On stage, the actor awaits not a traditional theater performance or a classical music concert. In composer and violinist Aleksey Igudesman’s concept “The Music Critic,” Malkovich becomes a ruthless music critic, targeting the greatest names in the history of classical music.
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When Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven face ruthless criticism
Today, the works of Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Frédéric Chopin, Johannes Brahms, and Robert Schumann are considered masterpieces of classical music. However, their premieres were not always met with favor – music critics did not shy away from mockery, biting remarks, and very harsh evaluations.
It is precisely these historical reviews that form the basis of “The Music Critic.” On stage, Malkovich embodies the “great critic,” who with a serious face mercilessly attacks composers now considered geniuses and their music. At the same time, live performances of the works allow the audience to judge for themselves how history treated the works once condemned by critics.
The show’s creator Aleksey Igudesman combines the beauty of classical music with absurdity, theatricality, and humor, while Malkovich’s characteristic dry, ironic performance style becomes one of the most important parts of the entire show.
Igudesman calls “The Music Critic” a project very close to him. According to the creator, Malkovich in the role of the “angry critic” is at once repelling and charming, and the character reminds us of the critic hidden within each of us.
More than four decades in film and theater
John Malkovich is a two-time Oscar nominee and Emmy award-winning actor whose career in film, television, and theater spans more than four decades.
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He gained worldwide recognition for roles in films such as “Dangerous Liaisons,” “In the Line of Fire,” “Con Air,” “Being John Malkovich,” “RED,” and many other film and television projects. Throughout his career, he has portrayed aristocrats and intellectuals as well as eccentric or menacing characters, and one of his distinctive traits has become the ability to combine drama, irony, and subtle humor.
Malkovich is also one of the founders of the legendary Chicago “Steppenwolf Theatre Company” and has maintained a close connection to the theater scene throughout his career – not only as an actor but also as a director and creator.
Classical music with an unexpected layer of humor
Malkovich himself has said that “The Music Critic” gives him the opportunity to combine some of the best works in the history of classical music with the unexpected reactions these works received from critics of their time in one evening.
Therefore, “The Music Critic” becomes not only a comedic look at music history. The show plays with the question of how much one can trust a critic’s opinion and how works now considered indisputable masterpieces could have been completely misunderstood in their time.
The only John Malkovich “The Music Critic” performance in Lithuania will take place on April 7, 2027, at the Vilnius “Compensa” concert hall. The actor will appear on stage together with a group of musicians performing classical music live. Tickets will be available for purchase on Bilietai.lt from September 18 at 10 a.m.
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