© Stan Hema Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny: Deutsche Oper Berlin
Berlin, Deutsche Oper Berlin — Main stage
About the Event
It all begins with the founding of a town. Less out of an ideal than out of a state of absolute hopelessness, Widow Begbick, Fatty and Trinity Moses set up a place in the world that is supposed to bring in money. They want to outwit the system that is sucking them dry, they want to be on the profit side for once. And so they christen their city “Mahagonny, the Net City”. But the system cannot be outwitted, the nets remain empty. Those who come to Mahagonny bring discontent instead of money. First and foremost Jim Mahoney, who relentlessly states: “But something is missing.”
An abysmal disillusionment lurks beneath Bertolt Brecht's and Kurt Weill's “Lehrstück” — the song “We lost our big old mama” is representative of the atmosphere of the work. In a radical nihilistic project, the characters seek their common downfall: they eat and drink themselves to death, fuck and punch themselves into the grave. Only in Jim Mahoney is there an idea of existence that raises the central questions of our time: How do we want to live? And: What does community mean?
About the production
Rethinking theatrical spaces, breaking up frontal forms — this is what characterizes the work of director Benedikt von Peter. He was awarded the prestigious Der Faust theater prize in 2011 for his cross‐space production of Luigi Nono's INTOLLERANZA. And with his interpretation of RISE AND FALL OF THE TOWN OF MAHAGONNY, he also makes new, up‐close reception experiences possible: the entire opera house becomes the town of Mahagonny — both the stage and the foyers of the Deutsche Oper Berlin are used, the audience is part of a large entertainment machine that inexorably tips over into an apocalyptic experiment.
In Benedikt von Peter's production, the RISE AND FALL OF THE CITY OF MAHAGONNY will take place in the foyers and on the stage — guests will be able to move freely between the venues and video screens. There will be free choice of seating, including on mattresses.
Cast / Production
Musical direction — Stefan Klingele
Staging — Benedikt von Peter
Co‐direction — Caterina Cianfarini
Stage — Katrin Wittig
Collaboration stage — Romy Rexheuser
Costumes — Geraldine Arnold
Video — Bert Zander
Sound design — Benjamin Schultz
Dramaturgy — Silvia Roth, Carolin Müller‐Dohle
Choirs — Jeremy Bines, Chorus of the Deutsche Oper Berlin
Leokadja Begbick — Evelyn Herlitzius
Fatty, the “procurator” — Thomas Cilluffo
Trinity Moses — Robert Gleadow
Jenny Hill — Annette Dasch
Jim Mahoney — Nikolai Schukoff
Jakob Schmidt — Kieran Carrel
Bill, called Piggy Bank Bill — Artur Garbas
Joe, called Alaskawolfjoe — Padraic Rowan
The Orchestra — Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin
Address
Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bismarckstraße 35 , Berlin, Germany — Google Maps
