De welwillenden
The darkest side of human behaviour
Jonathan Littell’s The Kindly Ones was published in 2006. This novel about the persecution of the Jews during World War II has been both lauded and criticised, because the story is told from the perspective of the perpetrator, SD officer Max Aue, who reminds us that under the ‘right’ conditions we could all be offenders. Littell shows us that the Third Reich was not excessively populated with monsters and perverts, but with ordinary citizens who, through collective National Socialism, moved towards total madness. He draws the readers into the mind of the perpetrator, placing them in the uncomfortable position of identifying with him.
In this stage version, Guy Cassiers confronts the darkest side of human behaviour: Nazi ideology and the destruction of the Jews. How could this happen in the heart of Europe? What political, ideological, psychological and social transformations generated this violence and allowed it to run its course? The shaky political basis of Europe and the rise of extreme right-wing and xenophobic parties give this project a special urgency.
In his staging, Cassiers focuses on Aues’ residence in three cities that play a central role in the novel: Kiev, Stalingrad and Berlin. Each city moves one step closer to total apocalypse. The Toneelhuis ensemble is reinforced by five actors from Toneelgroep Amsterdam, and together they set a carousel of characters around Max Aue in motion.
#bignames #destruction
tekst Jonathan Littell | bewerking Guy Cassiers, Erwin Jans | op basis van de Nederlandse vertaling van Jeanne Holierhoek en Janneke van der Meulen | regie Guy Cassiers | dramaturgie Erwin Jans | met Katelijne Damen, Aus Greidanus Jr., Abke Haring, Kevin Janssens, Hans Kesting, Alwin Pulinckx, Bart Slegers, Johan Van Assche, Jip van den Dool, Vincent Van Sande en afwisselend in de rol van jonge violist: Diego De Ridder, Victor Van Gorp, Otto Back, Henry Giesbertz, Erik Paans | kostuumontwerp & scenografie Tim Van Steenbergen | video-ontwerp Frederik Jassogne | geluidsontwerp Diederik de Cock | lichtadvies Bas Devos | productie Toneelhuis, Toneelgroep Amsterdam | coproductie deSingel | in samenwerking met Le Phénix, Scène nationale de Valenciennes (FR), Maison de la Culture d’Amiens (FR), Istanbul Theatre Festival (TR), Festival Temporada Alta (ES), Festival RomaEuropa (IT) | met de steun van het Creatief Cultuurprogramma van de Europese Unie
LONGREAD | TEST OF CIVILISATION
Ou comme le rêve européen tourne au cauchemar
Si la comparaison entre les années trente et aujourd'hui est boiteuse, pourquoi affiche-t-elle tant de concordances dans l'usage agressif de la langue ?