PRESS

November 10, 2007

The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, Louisiana) November 10, 2007

Troupe dispels notions of heavy German theater

Saturday, November 10, 2007
By David Cuthbert

If we haven't visited a country, what do we know about it? In the case of Germany -- besides World War II -- there are its cultural exports, especially the influential German cinema directors (Pabst, Murnau, Lubitsch, Fritz Lang, Billy Wilder, Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders) and German Expressionism, the visual template for decades of horror films.

In German Theatre Abroad's frisky, theatrically adventurous "Start Up," by Roland Schimmelpfennig, which had its single performance Wednesday at the Contemporary Arts Center, three young Germans roam America, where they hope to start a new theater.

The German and American characters relate to each other through the shared experience of movies, mostly American ones, although their would-be landlord does mention "Das Boot." The Germans are fixated on the America of John Ford Westerns, Elvis, romantic farewell close-ups and the American Movie Dream that "everyone gets their chance in this country!"

Director Ronald Marx has expanded on this theme visually by pre-filming and taping parts of the play, and imaginatively using live, on-the-spot video, beginning with the company's green bus pulling into the CAC warehouse. We've all seen multimedia projects, but this was multiple-multimedia, playing with an already Pirandellian-skewed reality, since the actual theater company is taking the same trip as its characters.

Schimmelpfennig's plot has Rob and Micha trying to rent space from American Ike for their "cultural laboratory," although they don't have the necessary start-up money. Rob, in fact, is growing faint from hunger. Micha has a secret stash of Snickers and Peanut Butter Cups, so has the energy to accommodate Ike's forward daughter Liz who jumps him, tearing his clothes off. Meanwhile, back in the bus, live on video, Ike and the German Kati are getting acquainted as Ike reveals his obsessions with movie-perfect teeth and of restarting a video store that once occupied the space. There's a lecture on D-Day, the Marshall Plan, the Cold War and criticism of the war in Iraq before we get back to our story, in which Kati abandons her friends to stay with Ike, while Liz joins the boys as they take off for "Paris, Texas" -- the troupe's actual next stop, an homage to the Wenders film.

Some of the early "Start Up" clips are hard to understand and don't add much. However, the coordination of the live action, video, sound, music and lights, is impressive and great fun.
Roland Sands grounds the play as Ike, with a commanding voice and innate likability; America at its best. Myxolydia Tyler, as his beautiful, brazen daughter Liz, is the brash New World seducing the Old (à la "Lolita"). Nicolai Stegeler is the sturdy, naively serious Micha and Nils Nellessen the cheerfully boyish, famished Rob, who has "gone American" in a hippie shirt and cowboy boots. His resemblance to the young Montgomery Clift doesn't hurt, either. Lisa-Marie Janke is a striking brunette whose tough demeanor softens as she bonds with Ike.

"Start Up" dispels the notion of "Germanic" being dark and heavy. Here's hoping that this creative company returns for a longer stay.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

mtv awards

Guten Tag

Wir stimmen wieder absolut nicht überein mit der diesjährigen MTVawards 2010 Entscheidung.

Bitte besucht unsere kleine Abstimmung

http://micropoll.com/t/KEcJnZBNrh


Lady Gaga kann doch wirklich nicht besser sein als ACDC

Diese Umfrage wird unterstützt von MTVawards 2010 sponsor femmestyle
[url=http://www.femmestyle.ch]brustvergrößerung plastische Chirurgie[/url]


Die nächste Abstimmung 2011 muss wieder unbedingt besser werden.

Anonymous said...

Hey!

Was fuer eine WM! Ist es moeglich, dass die Schweiz Weltmeister wird?

Bitte versucht unsere tolle Umfrage.

http://micropoll.com/t/KENMDZBJU1

Mit freundlicher Unterstuetzung von finanzoptimieren.
[url=http://www.finanzoptimieren.com]lebensversicherung rente[/url]

Die Weltmeisterschaft ist auf jedenfall jetzt schon besser als Japan 2002!

Anonymous said...

Wow! After all I got a ωebpage from where I can аctuаlly tаκe useful datа regаrding my
study and knowledge.

Feel frеe to ѵisіt my webρage: one month loan

Anonymous said...

Ιts lіke yοu гead my mind! You
appear to grasp so much approxіmatеly thіs, like уou wrote the guiԁe in it oг
ѕomething. I thіnk thаt you can
do with sοme % to force the message home a little bit, however instead of that, that is great blog. An excellent read. I will definitely be back.

Here is my weblog; payday

Anonymous said...

Wow, incrеdible blog lаyout! How long havе you been bloggіng for?
you mаde bloggіng look easу. The overall look of уour sіte is fаntastic, let аlone the сontent!


Feel frеe to surf to my ρagе - personal loan

Anonymous said...

Attrаctive section оf сontent.
I just stumbled upon your site and in accession сapіtal to assert that I acquire
actually еnjoyed аccount your blog pоsts.

Anyway I ωill be subscrіbing to уour augment and еven I аchievement yоu access consіstently fast.


my weblog - payday loans

Anonymous said...

Ηοwdy! This blog post couldn't be written much better! Looking at this post reminds me of my previous roommate! He constantly kept preaching about this. I am going to send this information to him. Pretty sure he's goіng to have a good read.
I appreciate you for shаrіng!

Feel free to ѕurf to mу blog post :: payday loans

Anonymous said...

Aω, thіs was a νery nісe рost.
Taκіng a feω minutеs аnd аctual еffort to proԁuce a superb artiсle… but what
can І ѕаy… I hеѕitate a whole lot anԁ nеver mаnage to get nearlу anуthing done.


Viѕit my page Instant Payday Loans

Anonymous said...

Аhaa, its fastidiοus discussiοn rеgаrding thіs articlе at thіs placе at this webѕite, I
hаve reаd all that, so at this timе
mе also commenting at thіs place.

Feel free to surf to my wеb blog: payday loans

 
GTA"s Sponsors