“In the Jungle of History. Variete” is the second, after “Künstlerspiele. Scenes from The Great War”, spectacle made by Teatr A Part with the background war theme and convention alluding to the style of cabarets from the first half of the last century, which this time is expanded with motifs taken straight from revue and references to the beginning of the cinema. As well as in case of “Künstlerspiele. Scenes from The Great War” the direct inspiration for the show was Polish-German cultural heritage of Katowice and difficult, filled with paradoxes history of relation between those two nations.
The show is a co-production of Teatr A Part and Theaterlabor im Tor 6 from Bielefeld, Germany. It’s brought to life within the international artistic project “In the Jungle of History. European Theatrical Journey” associated with the hundredth anniversary of World War I. The show was created during the residence of the actors from Theaterlabor in Katowice.
concept, scenario and direction: Marcin Herich i Siegmar Schröder
performers: Yuri Brite Anderson, Natalia Kruszyna, Alina Tinnefeld, Monika Wachowicz, Thomas Behrend, Michael Grunert, Cezary Kruszyna, Lukas Pergande
music:
“Kashmiri Love Song” by Rudolfa Valentino, “Ramona” by Dolores del Rio, “Cheek to Cheek” by Freda Astera, “Chica Chica bum Chic” by Carmen Mirandy, music by Pablo’s Eye and songsi: “Miłość ci wszystko wybaczy”, “Unter den Pinien von Argentinien”, “So ein Regenwurm hat’s gut”, “Raus mit den Männern”, “La chanson de Tessa”, “Musik, Musik, Musik” and”Oft, denk ich” (from “Kindertoteliender”) by Gustav Mahler singing by actors of the team
texts:
fragment of novel “Forbiden Zone” by Mary Borden, poem “Perhaps Stange” and “What A B what a b what a beauty” by Kurt Schwitters and fragment of drama “About Sea and Land and Sky” by Abigail Docherty
first night performance: Katowice, Poland, 2015
duration of the performance: 65 minutes
PRESENTATIONS
*Katowice, Poland, March 2015 (first night performance, one time)
*International Performing Arts Festival A Part, Katowice, Poland, June 2015 (two times)
*Seminar “In the Jungle of History”, Bielefeld, Germany, October 2015 (one time)
*International Performing Arts Festival A Part, Katowice, Poland, June 2017 (two times)
CRITICS
“In the Jungle of History. Variete” is a collaborative performance of Teatr A Part and German Theaterlabor im Tor 6. The group from Bielefeld was founded in 1983 by director Siegmar Schröder and is one of the oldest and most respected professional experimental theaters in Germany. This is the second, after “Künstlerspiele. Scenes from the Great War”, Teatr A Part’s production inspired by military and cultural history of Katowice and stage art of the first half of the last century. This time, besides the style of art cabarets, there were added many elements of variety and references to the poetics of silent cinema. The pantomimic narrative was enlivened by texts in Polish and German, not always translated. One of the significant levels of the show is the music. It accompanies the viewer from a short introduction during the whole “In the Jungle of History. Variete”. This “live music” is a series of famous and less known songs sung by the actors: from Fred Asteire’s songs to Hanka Ordonówna’s “Love shall forgive you all”, to Mahler’s songs. The eight-member group did meet both musical and acting challenge. Expressive acting and stage movement perfectly showed the convention variety type cabaret, and the war scenes were emotionally moving. Like in the “Künstlerspiele. Scenes from the Great War” set design does not play a big role. The empty space and few chairs are supposed to keep viewers’ focus on the actors. There was, however, a lighting that evokes the great entertainment stages of the last century. Powerful, expressive, terribly revue-like.
The show is a continuous, uninterrupted narrative of movement and music. Like in movie frames, we see atrocities of war, cabarets, revues and scenes from silent films. In contrast to the cabaret Künstlerspiele, where the war was a predominant theme, here the war is just a reference point. The theme of death, inseparable from the war, is not taboo here. On the contrary, it is something natural, something casual, yet equally overwhelming. Meditative, sad songs make a perfect setting. The bigger challenge was to show the complex German-Polish relationships. Poles and Germans share not only thorny history of armed conflict, but also the history of art and culture, indications of which can be found in Katowice. In the “jungle of history” actors of both nations are acting in a way that removes the language and cultural barriers. The show is proof that all boundaries disappear when it comes to the most important heritage, which is art.
Anna Zakrzewska, Na stronie [Katowice, Poland]
Photos: Rafał Sandecki
open gallery view video
