Bertolt Brecht in the Landestheater
Copyright: Matthias Langhoff
Matthias Langhoff is one of the top names in European theater. The director has worked primarily in French-speaking lands in recent years. Now, he’s presenting a German-language play once again: “Im Dickicht der Städte” (In the Jungle of Cities), an early work by Brecht.
“My play is meant to portray the pure joy of battle,” wrote Bertolt Brecht about “Im Dickicht der Städte.” He appropriately subtitled his work “The fight between two men in the great city of Chicago.” Shlink, a lumber dealer, gets involved in a dispute with Garga, an employee at a library. What ensues is a struggle in which each combatant destroys the basis of his opponent’s livelihood. Acts of vengeance alternate. In this work that premiered in 1923—and delivered a full-blown theatrical scandal—Brecht completely dispensed with any psychological motivation on the part of his protagonists; instead, he derived his inspiration from the sport of boxing. The climax is all the more surprising: Shlink admits his love to Garga but is rejected. And things inexorably proceed to their tragic conclusion.IM DICKICHT DER STÄDTE
Premiere on December 5, 2009, 7:30 PM
Kammerspiele/Landestheater Linz, Promenade 39, 4020 Linz
Additional performances on December 9, 16 & 28, 2009, January 8, 2010, February 4, 10, 11, & 24, 2010, March 3 & 19, 2010, April 17, 2010, all at 7:30 PM
Tickets by phone 0800 / 21 80 00 and online at www.landestheater-linz.at
Details at http://www.linz09.at/en/projekt-2106462/im_dickicht_der_staedte.html
