Der Wal - The Whale
Highly praised, painfully touching, stirring yet humorous play by Samuel D. Hunter.
Only at the emotionally overwhelming conclusion does the audience learn why an essay about Herman Melville's literary classic "Moby Dick" serves as an important red thread throughout the heart-wrenching story of the online English teacher for argumentative writing. After a personal tragedy, former university professor Charlie is "stranded" on a couch in northern Idaho – as author Hunter writes. His only contact is with his nurse, Elder Thomas, a Mormon, and, since recently, again with his ex-wife and his teenage daughter Ellie. The highly praised, painfully touching, stirring yet humorous play continues to generate much discussion long after the performance, not because of Charlie's monstrous obesity and sky-high blood pressure, but due to the playwright's unusual perspective on his characters and his talent for creating complex characters on multiple emotional levels who remain memorable. Like puzzle pieces, he connects in scenes of great intensity Charlie's current state with the broken relationships to people from his past who have fatefully influenced his life. Hunter's dialogues, which are attuned to tender and angry, serious and humorous undertones, are particularly effective in the scenes with his daughter. Charlie wants to protect her from falling into an existential downward spiral through loss experience, contempt, and frustration, thereby becoming as trapped in her emotional world as he is in his body.
(Birgit Landgraf)
Direction: Stephan Hoffmann
With Torsten Münchow, Derya Flechtner*, Rajko Geith, Franziska Endres*, Iris Boss
Play by Samuel D. Hunter
EURO-STUDIO Landgraf
Free introductory lecture starting at 7 PM.
Hallo, ich bin Maya.
