A successful premiere took place on Saturday 18 April at the Heidelberg Theatre: Marcel Kohler presented his latest play On the other side of the moon with texts by Hilde Domin. Steffen Becker wrote about the play on nachtkritik.de dazu:
“The connection between yesterday – today – tomorrow is also reflected in the evening’s artistic crossover. Linn Reusse paints motifs live on a tablet, which are projected onto the stage. These often incorporate elements of a theatre curtain – designed by the artist Andreas Felger, a colleague of Domin’s (…) – which is unveiled later in the performance.
The highlight of the evening is Christoph Bernewitz’s musical setting of the poems. This, too, is a balancing act that could easily have gone wrong. In “On the other side of the moon”, however, the opera’s women’s choir delivers a captivating musical performance, embodying the polyphony of Dom’s poetry whilst also reflecting the significance of her literature not only for those affected at the time.
(…)
In Heidelberg, you really do get to experience the city’s ‘adopted daughter’ with all your senses. And after the two-hour performance, you’ll find yourself wanting to learn more about Hilde Domin’s life and delve into her work.”
Marcel Kohler has succeeded in creating a narrative yet poetically evocative interpretation of Domin’s writings through a combination of musical theatre, acrobatics and a stage design featuring dynamic backdrops – in which Andreas Felgers’ stage image is, quite literally, more than just a traditional curtain at the front of the stage or a mere backdrop. On the contrary: through projections, light and shadow, and the physical movement of the 11 x 22-metre fabric, it is literally brought to life and thus becomes an independent protagonist in the interplay between actors, objects and the stage space. The delicate, malleable surface is particularly well suited to visualising the tender, light and ethereal qualities of Domin’s poetry, creating an enchanting synthesis of the media of word, sound and imagery. Following the previews of Andreas Felger’s theatrical curtain in the Bogenhalle at Mössinger PAUSA and the Christ Pavilion at Volkenroda Abbey, it has now been able to unfold its full potential on the stage of the Heidelberg Theatre.
Further information from the Heidelberg Theatre can be found here. We particularly recommend the introduction to the play by the dramaturgs Deborah Raulin and Orina Vogt.
We have compiled some press reviews of the premiere for you:
Theatre and Orchestra Heidelberg
Theaterstraße 10
69117 Heidelberg
