Democracy (Demokratie)
by Michael Frayn
German translation by Micheal Raab
"Under capitalism, man is oppressed by man. Under communism, it is the other way round."
It’s 1969 in the West German capital, Bonn. After 20 years of CDU rule, the Federal Republic of Germany gets its very first Social Democrat chancellor: Willy Brandt. Berlin’s former mayor vows to "dare more democracy" and works to change policy towards East Germany, Poland and the Soviet Union. For his efforts Brandt, who survived the Nazi years in Scandinavian exile, is attacked as an appeaser and a traitor by West German conservatives. Five years later, the Chancellor’s personal assistant Günter Guillaume is revealed to be a spy for East Germany’s secret police, the Stasi. Willy Brandt is forced to step down.
British author Michael Frayn turns the Brandt-Guillaume affair into a tightly woven and painstakingly researched piece of theatre. At the Deutsches Theater, directors Tom Kühnel and Jürgen Kuttner grappled with elite aesthetics and Communist utopia in Peter Hacks’ 'Anxieties and Power', as well as Ayn Rand’s heroic, antisocial individual in 'Capitalista, Baby!'. Now they turn their attention to the years in which West Germany became a modern-style democracy – while the East looked on.
"Under capitalism, man is oppressed by man. Under communism, it is the other way round."
It’s 1969 in the West German capital, Bonn. After 20 years of CDU rule, the Federal Republic of Germany gets its very first Social Democrat chancellor: Willy Brandt. Berlin’s former mayor vows to "dare more democracy" and works to change policy towards East Germany, Poland and the Soviet Union. For his efforts Brandt, who survived the Nazi years in Scandinavian exile, is attacked as an appeaser and a traitor by West German conservatives. Five years later, the Chancellor’s personal assistant Günter Guillaume is revealed to be a spy for East Germany’s secret police, the Stasi. Willy Brandt is forced to step down.
British author Michael Frayn turns the Brandt-Guillaume affair into a tightly woven and painstakingly researched piece of theatre. At the Deutsches Theater, directors Tom Kühnel and Jürgen Kuttner grappled with elite aesthetics and Communist utopia in Peter Hacks’ 'Anxieties and Power', as well as Ayn Rand’s heroic, antisocial individual in 'Capitalista, Baby!'. Now they turn their attention to the years in which West Germany became a modern-style democracy – while the East looked on.
Director Tom Kühnel, Jürgen Kuttner
Set Jo Schramm
Costumes Daniela Selig
Music Markus Hübner
Video Jo Schramm, Marlene Blumert
Live-camera Marlene Blumert, Kristina Trömer
Dramaturgy Claus Caesar
Premiere September 21, 2012
Felix GoeserWilly Brandt
Daniel HoevelsGünter Guillaume
Ole LagerpuschArno Kretschmann
Helmut MooshammerHorst Ehmke
Jürgen KuttnerReinhard Wilke / Ulrich Bauhaus
Bernd StempelHerbert Wehner
Andreas DöhlerHelmut Schmidt
Markwart Müller-ElmauHans-Dietrich Genscher
Matthias NeukirchGünther Nollau
Willy Brandt
Günter Guillaume
Arno Kretschmann
Horst Ehmke
Reinhard Wilke / Ulrich Bauhaus
Herbert Wehner
Helmut Schmidt
Hans-Dietrich Genscher
Günther Nollau
Süddeutsche Zeitung
It’s hard not to like Willy Brandt. Still the tinge of melancholy the cool Felix Goeser (who is on his way to becoming one of our favourite actors) gives to this depressive yet charismatic politician/musician, borderline alcoholic and womanizer is enough to make you want to join his Social Democratic Party right away. (…) Bernd Stempel, another so pleasant favourite actor in the DT ensemble, skilfully plays the uptight Herbert Wehner with the faded charisma of a man who’s changed direction too often in his career: as if to prove that anyone who wasn’t an anarchist at 20 will never be a good democrat. Andreas Döhler even succeeds in portraying the dogmatic Helmut Schmidt with an air of nonchalance. With this great, feel-good performance, the Deutsches Theater lives up to its name in the nicest of ways.
It’s hard not to like Willy Brandt. Still the tinge of melancholy the cool Felix Goeser (who is on his way to becoming one of our favourite actors) gives to this depressive yet charismatic politician/musician, borderline alcoholic and womanizer is enough to make you want to join his Social Democratic Party right away. (…) Bernd Stempel, another so pleasant favourite actor in the DT ensemble, skilfully plays the uptight Herbert Wehner with the faded charisma of a man who’s changed direction too often in his career: as if to prove that anyone who wasn’t an anarchist at 20 will never be a good democrat. Andreas Döhler even succeeds in portraying the dogmatic Helmut Schmidt with an air of nonchalance. With this great, feel-good performance, the Deutsches Theater lives up to its name in the nicest of ways.
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Berliner Zeitung
British writer Michael Frayn’s play conventionally works its way through contemporary history and this production sticks, not unconventionally, to the text. Though – and this is the addition made by Tom Kühnel and Jürgen Kuttner which makes the performance into such a pleasure – without warning the actors start, mid-sentence, to….. to what?... perform pop songs to playback. Not just their lips are in sync, but also their eyebrows, tongues, palates – and maybe even their souls.
British writer Michael Frayn’s play conventionally works its way through contemporary history and this production sticks, not unconventionally, to the text. Though – and this is the addition made by Tom Kühnel and Jürgen Kuttner which makes the performance into such a pleasure – without warning the actors start, mid-sentence, to….. to what?... perform pop songs to playback. Not just their lips are in sync, but also their eyebrows, tongues, palates – and maybe even their souls.
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neues deutschland
The performers clearly enjoy the constant switching back and forth between character actor and pantomime. To the sound of loud playback – everything from Hildegard Knef and Jessica through to Udo Jürgens, Herrmann van Veen, Rio Reiser and Rammstein – each actor can reduce his character to a caricature with every move of his muscles. The playback to catchy melodies that are easy to sing along to, and the -- at times longing, at times angry -- lyrics are the outward expression of inner feelings. On the theatre stage, these songs occasionally develop a choreography worthy of a variety show, in which the male politicians twist their limbs. It’s designed to make the audience laugh. And they do.
The performers clearly enjoy the constant switching back and forth between character actor and pantomime. To the sound of loud playback – everything from Hildegard Knef and Jessica through to Udo Jürgens, Herrmann van Veen, Rio Reiser and Rammstein – each actor can reduce his character to a caricature with every move of his muscles. The playback to catchy melodies that are easy to sing along to, and the -- at times longing, at times angry -- lyrics are the outward expression of inner feelings. On the theatre stage, these songs occasionally develop a choreography worthy of a variety show, in which the male politicians twist their limbs. It’s designed to make the audience laugh. And they do.
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Premierenpodcast 'Demokratie'
Politik und Schlager: "Demokratie" ist die dritte Regiearbeit von Tom Kühnel und Jürgen Kuttner am Deutschen Theater Berlin. In diesem Podcast gibt Ihnen Jürgen Kuttner eine höchst unterhaltsame - und eben auch musikalische - Einführung in diese Inszenierung