with the critics, not just the professional, theatrical ones, but also the poetic ones. My theater had its audience, just like the theaters of Stefan Jaracz or Karol Adwentowicz.

DD – And it all started in Kraków, in the beautiful, dignified building of the then Municipal Theater, in what year?

MM – Let’s leave the year. It was indeed a very long time ago (smiles). I debuted in a performance directed by the theater’s director, Ludwik Solski. It was related to some anniversary of Tadeusz Kościuszko. Solski played in “Kościuszko at Racławice” by Anczyc, and this performance was preceded by a poem by Kornel Ujejski, “The Funeral of Kościuszko,” which I recited. It was a difficult piece for a 7-year-old child. I remember that after finishing it, I heard tremendous applause and received a box of Wedel chocolates from Director Solski as my first fee (smiles).

DD – And many years later, you advertised Wedel chocolates, but that’s beside the point. It’s strange because Solski was known for his frugality, if not stinginess…

MM – But maybe that came from the theater’s budget, not his pocket (laughs). Later, I started playing small, lovely roles, including Ysallinka in “Aglavaine and Sélysette” by M. Maeterlinck, alongside Irena Solska, Stanisława Wysocka, and Laura Pytlińska.

DD – The daughter of Maria Konopnicka.

DD – Maria, in 1918, you played in two important performances, I’m thinking of “The Wedding” and “Liberation” by Stanisław Wyspiański.

MM – Yes, those were special productions, especially “Liberation.” The year was exceptional. When I look today from my apartment at the Market Square, I remember 1918, the enthusiasm, joy, and tears. What happened then in Kraków’s Market Square.

DD – I’d like to move to Warsaw now. Among your precious archival memorabilia is a note written by Wojciech Kossak in 1942: “This phalanx of charming women, like Malicka, Romanówna. If this little Małgosia, a child of the most monstrous times in history, becomes a vision with the face of her beautiful mother, it will be a protest of beauty.” Your life in the interwar period resembles a fairy tale, a beautiful dream.

MM – A beautiful, painful quote, and since you mentioned Wojciech Kossak, after the premiere of “Madame Bovary,” he gave me a painting with a dedication. Kossak also painted my portrait, as did Witkacy. And the interwar theater was my love, happiness, and the admiration of the audience, all of which accompanied me in all the theaters where I performed. I came from Kraków with the experience of an actress who had performed with Aleksander Węgierko, Wojciech Brydziński, Józef Węgrzyn, and even Kazimierz Kamiński and Mieczysław Frenkel. From them, I learned great theater, acting, and in fact, my only theatrical school was the J. Słowacki Theater, where I grew up, where I began to learn the acting profession. I don’t remember how many roles I played as a young girl, as a child, but I remember participating in “Polish Bethlehem” by Lucjan Rydel, where I was an angel. The author himself, Rydel, directed this performance, and I soared under the theater’s dome, while my father watched me with fear in his eyes.

DD – The same Pan Młody from Wyspiański’s “The Wedding” “directed” you. At Bagatela, where you performed from 1919 to 1923, you had star status. Why did you leave for Warsaw?

MM – It was hard to leave my hometown, my Kraków. I remember how, after one of the performances at Bagatela, an admirer brought me a basket of flowers, and inside was a small dog. Those were the times.

DD – In publications about the theater of the interwar period, not just in the reviews cited by poets, I couldn’t find a single critical remark about you. It’s unbelievable; you played in such a diverse repertoire, from musical comedy and farce to tragedy. You fascinated both Wiktor Brumer and Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński with your acting.

MM – The theater was my great love. Sometimes, I played the same play 600 times in a row without feeling tired or bored. What joy and satisfaction it was that the audience came even several times to the same performance.

DD – Maria, you are the only actress in the history of theater, perhaps not just Polish, who returned to work very quickly after a serious accident.

MM – You’re thinking of the collision of my car with a train, on which I was traveling to performances with Aleksander Węgierko and Zbyszko Sawan. Yes, I had serious head injuries, and I don’t know how it happened that I returned to the stage so quickly. The doctors were very surprised, but the theater was apparently my medicine, my therapy.

DD – In 1926, Wacław Grubiński wrote that “the theater is an expensive institution; people go to the theater for Jaracz, Węgrzyn, Frenkel, Malicka, and avoid theaters with third-rate actors.” From the very beginning, you belonged to the Pantheon of Stars.

