Ödipus

A deadly plague is raging in Thebes. It is said that only the atonement of a blood debt can prevent the impending doom: King Oedipus must find the murderer of his predecessor Laius in order to save Thebes - and in doing so inevitably reveals an ever more terrible entanglement of guilt and innocence, of fate, freedom, power and betrayal, at the center of which lies the secret of his own origins.

Even two and a half thousand years after it was written, Sophocles' "Oedipus the King" still exerts an unfathomable attraction. Something akin to us in this story never ceases to appeal to us. Following this idea, the production, which is characterized by mask play, accompanies a group of enigmatic beings in their exploration of the story and an increasing approach to its characters, themes and indeed: Secrets. The initial strangeness gives way to ever greater closeness and a maelstrom that spans time and space and revolves around the most fundamental and perhaps most disturbing of all questions: What is man?

Sarah Heppekausen, nachtkritik:

“And then [...] touchingly tells of power and powerlessness, of guilt and self-doubt, of hubris and despair. Being human as a tragedy. And Paulina Alpen speaks this Oedipus so calmly, so naturally human that it doesn't really matter whether she is wearing a mask or not.”

Jens Dirksen, WAZ:

“An Oedipus from outer space, that has probably never been seen before in the history of performance, which already spans two and a half millennia. The directorial approach of Alexander Klessinger and Max Süthoff [...] focuses the drama closely on human suffering, on the tragic decisions of Oedipus, the seeker of truth, the individual in his ultimately cosmic loneliness. [...] The fact that the aliens are only able to speak like humans when they put on one of the masks lying around (costumes: Sophie Leypold) gives the whole play a double bottom. It contains the knowledge that we are all stardust.”

Stefan Keim, DLF Kultur:

“Grandiose stage design in the beautiful Raffelbergpark. The visual setting is fascinating.”

Martin Krumbholz, Die deutsche Bühne:

“But the outstanding event is this Oedipus [...] with a captivating concept that is characterized not least by optical alienations. [...] This rather short performance is remarkably well spoken. Not a word, not a syllable is lost, everything comes across the ramp with razor-sharp clarity, even when the seer Teiresias, for example, stutters pitifully because he doesn't want to reveal what he has to out of misunderstood loyalty.”