The hit stage production Once Upon a Time on Brijuni, which has been selling out theatres across the region, is coming to Sarajevo!
The play is inspired by a real historical encounter between two iconic couples: Josip Broz Tito and Jovanka Broz, and Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. The meeting took place on the island of Brijuni in the 1970s.
Historical records of their time together are scarce limited to brief written and video reports from Yugoslav media, biographical accounts of the four historical figures, and short diary notes by Richard Burton. These fragments serve as the inspiration and foundation for the play.
The filming of the movie Sutjeska was the official reason for the meeting — and that is the only historically confirmed fact. Everything else is a product of imagination.
The play explores and reimagines the possible events and dynamics between these four remarkable personalities during that historic encounter.
What roles did each of them play both publicly and privately?
What does it mean to play different roles in relationships with different people?
How do personal and collective identities, private ambitions, and public achievements intertwine?
Cast:
Milan Marić – Richard Burton
Branislav Trifunović – Josip Broz Tito
Tihana Lazović – Elizabeth Taylor
Sanja Marković – Jovanka Broz