Can the Lord Jesus still intervene in the game between death and the devil in a saving manner? Bärbel Beier as a desperate Magdalena Faust.
(Photo: Münchner Volkssängerbühne)
Munich, early 1930s. Magdalena is looking for a doctor to treat her sick son, but she has no money to pay for an examination. When Dr. Mephisto turns up unexpectedly and offers to make his services available free of charge, she is greatly relieved: “Heaven sends her,” she says. “Rather ned”, the guest replies laconically and diabolically.
Yes, there are also a few scenes and dialogues to smile about in “Dees Ewig Spui von Tod & Deife”, but in general the new piece by the Münchner Volkssängerbühne, which so far is known primarily for its comedic, sometimes coarse to crazy productions, is one Drama that takes place in Munich in the final phase of the Weimar Republic and is inspired by Goethe’s “Faust”. “A layer of life and letting die”, as it says in the subtitle. It was written by Roland Beier, the creative head of MVB. The piece was supposed to have premiered last season, but it fell victim to the pandemic.
This year too, things are not looking devilishly good for a successful theater season, but the MVB risks it, the premiere is to take place on January 22nd, 2022 in the Kleiner Theater Haar “We said to ourselves: We put so much time and money into it , we’re going to do it now, “says Beier. A total of nine performances are planned in the main building, the Kleine Theater Haar, and one in Unterhaching im Kubiz. Of course, Beier is not really happy with the current development. “That’s really stupid right now. We hope that the plus will no longer apply and only 2 G will apply.” There are already a few reservations, but quite a few of them were made before the introduction of 2-G-plus.
The MVB-typical combination of theater and entertainment in the hall will probably not exist anyway, but one will probably try streaming. “But to be honest. The demand has been very low so far,” says Beier. Since the MVB, which is a registered association, pays the streaming costs, it would still be worth considering whether it would be profitable. After all: In Bavaria, people who have already had a booster vaccination no longer have to be tested in order to attend cultural events.
Roland Beier, creative head of the Münchner Volkssängerbühne, relocated the story of Mephisto and the Faust family to Munich in the 1930s.
(Photo: Claus Schunk)
Beier, who is the first chairman and who was also responsible for the productions of the Volkssängerbühne for many years, has meanwhile given up directing. And is very happy about it. “It was clear to me: at some point there has to be a change and younger people should follow suit.” Director Franz Rinberger is no longer a classic youngster either, but he has evidently brought fresh momentum to it. “He’s doing a great job. I’m thrilled,” said Beier, who recently attended a rehearsal for the ensemble at the “Route 66” youth center in Haar. He likes the fact that the new director thinks “very complex” from Beier’s point of view and tries to incorporate many small staging details.
“Either we can do it or we lock the hut”
The main role of Magdalena, who, in her longing and greed for a better life, makes a pact with Mephisto and, so to speak, goes over corpses, takes on his wife Bärbel Beier. The play takes place in Munich in 1930, where many families lose their belongings, status and their usual lives after the stock market crash. It is a dramatic decline in a society that is shaped by poverty and unemployment. The city of Munich is also increasingly becoming a breeding ground for dangerous ideas, especially those of National Socialism. “The period around 1930 is a good way to deal with the Faustian theme,” says Beier, “but now you can of course also see parallels with the present.”
The members of the Münchner Volkssängerbühne, which has existed since 1960 and is known for their productions in Bavarian dialect, design their own sets and also have their own costume tailor in Anna di Buono. The motivation in the ensemble is high, as is the vaccination rate, everyone wants to do theater again. “Either we can do it or we lock the hut,” says Roland Beier, who lives in Haar. Of course, he hopes that everything will go well in January and February and is looking forward to the staging of his dramatic text. That is “tough stuff”, but the Unterhachinger-born has already written his next piece again. It’s a comedy that – God (and the Deife) willing – will premiere in January 2023.
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