Lace Market Theatre. Review of Till Eulenspiegel - Reloaded.

As part of the theatre exchange between Nottingham's Lace Market Theatre and two German theatre groups from Karlsruhe, a second theatre piece was shown by Theater Die Käuze on 16^th and 17^th April 2014. This was Pascal Paul Harang's fresh and colourful reinterpretation of a selection tales of the legendary prankster, Till Eulenspiegel. The production drew in some near capacity audiences.

Theater Die Käuze performed the piece, Till Eulenspiegel - reloaded in an eclectic mix of styles through the mediums of story telling, dance – modern and ancient – drama and broad comedy. The piece was broken up into a fractured spectrum of short scenes covering the life of Till from his birth to his death.

There are over fifty stories surrounding the impudent trickster and Pascal Paul Harang has wisely cut the work down to less than half that amount for his theatrical presentation. The cast of thirteen work as an ensemble throughout with Mathis Harang and Joshua Wetterauer playing the boy Till in different performances and showing off their individual dance skills as well some fine acting.

 

The charismatic Viktor Müller plays Till as an adult and does so with an edge of comic malevolence coupled with charming wit. He is seen as almost literally dancing rings around the characters that persecute him and on whom he takes his wicked revenge.

The ensemble worked well together considering the different practicalities of the Lace Market stage compared to the much smaller stage at the company's theatre in Karlsruhe. There were over thirty parts in all and all were clearly delineated. The piece was costumed in a mix of modern and historical to show how the stories of Till are still relevant to society today. Till himself was always in red to illustrate his position as an outsider.

 

Till Eulenspiegel sought to illustrate the foolish nature of mankind and their innate snobbery and this was particularly well illustrated in the paintings scene where the buyers were practically orgasmic in their vocal gasps whilst looking at a blank wall and fooling themselves they could see wonderful commissions. I liked the touch with the red noses especially.

 

 

Some English was injected into the piece and there was an authentic conversation between Viktor Müller and Marius Schmidt as the clown. Their protracted conversation was well acted, well spoken with local references and drew a round of applause from the audience but I was technically unsure where this conversation fitted into the piece.

There was an interesting use of visual styles and creative application of live sound effects plus the benefit of surtitles for the English speaking audience. All in all a thought provoking piece vigorously performed by Theater Die Käuze from Karlsruhe.

 

 

At the Lace Theatre Nottingham. Till Eulenspeigel performed by Karlsruhe's Die Kauze group

As part of The Lace Market theatre partnership the Die Kauze theatre of Karlsruhe will be playing at the Lace Market Theatre for three performances. 16th to 17th April 2014. Tickets are free but of a limited capacity and need to be booked through the box office 0115 9520721 or online www.lacemarkettheatre.co.uk.

The performances will be in German with surtitles.

At the Lace Market Theatre in April - Boeing Boeing and Till Eulenspeigel

The Lace Market Theatre in Nottingham, as part of its theatre exchange with two German theatre companies from Karlsruhe are presenting the classic 1960s farce Boeing Boeing by the renowned Jakobus Theater and Till Eulenspiegel performed by the members of Die Käuze theatre company.

Check out the shows and performance times HERE. Each show only plays for three performances so don't miss out!

Each show is in German and Boeing Boeing will have an English introduction and Till Eulenspiegel will be played with simultaneous surtitle translations in English.  I have had the privilege of seeing the Boeing Boeing show in August last year at the company's own venue in central Karlsruhe and can tell you that the audience are in for a treat with some very comical performances, sexy ladies, very confused men and well known songs (in English) related to flying. This very popular show has been a sell out in Karlsruhe. Actually, we are in for a treat and a half! Three performances from Monday 14th April to Tuesday 15th April.

 

Boeing Boeing by Marc Camoletti

 What happens if an ambitious architect is engaged to three flight attendants? What happens if one of the girls that was supposed to take off doesn’t do so, another one lands who wasn’t supposed to, and the third is happily enjoying a hot bath? What happens if a housekeeper, who is perpetually nagging, can’t cope with the situation and an old school buddy from southern France suddenly shows up? Farce at its best!

 



Till Eulenspeigel Reloaded is written and directed by Pascal Paul-Harang

Pascal Paul-Harang is a professional director and has had many theatrical successes, most recently with the Die Käuze production of Black Forest Girl - a German romantic classic musical.

                                                         Image for Till Eulenspiegel poster

Die Käuze describe the story of Till Eulenspiegel thus: We all like to believe that the great heroes and heroines of literature truly existed. Over hundreds of years, the story of one great hero has been put into countless words, music and pictures, keeping the medieval trickster alive in hearts and minds. Now the mad, breath-taking and ultimately tragic life of the ultimate prankster is being brought to life on stage in a most epic style - from his birth to his resurrection. It is to be performed in modern dress and looks great fun. Just don't look in his mirror!!!

 

This production with our German partners, Theater Die Käuze, will be in German with English surtitles. Performances are Wednesday 16th April and Thursday 17th April.