Festival drama peels layers of character who isn't there

Heroes' Square (Heldenplatz), as presented by Lithuanian National Drama Theatre at the Third Tianjin Caoyu International Theater Festival, is a polarizing piece that mesmerized some and bored others.

At four hours long (not counting two intermissions), the play does not contain much dramatic conflict. The first act, which lasts 90 minutes, has the memorable action of ironing and folding a shirt, as some in the audience joked.

The hero of the play, Professor Josef Schuster, jumped to his death shortly before the curtain rose. He made his only appearance when he was lit from behind a screen at the end of Act I, doing nothing but folding a shirt.