A Modern Reimagining of “The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum” – A review
Bastian Kraft’s recent staging of Heinrich Böll‘s “The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum” eschews a contemporary setting, instead opting for a visually striking and purposeful immersion in the 1970s. The production, running 100 minutes, utilizes brown skirts, beige trousers, mustaches, and period hairstyles to firmly establish its aesthetic, emphasizing the weight of words like “divorced” and “men’s visit” as societal judgments of the era. Despite this retro presentation, the staging achieves a radical impact through its multimedia approach.
The performance centers around a long table on the stage,where Lola Klamroth,Rebecca lindauer,and Katharina Schmalenberg,initially disguised as men in suits and sporting mustaches,meticulously examine the “Fall Blum” files. An overhead camera projects protocols, photographs, and documents onto three large screens, bringing the investigation to life. Simultaneously, scenes unfold depicting the interrogation of Katharina Blum, suspected of aiding the fugitive Ludwig Götten, alongside testimonies from witnesses including her employer Hubert Blorna and his wife, and her friends.
A key element of the production is the pre-recorded embodiment of all characters through elaborate masks. These masked portrayals appear in half-portrait on the screens, while Klamroth, Lindauer, and Schmalenberg deliver the dialogue live on stage. The actresses simultaneously present Katharina Blum with paparazzi photos and newspaper articles, visually highlighting the parallel between media reporting and the interrogation process.
The multiple layers of alienation initially require adjustment from the audience, but the setting quickly gains a compelling charm. The large-format dialogues, delivered with near-perfect timing, become captivating, drawing focus away from the actors on stage. Some scenes, such as the threatening phone calls resulting from media coverage, are presented solely on stage.
Throughout the evening, the performers transition from their initial male disguises, gradually removing wigs and donning skirts, ultimately embodying Katharina Blum herself – over-the-knee skirts, high-necked blouses, and long brown hair. This transformation, as Kraft intends, signifies the reclaiming of the narrative by the woman at its center.sexist language and symbols are aggressively painted over with black paint, culminating in an explosive expression of Katharina Blum’s anger. Accompanied by Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do,” the three women throw black paint bags against the walls, obscuring the lettering. The actual act of violence committed by katharina Blum remains implied.
The investigation then shifts from an inquiry into Blum’s connection to Götten to a murder investigation, focusing on Blum’s shooting of journalist werner Tötges. The scene detailing Blum’s experience of sexual harassment is particularly impactful.As a domestic worker, she routinely endured unwanted advances from the household’s affluent guests, contributing to the media’s sensationalized reporting of “men’s visits” – a subject she remains silent about with the police.
The production concludes with a sense of universal loss. The subtitle of the narrative, “How violence arises and where it can lead,” is projected as an oversized shadow onto the screen. The premiere on Saturday received a warm response from the audience, leaving a lingering question: will this staging encourage a deeper consideration of the individuals behind sensational headlines?
(Von Sonja harter/Apa)
(Production Details: “The lost Honor of Katharina Blum” by Heinrich Böll, adapted and directed by Bastian Kraft. Stage Design: Nadin Schumacher, Costumes: Jelena Miletic, Music: Björn SC Deigner, Lighting: Jürgen Capitain, Video & Live Lux: Jonathan Kastl. featuring Lola Klamroth,Rebecca Lindauer,and Katharina Schmalenberg.)