MM – I was very fortunate that the audience wanted to see me, came to the plays in which I played the leading roles.

DD – This “craze for Malicka” started with “Dawn, Day and Night” by D. Niccodemi? Was Aleksander Węgierko your best stage partner?

MM – Perhaps, it’s hard to say for sure, but this play brought us, meaning me and Aleksander Węgierko, enormous popularity. We performed it nearly 3000 times on guest appearances all over Poland. Węgierko was an excellent partner, the best, and I also played with Juliusz Osterwa, Jerzy Leszczyński, Władysław Grabowski, Stanisław Stanisławski, Karol Adwentowicz, Kazimierz Junosza-Stępowski, and Stefan Jaracz. Aleksander had colossal intuition, intelligence, a sense of theater, an unforgettable partner.

DD – And did you also perform with great actresses?

MM – Yes, with Konstancja Bednarzewska in the film “The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” Seda Broniszówna, Jadwiga Smosarska, Maria Modzelewska, Elżbieta Barszczewska… I was friends with Maria Przybyłko-Potocka.

DD – Maria, Kraków keeps coming back in this conversation like a boomerang. You once said in an interview that you remembered the funeral of Stanisław Wyspiański.

MM – I was 9 years old, and I remember well that gloomy, cold, rainy day when crowds of mourners escorted the fourth bard to Kraków’s Skałka.

DD – Was Wyspiański an important author in your acting career?

MM – Oh yes, my father Antoni knew Wyspiański well, and as a child, I heard a lot about him. I value his theater and dramatic works; he is the greatest reformer of Polish theater. I performed in his plays many times; I will never forget the Bride in “The Wedding,” directed by Ludwik Solski at the National Theater in Warsaw in 1932. Later, I played the Lady in the famous “Wedding” by Lidia Zamkow at the J. Słowacki Theater in Kraków in 1969.

DD – One could boldly say, “This is how ‘The Wedding’ should be played, as played by Leszczyński and Malicka,” these are the words of Adam Grzymała-Siedlecki.

MM – I never looked at my acting work from the perspective of reviews, but now, Dareczku, while organizing my archive with you, I see that the critics spoiled me.

DD – The year 1924, December 3, do you remember that day?

MM – It was a highly anticipated premiere – “Saint Joan” by George Bernard Shaw, the Polish premiere. A major event at the Polish Theater. Directed by Aleksander Zelwerowicz. I received a beautiful bouquet of roses from the director, who initially wanted to cast Marysia Modzelewska in the role, and a review from Boy-Żeleński.

DD – Not just from Boy; Maria Dąbrowska was also delighted with your role. Maybe I’ll quote a fragment of Boy’s review: “The soldierly side of Joan was the least convincing in Malicka’s portrayal, but in return, other tones of Joan sounded so full, sweet, and noble at the same time that the character she created emerged victorious from this trial.” Around that time, you also made your film debut.

MM – “The Slave of Love” was my debut; I played a prostitute. I admit that as a proper girl from the Presentation Sisters School in Kraków, it was hard for me to embody such a role. I acted in this film with Jadwiga Smosarska, Aleksander Zelwerowicz, and Antoni Fertner. I didn’t take film seriously; I didn’t have much luck with films, except perhaps for “The Savage” and “Dangerous Paradise” based on Conrad’s “Victory,” which was shot by the American Paramount in Paris, directed by Ryszard Ordyński.

DD – And “The Call of the Sea,” “The Wind from the Sea,” “Pan Twardowski,” “Seasonal Love.”

MM – I don’t remember “Seasonal Love.” In “The Call of the Sea,” I acted with little Tadzio Fijewski, who already showed signs of becoming a great actor.

DD – The interwar period was a time of countless balls, where you were often the Queen, as well as receptions, social gatherings, and anniversaries. There was such an anniversary in the Pompeian Hall of the Europejski Hotel.

MM – You have quite a memory, Dareczku. It was the anniversary of Stefan Żeromski, prepared in his honor by the “Skamander” poets: Julian Tuwim, Antoni Słonimski, Kazimierz Wierzyński, and Jan Lechoń, who recited the jubilarian’s works. I also read his works along with Stefan Jaracz. You mention receptions; one of the famous salons in Warsaw was the salon of Ryszard Ordyński. He organized receptions in honor of Artur Rubinstein, Minister Józef Beck. There, I got to know not only the “Skamander” poets but also prominent politicians of that era. The life of the party was always General Bolesław Wieniawa-Długoszowski, a charming man. I also remember at the Grand Theater in Warsaw, during the anniversary of Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer. I sat opposite Przerwa-Tetmajer, but he seemed absent.

