Fassbinder’s cult film as a visual drama at Lilla Teatern / Fassbinder’s cult film as a visual drama
Lilla Teatern’s major investment this autumn is called Maria Braun’s Marriage, which is a dramatization of the German director and writer Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s cult film of the same name from 1979. The play is about Maria Braun, who gets married in the middle of a raging war. After only one day of marriage, her husband is forced to return to the front. Soon he is declared missing and Maria is forced to make her way in a country that lies in ruins. Maria is driven by an insatiable hunger for success and she unscrupulously uses her feminine charms and intelligence to get where she wants to go.
The play is directed by Cilla Back, who is an established name in the European theatre world, and her work is influenced by, among others. German and Italian theatrical traditions. But she has also directed a lot in Finland, including Mrs Catharina Boije and Her Daughters at the Swedish Theatre in 2015. Back’s performances often have elements from the art of visual arts, music and dance, which is also true in Maria Braun’s marriage. In this production, Cilla Back is also engaged in many different roles in addition to directing, she is also responsible for the translation, dramatization, costumes and sound.
“The theatre is a mirror of its time, its people and its culture – in Fassbinder’s case, it was the post-Nazi society. I immediately realized that I couldn’t make a dramatization for a Finnish audience if I didn’t have the freedom to make changes. So I wrote a letter to the Fassbinder Foundation about what Maria means to me and to a Finnish audience – and I managed to convince them to give me free rein to make an adaptation. As far as I know, I am the only one who has ever received such a state of emergency,” says Back.
On Lillan’s stage, we will see both familiar and new faces, including Anna Victoria Eriksson , who is currently starring in the hit musical Kinky Boots at the Helsinki City Theatre. She will be joined by Linda Zilliacus, Niklas Häggblom, Emilia Nyman, Pia Runnakko, Joachim Wigelius and dancer Mikko Makkonen. The performance will be subtitled in Finnish and Swedish.
Maria Braun’s Marriage – premiere 31.10.2018 at Lilla Teatern (Yrjönkatu 30)
Tickets 34 €
Fassbinder’s cult film as a visual drama
This autumn’s major production at Lilla Teatern, Maria Braun’s Marriage , is a dramatisation of the German director and writer Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s cult film of the same name from 1979.
The book tells the story of Maria Braun, who gets married in the midst of a raging war. Just a day after the wedding, her husband has to return to the front. Soon, the man is announced missing and Maria must make do in a war-torn country. Driven by an endless hunger for success, Maria ruthlessly uses her feminine talents and intelligence to get ahead.
The work is directed by Cilla Back, who has established her name in the European theatre world. Her work has been influenced by German and Italian theatre traditions, among others. In Finland, she has directed the play Fru Catharina Boije och hennes döttrar at the Swedish Theatre in 2015. In this production, Cilla Back is responsible for the translation, dramatization, costumes and sound in addition to directing. Back’s directing often uses elements from the visual arts, music and dance, and this is also the case in the performance of Maria Brauns äktenskap .
“Theatre is a mirror of its time, its people and its culture – in Fassbinder’s case, it was the post-Nazi German society. I immediately understood that I couldn’t make a dramatization for a Finnish audience without making changes to the text. So I wrote to the Fassbinder Foundation and told them what Maria means to me and the Finnish public – and I managed to convince them to give me free rein to make my own interpretation of the text. As far as I know, I’m the only one who has received such an exemption,” says Back.
Lillan’s stage will feature both familiar and new faces, including Anna Victoria Eriksson, who is currently featured in the hit musical Kinky Boots at the Helsinki City Theatre. In addition to her, Linda Zilliacus, Niklas Häggblom, Emilia Nyman, Pia Runnakko, Joachim Wigelius and dancer Mikko Makkonen will participate . The performance is in Swedish, but it will be subtitled in Finnish.
Maria Braun’s Marriage premiere 31.10.2018 at Lilla Teatern (Yrjönkatu 30)
Tickets 34 €