Fear Makes Us Feel Our Humanity
Märchen von einem, der auszog das Fürchten zu lernen
(The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was)
Hanau Grimm Festspiele, 6th June, 2014
"The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was" (read the synopsis on >>wikipedia though it must be said there are various editions and the story has been modified and extended over the years) is among my favourite fairy tales of the ones collected by the Brothers Grimm, so I was really curious how it would turn out on stage.
It was beginning of January when I learnt that "my" beloved Jan Radermacher won a writing contest the Grimm festival had announced and for which over 30 professional writers sent in exposes to take part. I was so impressed and I decided I so had to go.
I had seen two, three (?) shows, usually Grimm fairy tales, he had written for this tiny children theatre here in Hamburg before the festival which I liked but that he was able to bring in his writing talent into this festival was a much bigger thing.
So after seeing already the other show he directed two weeks ago (and I did not really like) I was off to Hanau once again last Friday...
Book - Jan Radermacher
Direction - Adisat SemenitschIt was beginning of January when I learnt that "my" beloved Jan Radermacher won a writing contest the Grimm festival had announced and for which over 30 professional writers sent in exposes to take part. I was so impressed and I decided I so had to go.
I had seen two, three (?) shows, usually Grimm fairy tales, he had written for this tiny children theatre here in Hamburg before the festival which I liked but that he was able to bring in his writing talent into this festival was a much bigger thing.
So after seeing already the other show he directed two weeks ago (and I did not really like) I was off to Hanau once again last Friday...
Book - Jan Radermacher
Stage/Set - Tobias Schunck
Costumes - Ulla Röhrs
Hannes- Florian Rast
Wagner, his father/ Shadow King - Helmut Potthoff
Gustav, brother/ A General - Benedikt Selzner
The King, a living dead - Hans B. Goetzfried
A Stranger, Nurse Maria - Claudia Brunnert
Johannes, Princess Elisa - Janina Steinwender
A sexton/ Albert, butler, a living dead - Detlev Nyga
Landlady/ Shou Shou, a French housekeeper, a living dead - Nadine Buchet
The play's plot does stay decently faithful to the original story at the beginning though it eventually develops a life of its own with the odd element from the story still present from the point when Hans or as he the young protagonist is called here Hannes, is to stay the night under a gallow and the hanging man turning out to be a once king killed by his brother, the shadow king, who allied himself with the devil promising him 1000 souls for everything he wishes for.
Hannes also meets a strange woman and her son Johannes who turns out to be a girl, Elisa.
When the woman is kidnapped and displaced to the king's former castle and now home of his brother, Hannes, Elisa and the king are off tor rescue her.
In the castle they meet various (living dead) servants of the king who try to scare them off at first as the shadow king just needs a very few souls till he has reached his target and they do not want Hannes and Elisa, who also turns out to be the missing princess, the daughter of the living dead king, to be the final victims.
But eventually they all manage to conquer the shadow king, the living dead are freed going to heaven and Hannes learns to fear - of losing Elisa having falling in love with her.
And that certain fear is the key to the emotional state of Hannes and what is new to the plot. Here fear stands as a representation of (all) emotions locked in. He was treated by his father, his brother and the other people in the village he grew up in with so much coldness after his mother died at his birth (and people blaming him for that - what a cruel thing to do (and I know what it means to be blamed for ruining someone's life even though I know these days that it was, if anyone's fault that of these two people, not mine)) that he never could develop some kind of emotional intelligence becoming the village idiot but throughout the story he starts to break out of that prison, bit by bit, and becomes a human with feelings - and not only that he realises these feelings.
Besides that new substantial message the story is told cleverly with much detail and some of the most wittiest and some of most subtle lines heard in a long time but it never loses itself in too many details sticking to the thread (how some "journalist" actually could write there is none is beyond my understanding) delivering such an exciting and inspiring theatre outing.
Okay, some people may say I am biased, and yes, I confess, am totally adoring this guy('s talent most probably more than I should) but I was certainly wowed by the amount of creativity shown in that book turning out to be a just over two hours long performance.
I especially love it, and I said that already for Peter Pan and The Jungle Book, is that his pieces, while they have a good amount of humour they also always show a level of earnestness and sincerity for the piece and taking the audience serious with this show largely addressing older children, teenagers and adults never ever getting ridiculous.
Transformed for the stage it is directed rather simplistically and abstractly by Austrian actress and director Adisat Semenitsch.
Largely staged on the same staircase, just a different colour, as "Es War Einmal" she manages to utilise it properly for so simple things as just walking through the village as in the first two scenes (set by Tobias Schunck).
The fearful moments are not really scary but grotesque and morbid reminding of movies as Addams Family or various Tim Burton movies (e.g. Corpse Bride) that while being a bit eerie and occasionally macabre they are also funny and ludicrous but without hardly ever being too much slapstick
The team manages to balance on that fine line and bring that message across how essential emotions are for human viability without being too grandstanded.
I also cannot praise the cast enough which played so convincingly and just showed the odd nerves but with a few more shows done I am sure they will be even better.
