|
Careful in detail and sovereign enough not to overuse caricature, Horst Geßner's and Hubertus Fehrenbacher's play, under the direction of Dieter Kümmel, the mismatched pair of friends in a balancing act between euphoria and lack of hope, between trust and doubt. Inspite of slapstick, there is a calm about the play that tells of a hearts desire, tender, sad and poetical, with great naiveté and melancholy, which makes the play into one of the most lasting experiences in the children and youth theater program at the BADEN WÜRTEMBERGISCHEN theater days. Even though the communication between the tiny uncle and the dog works without words. It develops a diversity of expressions, whose wealth is in no way inferior to spoken language. If there is spoken language at all in this play then it comes from the female narrator, who pushes what action there is forward now and then. If the spoken language is secondary the music is more important. In the style of 'Peter and the Wolf' the atmosphere is enhanced musically and movements made into sounds.
A string quartet, distributed in the four corners of the playing area contributes a great deal to the magic of the play.  Using elements of a silent film the Freiburgers show such a lot of originality, they have an independence removed from any style or fashion that keeps them moving on a one way track through the chaplinesque elements. The silent scenes live through the intensity of body movement, of pantomimic and musical elements and the translations of being a human or a dog, which is achieved harmoniously and absolutely unselfconsciously. While Horst Geßner plays a chubby uncle full of heart and feelings, but with little to attract his fellow humans, Hubertus Fehrenbacher with sensitive muzzle held high, the flea ridden itching mutt with the faithful expression, wags his way across the stage.
Without any explanation the two of them show what they are portraying - friendship.
Pforzheimer Zeitung, May 22nd 1993
.
|
|
