The Little Mermaid

Description

"When people see a fish, no one ever thinks to ask whether it's a male or a female. In an aquarium, the conditions are paradisical in this regard: you are admired for your beauty, and no one wants to look between your legs." Underwater, we see humans blurry, shapes blur, body boundaries dissolve, everything flows. The same happens in drag, the art form that dissolves gender roles through extravagant costumes and makeup, immerses identities in glitter and sequins, and above all offers a breathtaking show. Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale shows a similar transformation: a mermaid falls in love with a human and wants to get rid of her fish tail. The fairy tale ends tragically, as is well known. Perhaps it reflects Andersen's own fate, who was in love with his childhood friend all his life and could never live that love. At the same time, it is a story as old as humanity itself, of nymphs, water spirits, transformation, and liberation from assigned roles. The director Bastian Kraft, well known to the Schauspielhaus Zürich, has delighted audiences in recent years with productions of "Andorra" and "Homo Faber" by Max Frisch and "Buddenbrooks" by Thomas Mann. Now, instead of the prince's love on land, Bastian Kraft seeks happiness in the sea: with actors from the ensemble and stars from the Swiss drag scene, he reinterprets the story of the little mermaid and dives into where biography and fairy tale flow into each other, and drag and acting blur into a show de nixe. The program booklet is available for download here. Participants and additional information: Featuring Elias Arens / Sasha Melroch / Karin Pfammatter / Dr. Anis Meschichi aka Klamydia vonKarma / Ivy Monteiro aka Tropikahl Ivy / Renan Carvalho aka Hausvrau / Michel von Känel aka Paprika / Alexander Angeletta DIRECTOR: Bastian Kraft STAGE: Peter Baur COSTUMES: Sophie Reble Music: Björn SC Deigner Video: Jonas Link Lighting: Michel Güntert Dramaturgy: Bendix Fesefeldt