It is particularly again Hans B. Goetzfried being the absolute highlight as the living dead king being so poignant and truly comic even in the smallest normally unexciting moments and he, as the king regularly loses his right hand with his body decomposing, makes it funny even after it happened several times or when he calls his brother a mean little traitor constantly with so much resentfulness that he constantly had me in stitches.
Nadine Buchet as the French housekeeper reminded me a bit of Disney's Beauty and the Beast's Babette being a similar character with also the French accent and everything but that shall not put down her wonderful performance.
Janina Steinwender as Elisa is a sweet but also feisty young lady that is willed to fight for what is important for her and Florian Rast as Hannes at her side delivers an accentuated refined characterisation with his rather unique way to play (though occasionally reminding me of the by me highly adored Manuel Ettelt having a similar physical appearance and similar gesture) being a most believable "hero".
Detlev Nyga certainly reminds me of familiar characters as Frankenstein's monster or Addams Familiy's butler Lurch but just as Helmut Potthoff as the shadow king and Claudia Brunnert as Elisa's apparent mother Maria can delight with their nuanced acting breathing life into the characters.
And they are also supported well by the extras Victoria Leschhorn, Fabian Dünow, Ralf Schröter and Dagmar Binger being e.g. village people and the king's former household troops.
And that certain fear is the key to the emotional state of Hannes and what is new to the plot. Here fear stands as a representation of (all) emotions locked in. He was treated by his father, his brother and the other people in the village he grew up in with so much coldness after his mother died at his birth (and people blaming him for that - what a cruel thing to do (and I know what it means to be blamed for ruining someone's life even though I know these days that it was, if anyone's fault that of these two people, not mine)) that he never could develop some kind of emotional intelligence becoming the village idiot but throughout the story he starts to break out of that prison, bit by bit, and becomes a human with feelings - and not only that he realises these feelings.
Besides that new substantial message the story is told cleverly with much detail and some of the most wittiest and some of most subtle lines heard in a long time but it never loses itself in too many details sticking to the thread (how some "journalist" actually could write there is none is beyond my understanding) delivering such an exciting and inspiring theatre outing.
Okay, some people may say I am biased, and yes, I confess, am totally adoring this guy('s talent most probably more than I should) but I was certainly wowed by the amount of creativity shown in that book turning out to be a just over two hours long performance.
I especially love it, and I said that already for Peter Pan and The Jungle Book, is that his pieces, while they have a good amount of humour they also always show a level of earnestness and sincerity for the piece and taking the audience serious with this show largely addressing older children, teenagers and adults never ever getting ridiculous.
Transformed for the stage it is directed rather simplistically and abstractly by Austrian actress and director Adisat Semenitsch.
Largely staged on the same staircase, just a different colour, as "Es War Einmal" she manages to utilise it properly for so simple things as just walking through the village as in the first two scenes (set by Tobias Schunck).
The fearful moments are not really scary but grotesque and morbid reminding of movies as Addams Family or various Tim Burton movies (e.g. Corpse Bride) that while being a bit eerie and occasionally macabre they are also funny and ludicrous but without hardly ever being too much slapstick
The team manages to balance on that fine line and bring that message across how essential emotions are for human viability without being too grandstanded.
I also cannot praise the cast enough which played so convincingly and just showed the odd nerves but with a few more shows done I am sure they will be even better.
It is particularly again Hans B. Goetzfried being the absolute highlight as the living dead king being so poignant and truly comic even in the smallest normally unexciting moments and he, as the king regularly loses his right hand with his body decomposing, makes it funny even after it happened several times or when he calls his brother a mean little traitor constantly with so much resentfulness that he constantly had me in stitches.
Nadine Buchet as the French housekeeper reminded me a bit of Disney's Beauty and the Beast's Babette being a similar character with also the French accent and everything but that shall not put down her wonderful performance.
Janina Steinwender as Elisa is a sweet but also feisty young lady that is willed to fight for what is important for her and Florian Rast as Hannes at her side delivers an accentuated refined characterisation with his rather unique way to play (though occasionally reminding me of the by me highly adored Manuel Ettelt having a similar physical appearance and similar gesture) being a most believable "hero".
Detlev Nyga certainly reminds me of familiar characters as Frankenstein's monster or Addams Familiy's butler Lurch but just as Helmut Potthoff as the shadow king and Claudia Brunnert as Elisa's apparent mother Maria can delight with their nuanced acting breathing life into the characters.
And they are also supported well by the extras Victoria Leschhorn, Fabian Dünow, Ralf Schröter and Dagmar Binger being e.g. village people and the king's former household troops.
Special mentioning needs to go to the instrumental scene change music - I do not know whether Jan also wrote that but it has a fantastic melody that I wished it had be used to have like one big song in the play.
Overall a fantastic evening totally making up for the other show and I hope it has a future after the festival around the country.
Can someone now get Jan to write a book for "The Goose Girl" and bring it on stage???
Pictures from the production
Overall a fantastic evening totally making up for the other show and I hope it has a future after the festival around the country.
Can someone now get Jan to write a book for "The Goose Girl" and bring it on stage???
