photos by Monika Rittershaus
I do dare say that Spring might be finally making its way to Berlin. Finally! We at iHeartBerlin.de love the Spring time. And just recently I also caught a ‘whiff’ of Spring at Frank Wedekind’s play Frühlings Erwachen at the Berliner Ensemble. Directed by Claus Peymann and put on by a host of young talents, this was one awakening that surely didn’t go unnoticed. More infos and pictures after the jump.
The story is set in the early 1900’s. So if you close your eyes and try to imagine what society was like back then and then add a group of young, fresh-faced, ‘blossoming’ teenagers fuelled by their curiousity, anxiousness and young raging hormones, you have all the ingredients for this ‘Kindertragödie’ (children’s tragedy). These ‘children’ were no more different than you or I today (save for their fashion sense maybe) but caught within rigid moral codes imposed by their parents and teachers (who squirmed worse than a can of worms upon hearing the ‘S word’), the children find themselves, sadly, rather than equipped with the knowledge of empowerment and decision-making, guided by naivety, lust, confusion and uncertainty. The result? A series of tragic consequences. If you’re curious, here’s the synopsis (German version).
Overall, I found the play pretty enjoyable. Although certain bits could have been shorter, the relatively young cast did an amazing job, the minimal stage design and props set the right tones, the lighting was perfect and there were some nice costumes. Also, I was very grateful for the butt baring scenes that managed to silence the two annoying middle aged ladies next to me for a minute or two.
(Note for all non-native German speakers: If your Deutsch isn’t close to perfect, it might be a little tricky understanding all the old-school language used).
Frühlings Erwachen
28.03, 16.04 and 01.05.2009
Berliner Ensemble
Theater am Schiffbauerdamm
Bertolt-Brecht-Platz 1
10117 Berlin
S-/U-Bahn Friedrichstraße, Tram M1 und 12
Telefon Theaterkasse: 030 – 284 08 155
theaterkasse@berliner-ensemble.de
www.berliner-ensemble.de
