Berlin Ensemble – “Saint Johanna of the slaughterhouses”: Man as a butcher

Bertolt Brecht, so it can be read in every literary or theater lexicon, wrote his play “The St. John of the slaughterhouses” under the impression of the global economic crisis in 1929. This is quite correct, but the most important thing, namely the following: Crisis is actually always in capitalism. One of the other is the economy. And while on the free market that compete up there for profits, they compete down there only around the last plate of soup.

Brecht and his drama shook the dynamics of these market movements and cleverly and comprehensibly staged. Now director Dušan David Pařízek has brought the “Holy Johanna” to the premiere last week at Berlin’s Ensemble, still a place for serious arguments with Master Brecht. His staging meets the material without ironic wink – one of the chronic diseases in the political theater – with great concentration and focus on the essentials. Where Pařízek is shortening, he does it carefully and with a feeling for the rhythm. Where it expands the piece with subtle updates and a foreign text, this is extremely effective and, as so often, ends in involuntary comedy.

We are in Chicago, it is 1930. No, not because of animal welfare, as he claims himself, but because of a tip from Wallstreet. Before the deal is perfect, however, the competitor Lennox must be driven to ruin. The fact that something like that does not remain without consequences for the work is without consequences, and soon there are only 70,000, then 100,000 people without work. It is not the only indication that Mauler approaches, and so we learn to speculate with goods.

Interwoven in the business behavior, the history of Johanna Dark, which is preaching and compensation for the black straw hats – an illustrious parody of the Salvation Army – promises to maintain the existing order with their means to maintain the existing order. The insights into the misery teach Johanna almost a better one. “It only helps violence where violence is,” she knows. But as quickly as it gets to the insight that the circumstances will only change through counter -violence, it shy away from the consequences and can be convinced of peaceful change.

At Pařízek, the Mauler has already filled the Baal with Stefanie Reinsperger, who had been busy at the Berlin Ensemble for years, and has now returned to Berlin-Mitte as a guest from the Vienna Burgtheater. Reinsperger is one of the most striking theater actors of their generation. Her stage routine, always as massive as possible and loudly, if not screaming, to go from zero to a hundred, threatened to drift into manneristic. In the “Saint Johanna”, her game is far more differentiated, but usual powerful, and you can tell which exceptional actress is missing from Reinperger’s departure at the house.

Kathleen Morgeneyer, who had moved from neighboring Deutsche Theater to the Berlin Ensemble in the last season, can be seen in the title role. In fact, it is difficult to imagine a more suitable line -up. Morgeneyer with her gentle, but stubborn, sometimes also lamenting tone fully fulfills the figure of Johanna. Pařízek gives the piece entirely towards these two characters, which cannot be done without any content.

During the break on this good two -hour theater evening, Reinsperger does not move off the stage, but really turns up here. For those who do not draw a culinary offer to the Foyers, Mauler has a large monologue ready to borrow the novel “The Strike” (in the original: “Atlas Shrugged”) from the American cult author Ayn Rand. It is a verbose pamphlet that celebrates the superiority of the strong and makes the essential relatives of libertarian ideology and fascism apparently.

The text is unaffected into the staging, and it exaggerates Brecht’s figure drawing, yes, it distorts it until he is white. Here it is again, the non -tearing Realsperger energy, which, however, allows little multifacetes at this point and played out playing players.

Pařízek tries for large pictures for the sometimes abstract fabric. The weird stage allows a clear hierarchization of the characters in the game. Projections ensure content and atmospheric context. The roles of the meat industrialist Lennox and the disability worker Gloomb, the major of the black straw hats Paulus (here Paula) Snyder and two newspaper boys all take over Amelie Willberg, who takes care of a quick scene.

So the staging is not lacking in scenic ideas, nor is there any speed. With pleasure you watch the outstanding acting ensemble that evening. Nevertheless, there is a lack of sensual persuasiveness that Brecht’s Theater should challenge.

Next performances: 15, 16. And 21.3.

www.berliner-ensemble.de