Nathan the Wise (Nathan der Weise)
by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
"What kind of God is this who lets us fight for him?"
Lessing’s Enlightenment drama from the year 1779, which is set in the period of the Crusades, is a plea for religious tolerance. As in Lessing’s time, the cultural dialogue that it demands between Christianity, Islam and Judaism, based on rationality and humanity, reads like a fairy tale in these times of intensifying fundamental conflicts––a fairy tale that follows the structural principle of a comedy. This is shown by the series of coincidences, complex family relationships and happy resolutions to conflicts. Humour is presented as a possibility with which to counter the barbarism that threatens to overshadow everything. Director Andreas Kriegenburg interprets the story as an archaic comic, at whose beginning is Man, created from earth.
Nathan, a Jew, returns from a business trip to his home in Muslim-occupied Jerusalem. His house has been burnt to the ground, and his daughter Recha rescued from the fire by a pardoned Knight Templar. Nathan’s friend Al Hafi has been ‘promoted’ to treasurer to the Sultan, who in turn desperately needs money from Nathan to finance his war against the attacking Crusaders. The Knight Templar resists his burgeoning love for Recha. Daja, a Christian companion, lets slip to the Templar that Recha is in fact a Christian orphan. Her adoption by Nathan could lead under current law to his being burned at the stake.
Lessing’s Enlightenment drama from the year 1779, which is set in the period of the Crusades, is a plea for religious tolerance. As in Lessing’s time, the cultural dialogue that it demands between Christianity, Islam and Judaism, based on rationality and humanity, reads like a fairy tale in these times of intensifying fundamental conflicts––a fairy tale that follows the structural principle of a comedy. This is shown by the series of coincidences, complex family relationships and happy resolutions to conflicts. Humour is presented as a possibility with which to counter the barbarism that threatens to overshadow everything. Director Andreas Kriegenburg interprets the story as an archaic comic, at whose beginning is Man, created from earth.
Nathan, a Jew, returns from a business trip to his home in Muslim-occupied Jerusalem. His house has been burnt to the ground, and his daughter Recha rescued from the fire by a pardoned Knight Templar. Nathan’s friend Al Hafi has been ‘promoted’ to treasurer to the Sultan, who in turn desperately needs money from Nathan to finance his war against the attacking Crusaders. The Knight Templar resists his burgeoning love for Recha. Daja, a Christian companion, lets slip to the Templar that Recha is in fact a Christian orphan. Her adoption by Nathan could lead under current law to his being burned at the stake.
Premiere August 30, 2015
Elias Arens
Nina Gummich
Bernd Moss
Julia Nachtmann
Jörg Pose
Natali Seelig
“What first seems to be a parody of the Morlocks in H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine soon turns out to be a splendid acting achievement by six performers.
With a brilliant set design, upon which a gigantic wooden cube moves, opens and closes, and with terrific wit and numerous allusions to the modern world, director Andreas Kriegenburg succeeds in making a clear statement and plea for religious tolerance that couldn’t be more up to date." More of this Lessing please!
“What first seems to be a parody of the Morlocks in H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine soon turns out to be a splendid acting achievement by six performers.
With a brilliant set design, upon which a gigantic wooden cube moves, opens and closes, and with terrific wit and numerous allusions to the modern world, director Andreas Kriegenburg succeeds in making a clear statement and plea for religious tolerance that couldn’t be more up to date."
“Director Andreas Kriegenburg wisely refrains from politics and mostly avoids allusions to current conflicts or wars. For him, Nathan the Wise is a story about people, above all. True, they speak differently (blank verse!) and think differently (in an analogue way!) but nevertheless, they’re made of the same stuff as us.” You pay attention to the ring parable for the first time
“Director Andreas Kriegenburg wisely refrains from politics and mostly avoids allusions to current conflicts or wars. For him, Nathan the Wise is a story about people, above all. True, they speak differently (blank verse!) and think differently (in an analogue way!) but nevertheless, they’re made of the same stuff as us.”
“Elias Arens, Nina Gummich, Bernd Moss, Julia Nachtmann, Jörg Pose and Natalie Seelig form the delightfully playful ensemble with their physically accentuated acting. A fusion of silent movie and fairground music accompanies the almost three-hour-long show. It includes slapstick routines and gags reminiscent of Monty Python; the Patriarch is turned into a hearty caricature and the parable of the ring is told with gravity. (…) A successful start to the season for the Deutsches Theater. This is the right play at the right time, presented with convincing artistry. Because let’s face it: some productions of Nathan can drag on, but luckily not this one." Nathan sits on the Kaaba and talks about his life
“Elias Arens, Nina Gummich, Bernd Moss, Julia Nachtmann, Jörg Pose and Natalie Seelig form the delightfully playful ensemble with their physically accentuated acting. A fusion of silent movie and fairground music accompanies the almost three-hour-long show. It includes slapstick routines and gags reminiscent of Monty Python; the Patriarch is turned into a hearty caricature and the parable of the ring is told with gravity. (…) A successful start to the season for the Deutsches Theater. This is the right play at the right time, presented with convincing artistry. Because let’s face it: some productions of Nathan can drag on, but luckily not this one."
“Lessing’s cleverness comes through no matter how it’s packaged, and the season’s opening at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin adds another facet to the multi-layered performance history of this classic play with a brilliance and fury possibly hitherto never seen. Lessing’s Nathan, namely, also has a funny side. Aside from all the suffering and pain among Jews, Christians and Muslims, as Lessing captures in this fairy-tale Jerusalem of the Crusades era, this dramatic poem is imbued with a shot of relaxed, casual irony. (…) The fable of wise Nathan has rarely been acted out in such a light and playful manner, and past productions have seldom focused on the fairy-tale-like subtlety that Lessing adopted: as a fantasy from a foreign world. This version of Nathan is both pure Lessing and something completely different at the same time – and that’s why it’s a strong start for the Deutsches Theater." Director Kriegenburg seats top dog Christ on the toilet
“Lessing’s cleverness comes through no matter how it’s packaged, and the season’s opening at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin adds another facet to the multi-layered performance history of this classic play with a brilliance and fury possibly hitherto never seen. Lessing’s Nathan, namely, also has a funny side. Aside from all the suffering and pain among Jews, Christians and Muslims, as Lessing captures in this fairy-tale Jerusalem of the Crusades era, this dramatic poem is imbued with a shot of relaxed, casual irony. (…) The fable of wise Nathan has rarely been acted out in such a light and playful manner, and past productions have seldom focused on the fairy-tale-like subtlety that Lessing adopted: as a fantasy from a foreign world. This version of Nathan is both pure Lessing and something completely different at the same time – and that’s why it’s a strong start for the Deutsches Theater."