Ivan Viripajev
Illusions
In Vyrypaev’s “Illusions,” two married couples, Albert/Margaret and Danny/Sandra, find themselves in a complex web of love after decades of close friendship and seemingly happy marriages. Their conflicted feelings result from two very different conceptions of love: love as a feeling of companionship that transcends and, in fact, has little to do with excitement, passion or physical attraction; or love as the latter, which for periods of time can take hold of a person and dictate their actions. The play essentially problematizes and explores this vexed question – What is love? – through the viewpoint of four 80+-year old protagonists who are looking back on their lives.