Matei Millo

Biography

Matei or Mateiu Millo (also Milo or Milu; Romanian pronunciation: [maˈtej miˈlo]; November 24/25, 1813 or 1814 – September 9, 1896) was a Moldavian, later Romanian stage actor, singer, producer and playwright, noted as a founding figure in local theater. Hailing from two lineages of boyar aristocrats (one of which was originally French), he appeared in amateur productions around the age of twenty, alongside Vasile Alecsandri—who, later in life, was Millo's main literary backer. Violently shunned by his parents for what was seen as a lowly profession, he spent some time in Paris, possibly studying acting, and experienced there a form of material destitution that would plague him throughout his career. He returned to a position as art director of Moldavia's National Theater in Iași, pushing through an agenda of subversive Romanian nationalism, then playing some part in the liberal uprising of 1848. Late that year, Millo created an all-Romanian sensation by writing, producing, and starring in the first local operetta, Baba Hârca. His performances in travesti, and his penchant for naturalness, became hugely popular with theatergoers of all classes. They prompted Alecsandri to use Millo for a long series of Coana Chirița comedies.

Touring all Romanian-inhabited provinces, which at the time straddled three empires, Millo settled in Wallachia during 1852; he took charge of the Grand Theater in Bucharest, while also teaching at the Conservatory, and involved himself in the effort toward Moldo–Wallachian unification. He was a high-ranking Freemason, and as such involved in political intrigues before and during the creation of a Romanian Principality. Millo had renounced his boyar title and had championed the common folk, but, finding himself challenged by younger professionals such as Mihail Pascaly, fell back on conservative elitism. His conflict with Pascaly grew into a clash of philosophies and acting styles, particularly since his rival questioned the moral qualities of Millo's plays and revues. The aging Millo continuously promoted himself, including by having publicity images of himself taken by Carol Szathmari, or by claiming to be fighting government censorship. He was pushed into near-bankruptcy by his quarrels and the disdain of the Westernized theatergoers, though he still registered moral victories and gained an international following.

Millo returned to putting out nationalist propaganda during the Romanian war of independence, and subsequently reconciled with Pascaly—whom he eventually outlived. He remained unchallenged in the post-1881 Kingdom of Romania, which awarded him some high distinctions, and was upheld as a good example by the influential group of writers at Junimea. He was by then indigent, and only drew serious revenue from continuously touring. His physical decline visible to his audience, Millo died in 1896, shortly after one final performance at Iași—leaving a trove of unpublished manuscripts. While he did not receive formal accolades during the first half of the 20th century, he had some of his plays continuously performed; he was the object of a public cult under the communist regime, which regarded him as a critic of previous administrations. He endures in cultural memory mainly for having helped to limit the spread of neo-romanticism, and for having introduced his country to theatrical realism.