Just back from Stratford where we saw Lessing's Emilia Galotti performed by Deutsches Theater Berlin, in German, with surtitles. It was thrilling! The director, Michael Thalheimer, works (Google tells me) by taking classic texts and stripping them down to essentials, getting rid of secondary characters, and replacing text with movement wherever possible. The set is abstract, costumes are modern dress, music is integral, and some interesting lighting and effects are used. Acting style could be called expressionist, lots of grotesque movement, exaggerated speech, people screaming in each other's faces, and then abnormally long silences. I am a little stunned.It is only here for four days. I don't know how many tickets are left, but if you do go, try to sit more toward the middle of the theatre (the Avon), as the set is quite deep, and if you're at the edge, you might miss just a bit of the action. Also, you will have to look up to read the surtitles, so the balcony might be the best place to sit. Of course, if you speak German, you're laughing. (Many in the audience seemed to be German which would explain the lack of a standing O even though they applauded lustily. Civilized people, they stood up when it was time to leave, and not before.)
