A cross and countless swords hang from the ceiling, notes are scattered on the floor and a red habit dangles from the wall. The stage setting gives the first hint of the Inquisition, which plays a role later. Whispering voices sound from the loudspeakers and introduce the play “Karl, Posa and Philipp and the thing with Eboli”. He himself, Andreas Seyferth, impresario of the theater “Much Ado About Nothing,” directed the production.
Spain in the 16th century: Crown Prince Karlos, his face covered by a mask, plays a piano. The appearance of Karlos’ old childhood friend, the Marquis of Posa, interrupts the piano playing. The two meet again after a long time. The Infant says: “I need love.” And thinks he has found this love in his father’s new wife, the queen. His friend Posa, on the other hand, wants a world without abuse of power. And King Philip, lonely at the head of the country, wants “a person” and “a friend”. He sees this in the Marquis.
In her text version, Margrit Carls delivers haunting dialogues, interrupted by absurd short scenes. The strange situations create a dilapidated woman (Urte Gudian) who shuffles across the stage, dragging bags of clothes behind her and uttering unintelligible babble, as well as the figure of the colorful man (David Fink). In keeping with the name, his outfit consists of a wild mix of patterns, the labels are still attached to the clothes, and he runs quickly across the stage while following instructions from a voice on his phone. Like reading a piece of paper. “Why the old ham?” reads the checkered man obediently. Good question, but this interpretation of Schiller’s dramatic poem revives the “old ham”.
That wasn’t the case with Schiller: The Buntscheckige (David Fink) receives instructions over the phone and asks a pretty important question.
(Photo: Arno Friedrich)
The intensity of the plot increases when Karlos (Danielle Green) asks the king (Margrit Carls) for authority over the army in Flanders. The father refuses, Karlos screams and throws clothes across the stage in anger. Then it comes to the “Eboli thing”. David Fink, who switches between a variety of characters, takes on her role. By putting a dress on himself. Karlos and Eboli meet, there is a “misunderstanding” and Eboli is out for revenge. She schemes against Karlos. To save him, Posa (Judith Bopp) sacrifices himself. The sound of a shot rings out and Posa sinks to the ground.
“The dead man was my friend,” Karlos accuses the king, who was also involved. The Infant hammers on the piano keys, hiding his face and his feelings under a mask, just like at the beginning. The conflict reaches its climax when the king hands his son over to the Inquisition with the words “Cardinal! I have done my thing. Do yours.” With such, sometimes absurd scenes, strange characters and a lot of movement on stage, the theater ensemble “Much Ado About Nothing” shows Schiller’s play in a new light.
“Karl, Posa and Philipp and the Eboli thing”, until May 17th, 8 p.m., Pasinger Fabrik, August-Exter-Str. 1, maps below theaterviellaermumnichts.de