DD – Maria, in 1931, one of the Warsaw newspapers conducted a poll on the most popular Poles, and you ranked high, in the top 10, right after Maria Curie-Skłodowska, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, and Stefan Jaracz.

MM – I don’t remember that poll!

DD – It’s mentioned in the biography of Stefan Jaracz by theater historian Prof. Edward Krasiński. Returning to the theater, although I know you could have stayed in America, like Helena Modrzejewska or Pola Negri, and made a film career.

MM – I would never have exchanged the theater for film; the theater was like oxygen to me, I repeat it many times, I couldn’t live without it.

DD – So, I return to the theater, to your beautiful roles, including Heliana in “Samuel Zborowski” by J. Słowacki, directed by Leon Schiller, the Queen in “Don Carlos” by F. Schiller, directed by Emil Chaberski, “Mary Stuart” by Schiller, directed by Karol Borowski.

MM – I also highly valued lesser-known roles, such as Katarzyna in “The Devil and the Innkeeper,” Mela in “The Morality of Mrs. Dulska,” Aniela in “Maidens’ Vows.”

DD – With such great success, playing such significant roles, you decided to open your own theater. Why?

MM – I believed that the audience who had seen me on so many Warsaw stages would come to my theater. I wanted to have an influence on the repertoire, and that was only possible if I ran my own theater. If Stefan Jaracz and Karol Adwentowicz had their theaters, why couldn’t I? It wasn’t vanity but a desire to test myself in a new role, as a theater director.

DD – And that role turned out excellently.

MM – I ran the theater without any subsidies, and it brought colossal profits. Interesting, isn’t it?

DD – Zofia Ordyńska wrote that “The Malicka Theater became the most popular theater in the capital…”

MM – That’s how it was. Warsaw came to my theater; queues formed all the way to the Bristol. I played many leading roles, including “Candida” by Shaw and “Mary Stuart” by Słowacki.

DD – Before you founded your theater, you performed at the “Morskie Oko” theater in a revue titled “Halo Malicka and Sawan,” something completely new in your acting biography. Revue was the domain of actors like Zimińska and Pogorzelska, yet you performed in a revue. Where did that idea come from?

MM – We were a very popular duo with Sawan. They proposed this adventure to us, which I fondly remember. It turns out that we could also find ourselves in this genre.

DD – The occupation period first brought the café “At the Actresses” with Mieczysława Ćwiklińska, Ewa Bandrowska-Turska, Janina Romanówna, and later performances at the Comedy Theater with Kazimierz Junosza-Stępowski, Józef Węgrzyn, and Zbigniew Rakowiecki. Performances at the Comedy Theater were subject to criticism and verification by the ZASP. It’s known that the Comedy Theater was a cover for the Home Army, so while you performed, underground activities were carried out. If this had been discovered, the Germans would have sent everyone to Auschwitz.

MM – These are difficult topics, and I don’t want to analyze them here and now. History turned out that Prof. Bohdan Korzeniewski came to Kraków after the war for my jubilee and wrote me a beautiful letter.

DD – After the war, you started performing in Szczecin and then in Łódź.

MM – The Łódź period was important; there I played, among others, Katarina in “The Taming of the Shrew” by Shakespeare, Lady Milford in “Intrigue and Love” by Schiller, and there I began directing. I worked harmoniously with Dziunia Chojnacka.

DD – You never returned to Warsaw permanently, but you performed at the Congress Hall with a recitation of Julian Tuwim’s poem in 1956, and in 1964, you guest-starred at the Comedy Theater in the play “Adela and Stress,” where after the premiere, you received a beautiful congratulatory letter from Prof. H. Selye, the creator of stress theory.

MM – I was very moved by the return to Warsaw, even if briefly. And that letter from Canada surprised me, just like the note from G. B. Shaw years ago regarding the premiere of “Saint Joan.”

DD – You influenced people with your acting even from a distance (smiles). And then it was back to Kraków. In 1956, you returned to the theater where it all began, at Św. Ducha Square, to the J. Słowacki Theater.

