Ostri zavoi

Sharp Turns is the Bulgarian staging of Éric Assous’s celebrated two‑hander Les Montagnes russes — a cat‑and‑mouse evening between two strangers that flips expectations with every new confession. First seen at Théâtre Marigny in Paris on October 12, 2004 with Alain Delon and Astrid Veillon, the play has since become a favorite across Europe for its elegant mix of farce mechanics and disarming sincerity.

Assous, born in Tunis and one of France’s most prolific contemporary dramatists for stage and screen, twice received the Molière Award for Best Francophone Author (for L’Illusion conjugale in 2010 and On ne se mentira jamais! in 2015). His signature subjects are the couple, desire and the hairline cracks between truth and performance — all of which are on proud display here.

Director Georgi Mihalkov approaches the piece with a keen sense for rhythm and timing. His earlier work includes Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, a clue to his feel for word‑driven theatre where pauses speak as loudly as punchlines. The visual world is shaped by scenographer Janeta Ivanova, whose credits also include another Assous title in Bulgaria (My Best Friend) — experience that helps her thread the play’s boulevard sparkle with contemporary intimacy. Original music by Deyan Balev nudges the action between flirtation and face‑off.

The evening belongs to its duo. Dimitar Zhivkov, an actor and lecturer at NATFIZ, brings award‑honed precision; he earned the Askeer “Rising Star” in 2013 and Best Actor at the Drumevi Theatrical Days festival in Shumen the same year for his solo show Zhivak. Opposite him, Stefani Ivaylo — a NATFIZ alumna in puppetry acting, known to TV audiences from bTV’s Tatkovtsi and to filmgoers from Yellow Oleander — folds charm into quicksilver shifts of tone. Together they navigate the piece’s tonal whiplash: seduction becomes strategy, candor becomes a trap, and every certainty is booby‑trapped by the next revelation.

Why audiences love this play

• A nimble, interval‑free duel of wits built for two powerhouse performances.
• French boulevard finesse — crisp dialogue, precision misdirection, and last‑minute turns that feel earned, not gimmicky.
• Timely questions under the laughter: what do we omit to be liked, and can a second chance survive the full truth?

Exploring more sharp‑tongued comedies and relationship puzzles? You might also enjoy Bez garanciya, the witty Hollywood‑tinged valentine Lyubov po scenariy v HOLLYWOOD, or the marital minefields of Otchayani sapruzi 2: Brakuvani. For lovers of twisty, high‑tempo dialogue, the mischief in Idiotyt zvyni vinagi tri pyti is a natural companion piece.