The prestigious Swiss director, Christoph Marthaler will première a symbolic and political comedy that delves into the crisis of today’s personal and joint meaning, on 4 and 5 April in the Concha Velasco Red Hall at Teatros del Canal. The show will be performed in Italian, German, English (Scottish) and French with Spanish subtitles.
True to his style, Marthaler offers a show full of irony, in which musical theatre becomes a key tool to explore power, success and the collective feeling of drifting.
The action places six characters in a refuge on top of a mountain. It is uncertain who they are and why they are there: they could be politicians, public figures or simply individuals fleeing from a world in crisis. This ambiguity is not left to chance. The “summit” functions as a multiple metaphor, representing a high-level meeting, an elevated geographical point and the allegorical idea of having reached the top, perfection or success.
However, the question posed by the show is as simple as it is disturbing: once up there, what comes next? Far from cynicism, Marthaler is committed to vital energy sustained by music and a strong sense of the absurd. The spectator is invited to take a step back and observe from afar the contradictions of a Europe that is seeking its direction without any clear destination.
Artistic File:
Venue: Teatros del Canal - Sala Roja Concha Velasco
- Concept and Director - Christoph Marthaler
- Cast - Liliana Benini, Charlotte Clamens, Raphael Clamer, Federica Fracassi, Lukas Metzenbauer and Graham F. Valentine
- Playwright - Malte Ubenauf
- Stage Design - Duri Bischoff
- Costumes - Sara Kittelmann
- Make-up and Hair - Pia Norberg
- Lighting - Laurent Junod
- Sound - Charlotte Constant
- Collaboration in playwrighting - Éric Vautrin
- Assistant Director - Giulia Rumasuglia
- Musical Rehearsal Directors - Bendix Dethlesen and Dominique Tille
- Management Placement Student - Louis Rebetez
- Production - Marion Caillaud and Tristan Pannatier
- Props and Stage Construction - Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne
- Costume Making with the help of - Piccolo Teatro di Milano – Teatro d’Europa
- General Management - Véronique Kespi and Guillaume Zemor (alternating)
- Lighting Management - Jean-Luc Mutrux and Cassandre Colliard (alternating)
- Sound Management - Charlotte Constant and Marc Pieussergues (alternating)
- Stage Management - Fabio Gaggetta and Mathieu Pegoraro (alternating)
- Seamstress - Cécilé Delanoë
- Production - Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne, Piccolo Teatro di Milano – Teatro d’Europa, MC93 – Maison de la culture de Seine-Saint-Denis
- Co-production - Bonlieu Scène nationale Annecy, Ruhrfestspiele Recklinghausen, Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, Festival d’Automne à Paris, Théâtre National Populaire de Villeurbanne, Festival d’Avignon, Maillon Théâtre de Strasbourg – Scène Européenne, Malraux scène nationale Chambéry Savoie, Les 2 Scènes – Scène nationale de Besançon, tnba – Théâtre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, International Summer Festival Kampnagel
- Acknowledgements - Isabelle Faust
Approximate Duration: 1 hour 50 minutes (without an interval)
Languages: Italian, German, English (Scottish) and French with Spanish subtitles
