Right now in Germany is more live performances than anywhere else on earth. After a series of hastily invented productions, in which social distance and hygienic restrictions were included in the Director’s intention, German theatres are returned to the regular repertoire. Although with very limited capacity. The rejection of intermission and snacks did not cause the accident, and viewers are already used to wearing a mask in the room, which can not but rejoice theatre managers. After all, most likely, the new rules will remain in effect.
In recent weeks, several German theaters produced the premiere, in which the anti-heroes created with extraordinary sympathy and understanding. This is noticeable to such an extent that critics called the post-pandemic theatre of Germany “panorama tyrants, femme Fatales and child-killers”.
In the Munich Residenztheater theatre Director Bastian Kraft puts the “Lulu” by Frank Wedekind where the energetic trio of Actresses portrays one character, which was never equal in the mixture of corruption and innocence. A large part of the play actress follow each other, removing and wearing the same tuxedo – the bleakness of the story Lulu. The philosophy of the play passes in a direct appeal to the audience using various multimedia elements. For example, pre-recorded video with participation of Actresses in the roles of the various lovers of the main character.
Lulu of Wedekind becomes one of the victims of Jack the Ripper. But in his statement Craftsmanly her from a terrible fate without showing the audience the murder. “Of course, you are free to imagine my death, just as I am free to imagine yours,” defiantly said the actress Charlotte Schwab at the end of the performance.
On the German scene new pieces often fade into the background before processing of classical texts. The Schauspiel Stuttgart theatre became one of the few places where contemporary drama prevailed in the play “I’m the same as you. I love apples” on the play by German writer Therese of Walser. On the idea of the Director Burkhard Kosminsky on stage there are only three chairs and a lecture podium. This is the same kosminsky, whose Opera “Tannhauser” a few years ago, closed in düsseldorf from-for mass protests of the audience. In this case it was not so radical: in the schematic the conference hall press briefing brought three widows of deposed totalitarian lideria. Ms. Imelda, Ms. Margo and Ms. Layla are trying to separate their names from the spouses deposed-dictators of the Philippines Ferdinand E. Marcos, the East German Erich Honecker and Tunis Zina al-âbidîn Ben Ali. When the play was first staged in 2013, all three main characters were still alive – Margot Honecker died in exile in Chile in 2016.
a Strange name, taken from the quotes of former Libyan dictator�� Muammar al-Gaddafi mocks the banality of evil. In anticipation of the start of the press conference, the women reflect on their lives, offer a justification for participation in the repression and brag about the meetings with Stalin, Mao and Castro.
Most of the play focuses on Margot Honecker (Christian Rossbach), unrepentant after decades of exile. She is a true ideologue, the most violent and brutal than paranoid Layla al-âbidîn bin Ali (Paula Skorupa) and boastful Imelda Marcos (Anke Schubert). While her friends discuss which Actresses should play them in the movie, Margo is mocking the democratic version of freedom. And on the question of its political crimes categorical answers: “we were enemies. I don’t have to apologize”. The Director of the play refuses to portray the main characters as hardened villains and openly declares before the show: “My interpretation does not justify their actions”.
Meanwhile, in the Leipzig Schauspiel theatre, the audience watched one of the few post-pandemic Prime Evripidou “Medea,” directed by Markus Bothe. This is perhaps the most famous tragic female character in all of literature. And her crime against her own children still makes the blood state in my veins. A large part of the submission of the two sons of Medea playing with a toy ship, blowing it back and forth in shallow water that covers the entire stage and dazzled whenever the actors are wading in. When the pool is fixed, it becomes a dark mirror that reflects the actors. Oblong building, enclosed in glass, rotating in the middle of a shallow basin, symbolizes the earth from which he was expelled Medea.
unfortunately, the advantages of staging end. Theatre critics smashed to smithereens acting Anna Catherine Buhc and Denis Petkovic. “It was frustrating to find that such a bold statement is difficult to reconcile with the actions of artists. Angry to the extreme Medea out of place was sprayed bile with every replica. Jason carried a businesslike arrogance and callousness through all scenes, including the last where he learns about the murder of their children,” writes the theater to survey the New York Times A. J. Goldmann.
According to the aggregate opinion of the German press, a four-month respite in a strange way affected the theatre – revealed a desire to talk about the cruelty and dictatorship. Although for many the task was much easier – the skill is not enough.