MM – The old corners came alive; I returned to my hometown at the invitation of Director Bronisław Dąbrowski. In 1957, I played Felicja in Goldoni’s “The Boors,” in a jubilee performance directed by Karol Frycz.

DD – From that period, I’ll remind you of your great achievements: Krystyna in “Mourning Becomes Electra,” Idalia in “Fantazy,” Rollisonowa in “Forefathers’ Eve,” Arkadina in “The Seagull,” Rosaura in “The Clever Widow,” and the aforementioned Adela in “Adela and Stress.” The last theater you were associated with was the Bagatela Theater, the one from which you set out to conquer Warsaw.

MM – Yes, these were the two theaters where it all began and where it all ended, a kind of magical circle. And Warsaw, with its theaters and my theater, was a beautiful dream.

DD – Thank you for the conversation, 1987, Kraków.

Malicka Plays The Starof Helmut Kajzar, or Simply Herself

On the stage of the Bagatela Theater, where her mature acting career began, her talent, charm, and grace were celebrated.

What kind of Star was she? The “Szyfmanowska” Star, Ludwik Solski’s from the National Theater, Aleksander Węgierko’s from Dawn, Day and Night, and finally, the Star of her own Theater. Or perhaps the post-war Star from Łódź, Kraków, from The Boors directed by Karol Frycz, from Liberation by Bronisław Dąbrowski, or maybe the Star from The Seagull directed by Roman Niewiarowicz.

Each of these roles, and many others she created, are now part of theater history. Recorded in hundreds of reviews and in the memory of the audience.

Malicka, the Star. Loved by audiences across Poland, adored and described by the greatest critics, from Władysław Rabski and Jan Lorentowicz to Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński, Karol Irzykowski, Jan Lechoń, Antoni Słonimski, Kazimierz Wierzyński, Jan Parandowski, Kornel Makuszyński, Adam Grzymała-Siedlecki, as well as Maria Dąbrowska, Irena Sławińska, Tadeusz Kudliński, Edward Csató, Jan Kott, Ludwik Flaszen, Zygmunt Greń, and Krzysztof Pleśniarowicz.

The conventions of acting change, but Malicka’s artistry, craft, and talent only evolve, adapting to the needs of the new theater. For her, the same theater remained, where the audience was the most important component.

“That’s why The Star can only be played by one actress. But she must be a true stage personality. And we have such a personality at Bagatela – MARIA MALICKA.

Eight performances, in which, against the backdrop of the generalized stages of a screen and theater star’s career, the artist maintains her style of stage acting. And she maintains it with the full mastery of illusion, from old age with distance to memories of youth (also with distance). From heroism to melodrama. From the proverbial “tear” to parody. With a sense of the relativity of what is HER and from HER, and what comes from the texts of the roles and the learned – accepted or played – poses. Young actors, learn how to speak in the theater so that the word reaches every ear untainted. So that the gesture is expressive and consistent with the logic of actions, so that even without a partner, the illusion of naturalness is maintained; a performance that ceases to be a performance because it becomes the art of evoking the right mood. Truth and the convention of truth.” This was written by Jerzy Bober.

I was encouraged to write about Maria Malicka by the outstanding set designer – Kazimierz Wiśniak, although I had been considering it for many years. I was surprised that none of the historians of Polish theater had taken an interest in Malicka’s artistic career. Her life, which she dedicated to the theater. I realize that many actresses have not received monographs, but Malicka fully deserves one, as her talent and the work she did for the theater in Poland always garnered full applause, not only from the audience but also from demanding theater critics. And this from audiences and critics of several generations – this deserves special analysis. The first mentions of her work date back to 1918, the last to the 1980s.

This book contains many valuable documents, primarily from the artist’s rich archive. I had the opportunity to help Maria Malicka organize her home archive. I remember her emotion, and this was in 1981, 43 years ago, when we were going through – old photos, newspapers, posters, cast lists. That’s why I want to touch on this acting phenomenon even more.

Returning to the actress’s memorabilia. There is a letter written to Maria Malicka by Cardinal Karol Wojtyła on her jubilee in 1973. The future Saint John Paul II wrote:

“Today, I thank God for giving you such great talent, I thank you for your immense work, for your attitude, for the warmth and heart with which you daily bless those around you, for the characters you create, which convey profound truths about humanity and bring people not only smiles but also joy…”.

Dariusz Domański, Kraków, 2024.