New production in October
The focus of the PUPPETS! festival is a major anniversary production of the Salzburg Marionette Theatre: William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. On October 24, the world's most famous love story celebrates its premiere in a production by Thomas Reichert.
He is a Montague, she is a Capulet – and their families are separated by bitter enmity. But from the moment Romeo and Juliet look into each other's eyes for the first time, it is clear to both of them that their love is unbreakable, even in a hateful environment. The two meet secretly at night and enter into their marriage. But new, personal happiness and old, rigid relationships clash sooner than expected: when Romeo asks his enemy Tybalt for peace, the quarrel heats up again and causes the first victims. A series of unfortunate coincidences leads the two lovers and their families to a tragic fate.Over 400 years ago, William Shakespeare described the archetype of unconditional young love that even defies social boundaries. Director Thomas Reichert, who has been working with the Salzburg Marionette Theatre on several productions since 2006, focuses on the timeless aspects of the tragedy in this new production. His stage version tells the story, including its tragic and comic elements, in a contemporary language without neglecting Shakespeare's poetry. On a large, reduced stage and in a combination of concealed and open puppetry, the audience experiences a touching evening with Romeo and Juliet.
Romeo and Juliet – the greatest love story of all time, full of poetry and yet without false sentimentality, already told by Shakespeare with blatant directness – has six people dead at the end. The question comes to mind: How can it be that a story from yesterday is still so relevant today? What bitter testimony does this fact bear to our reality? We are probably not able to create an environment in which our children grow up to be peaceful adults and so conflicts are passed on from generation to generation.
There are Romeo and Juliet, who can only save their love by committing suicide. They simply don't get a chance to grow up peacefully. Four other deaths are victims of this incompatibility of love and social constraints.
Marionettes can tell this story of hatred, envy, jealousy and the greatest love in a particularly powerful way, as they – made only of wood and seemingly lifeless – can be the unrestricted canvas for projecting the feelings and thoughts of each individual audience member.
Thomas Reichert, Director