"Libido Romantico" directed by Justyna Wielgus in Madrid

Two hundred years ago, the premiere of Ballads and Romances caused a social scandal and public unrest. Mickiewicz was accused of immorality and perversity. He spoke in the language of the socially marginalized, granting them the right to embody their fantasies and desires. Overflowing with eroticism, sensuality, and romantic frenzy, his texts also served an emancipatory role, becoming a manifesto of new sensitivity—dismantling class hierarchies and advocating for a democracy of emotions. Through his ballads, Mickiewicz introduced socially unacceptable imagery that struck directly at bourgeois prudishness.

Can his texts still provoke similar discomfort today? In Libido Romantico, actors and creators rise to challenge contemporary society. By engaging with classical, seemingly tamed, national, and sanctified texts of Poland’s most revered poet, they find their own voice.

The script is based on Ballads and Romances by Adam Mickiewicz and improvisations by the actors of Teatr 21.