Theater Phönix

Theater Phönix: Hunt for an innocent woman

Ensemble in carnival mood

(Bild: Andreas Kurz)

Long underestimated, but obvious at the latest since the social media boom: words can also kill. Linz's Theater Phönix demonstrates this with its new play "The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum". The production is full of surprises, but could be more topical.

The topic is explosive: an innocent woman is criminalized, which leads to a fatal outcome. Heinrich Böll's story "The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum", published in 1974, is considered a textbook classic today and has lost none of its topicality.

In Bernd Liepold-Mosser's production, everything is wrapped up in a carnival party. From this, he repeatedly peels back scenes that drive the plot forward. However, a few cuts to the text would not have hurt.

A woman in the sights of men
There is Katharina Blum, who defends herself against insinuations and intrusions. There is the inquisitive journalist who writes a story for himself. And there are interrogation situations and glimpses of a lawyer couple for whom Blum worked as a housekeeper. Everything is packed into mini-scenes, some of which are bizarre.

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Fotos

Internet dynamics remain hidden
And: time and again, someone steps in front of the camera on stage and speaks into it. The live image is projected onto a large screen at the back of the stage. The topicality of the production lies in the fact that a society is relentlessly searching for someone to blame, igniting a "hunt" that gives rise to violence in the first place. However, Liepold-Mosser ignores dynamics such as clickbaiting and slander on social media.

Sebastian Pass stands out in the ensemble as a guest actor, he fascinates with his ability to change, he immerses himself deeply in his roles as a criminal assistant and journalist. Gina Christof is a Katharina Blum who doesn't show that she is boiling for a long time. Lukas Weiss plays the tough, cunning investigator; Martin Brunnemann and Karina Pele play the lawyer couple who only pursue their own interests.

 An interesting revival of a literary classic.