"Drž' ne daj" at Akademija 28 in Belgrade on September 30 - a Serbian wedding from the proposal to the morning after, with dozens of characters and only three actors

The comedy "Drž' ne daj" ("Hold On, Don't Let Go") plays Akademija 28 in Belgrade on September 30 from 8 p.m., and the same venue has also scheduled it for October 9. The show follows a young couple from the moment of the proposal to the morning after the wedding.

The trick is in the numbers. There are three actors on stage - Sonja Leštar, Tašana Đorđević (alternating with Jelena Đulvezan) and Nikola Ivačkov - and several dozen characters. The groom, the bride, the aunt, the best man and the guest who stays for "just one more song" are all played by the same people, switching role, rhythm and perspective from scene to scene. The director is Maja Grgić.

There's no shortage of material: chaotic organisation, relatives who meddle in everything and customs that "must be respected", whether anyone likes them or not. The show has been running for 14 years, which for an independent production with no state theatre behind it means the audience itself keeps it alive. Has anyone in the Balkans ever organised a wedding without at least one of these scenes?

Tickets cost 1,500 dinars via tickets.rs. Akademija 28 is a hall in central Belgrade, at Nemanjina 28, so the evening combines easily with a weekend trip to the Serbian capital.