The German State Theatre Timișoara invites audiences to two evenings of theatre, Friday and Saturday, featuring two powerful productions from its repertoire: “Struwwelpeter. Junk Opera” and “Penthesilea. A Requiem.”
If the weekend starts on Friday evening, why not kick it off with a little drama? The good kind, of course. The German State Theatre Timișoara invites audiences to two performances that promise two very different, yet equally intense theatrical experiences.
On Friday, 9 October, at 7:30 PM, “Struwwelpeter. Junk Opera” will be performed on the stage of the German State Theatre. The musical was created by The Tiger Lillies, Julian Crouch and Phelim McDermott, with music by Martyn Jacques, and is directed by Dragoș Alexandru Mușoiu. The performance is recommended for audiences aged 16 and over.
Based on Heinrich Hoffmann’s classic stories, “Struwwelpeter. Junk Opera” reinvents them with dark humour, mischievous comic twists and musical numbers with a cabaret flair. The seemingly innocent world of children’s stories thus becomes an extravagant and provocative show for adults. Combining punk and cabaret in its visual and sonic aesthetic, the production transforms Hoffmann’s moral tales into an explosive theatrical game where fear, absurdity and humour go hand in hand. The concert-like atmosphere adds to the show’s distinctive energy, while its eccentric characters and grotesquely comic situations create a world in which nothing is quite as innocent as it seems.
On Saturday, 10 October, at 7:30 PM, audiences are invited to “Penthesilea. A Requiem”, by Nino Haratischwili, directed by Eberhard Köhler. The performance is recommended for audiences aged 14 and over.
Famous and mysterious, Penthesilea is the queen of the Amazons, a warrior capable of standing her ground even against the seemingly invincible Achilles. But after 43 victories and a single defeat, her greatest battle is no longer fought on the battlefield: Penthesilea falls in love with her greatest enemy.
In this contemporary reimagining of the myth, Nino Haratischwili draws on the story known from the writings of Homer and Heinrich von Kleist, exploring themes such as heroism, war, civilisation and human destiny, while constructing an unexpected and unsettling ending.
The performance challenges the traditional image of the hero and of victory, shifting the focus from the warrior’s glory to the vulnerability of the human being behind the armour. Love and war thus become intertwined in a story about the limits of power, freedom, and the impossibility of emerging unscathed from a conflict in which both body and emotions are equally involved.
Two evenings, two performances, and two very different ways to spend your weekend: an extravagant and dark musical on Friday, and a contemporary tragedy about love, war and destiny on Saturday.
The performances are presented with Romanian and English surtitles. Tickets are available at the theatre’s box office and online.
So, got some free time? We’ve got drama. The good kind. For the weekend.
