• 2h 1m

Viy 2.0

Sumy National Theater of Drama and Musical Comedy named after M. Shchepkin

Viy 2.0 is a horror thriller with elements of a quest and dark comedy, inspired by the legendary novella by Ukrainian writer Nikolai Gogol. The play was written by Natalka Vorozhbyt, an acclaimed Ukrainian playwright known for her thought-provoking works Bad Roads, Green Corridors and The Granary. While drawing on Gogol’s classic tale, Viy 2.0 is a work in its own right, with a substantially different plot.

Domian, a Ukrainian by heritage whose parents emigrated to France, returns to his ancestral homeland with his friend Lucas. They have been invited to the wedding of Oksana, a woman Domian met online. At the groom’s bachelor party, the two outsiders meet the locals and find themselves caught up in a series of unpredictable, sometimes absurd events. On the wedding day, the bride is found dead. Her dying wish is for Lucas to recite prayers over her for three consecutive nights.

Vorozhbyt uses Gogol’s supernatural world as a metaphor for the real social and psychological challenges facing contemporary Ukraine. The most terrifying monsters here are not supernatural beings, but the things people are capable of when driven by alcohol, desperation and a sense of impunity.

Content advisory: The performance contains strong language and scenes that may be disturbing to viewers with religious sensitivities. Not recommended for audiences under 16.