Lifelong opera stan projecting my sociological and queer perspective onto what’s playing on Berlin‘s big and small classical stages.
Komische Oper Berlin
This production is a truly special take on Mozart’s 1791 icon: the stage is a flat two-dimensional white surface onto which a sort of animated fairytale reminiscent of 20th century silent film is projected to show most of the plot.
Deutsche Oper Berlin
Originally written in 1825 to commemorate the aforementioned coronation, IL VIAGGIO A REIMS is less of a traditional narrative opera and rather a “scenic cantata”—a glittering excuse to showcase the greatest vocal talent of its time.
Babylon Berlin
The live music accompaniment is essential, breathing new life into the sometimes glacial pacing of silent cinema. It keeps the audience engaged and heightens appreciation for this form of musical art—something that can lost in films from our time.
Neuköllner Oper
The production curates a selection of cantatas, arias and chorales by the one and only Johann Sebastian Bach to tell a modern story about (im)mortality, suffering, transience, and serendipity.
Deutsche Oper Berlin
Beyond its bohemian charm, the opera is a classically beautiful yet tragic tale of love, jealousy, betrayal, emotional turmoil, reconciliation, and death.
Komische Oper Berlin
The German localization is great. Not only is the translation great, but the show is noticeably adapted for a German audience, at times with local vernacular and sociocultural references. Who knew a thick Berlin accent could make murder sound so glamorous?
Deutsche Oper Berlin
This ZWERG is not just a tragic story—it is an uncompromising reflection on how society’s gaze destroys the vulnerable. The production is a theatrical and emotional tour de force that leaves the audience reeling.
Staatsballett Berlin
Seeing two ballets by the same choreographer in different opera houses within a week is something that can only happen in Berlin. Culture here truly is the gift that keeps on giving!
Staatsoper Berlin
This production is a time capsule of 2010s Germany, brimming with the optimism and unity of a nation celebrating its post-reunification identity. Yet viewed through the lens of 2024, it also serves as a stark reminder of how fragile that optimism has proven.
Deutsche Oper Berlin
The production doesn’t shy away from brutality in its portrayal of the Macbeths’ relentless climb to power: the violence is disturbingly visceral.
Staatsballett Berlin
In a very intimate moment, the ensemble's members introduce themselves to the audience one by one by sharing a fact–some basic, some quite moving, and some with great comical timing–about themselves.
Staatsoper Berlin
Andreas Schager, Anja Kampe, and René Pape gave a POWERFUL performance which, while not fully staged, was emotionally entirely convincing.