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Paul Fitzgerald Paul Reviews Heiner Müller: A Man Without A Behind at the All-Stars Propject  Heiner Müller Oh, what a mind! Heiner Müller Had no behind! These partly humorous and partly chilling words are sung by an entire ensemble to both open and close the Castillo Theatre's performance of Heiner Müller: A Man Without A Behind. However, they also describe the two main themes of the show: A depiction of Müller's genius through presentation of his work, as well as the concept that a person is only worth as much as what they are remembered for when they die. The Castillo presents both of these in an eclectic, highly complex, and wholly though-provoking show. Müller is the Castillo Theatre's muse. For the past two decades, the Castillo has been the only theater in the U.S. to present this somewhat obscure playwright for American audiences. In the beginning of the show, the cast has an on-stage discussion in which they reveal the Castillo's history as well as a little bit about Müller. The show is somewhat of a catharsis for these performers, a chance to step back and to attempt to explain Müller to audiences after so many years of only presenting him. They accomplish this through a combination of excepts from Müller's better known works performed in a variety show-like manners, as well as a mock-news show that interviews Müller's critics as well as Müller himself. As explained to the audience in the beginning, a combination of vaudville and musical theater is combined in order to present Müller's dense, complicated and violent material. As the director's note in the playbill explains (a very interesting pre-show read), music is used to help connect the audience to Müller. The pieces (the music and lyrics of which done by Fred Newman) are often first sung then spoken, or even sung and spoken simultaneously. This is somewhat confusing, and at times seems to almost be making a mockery of Müller's words. In flowered headdresses, the ensemble dances and sings Müller's bitter and bloody words. This back and forth effect, from comic to dark and back again, is jilting and adds to the chaotic, circus-like atmosphere the Castillo creates. A vital part of the show is "Zeitgeist," a faux-news show in which Linda Janvier (Belinda Fevrier) is a reporter explaining the Castillo's work, as well as introducing us to people as a means of explanation. In mostly forced comic relief, the characters who show up to discuss Müller each have some distracting nervous tic. However, there are times in which the purpose of "Zeitgeist" shines through. The name of the show itself translates to "the spirit of the times," which is a concept that runs throughout Müller's work. His plays, poems and prose were often a rebellion against the political climate in East Germany. Perhaps the title "Zeitgeist" has a second meaning, and is a reference to the current times. The audience must ask: Why is the Castillo Theatre performing Müller? They compare him to Shakespeare, they repeatedly stress the concept of what he has left us with, and they insist to us that he is vastly important to them and should be to us as well. A Man Without A Behind is a tribute, an assertion that Müller's work is of direct importance today. The show flashes between segments of "Zeitgeist" and a montage of Müller's work. Müller himself (played by both David Nackman and Roger Grunwald) comes out, cigar in mouth, to introduce each piece. They begin with "Brandenburg Concerto 1," which is a comic discourse between two clowns, with political undertones. I found this to be the weakest of the performances, the levity, however, provided a direct contrast to the later pieces. The piece from "Hamletmachine" was a fascinating monologue of a Hamlet character describing a scene in which he is both the dictator and the revolutionary, describing it as his "drama that has never taken place." The next is a performance of two interrelated pieces, Müller's play "The Father," followed by his poem "I Wish My Father Were A Shark." I felt this was the strongest part of the show, a raw and real memory described as if read from a journal about Müller's loss of his father. "Obituary" tells the story of Müller finding his wife dead, and the events that follow, while "Yesterday On A Sunny Afternoon" recounts him exhuming her. Müller speaks in complex metaphors to express the brutal realities of life. The advice to view his work as an abstract painting is impossible, as the action inexorably draws the viewer in, the movement and the words fitting into a complicated puzzle. A vast amount of credit should be given to both conceptualizer Dan Friedman and director Gabrielle L. Kurlander, as the choices made in order to present Müller's material are clearly complicated and require a deep understanding of the text. One speech that struck me most deeply was that of Müller describing an anecdote he felt related to his work: That of the frog that allows itself to be slowly boiled to death. This parallel has been made before -- most often about the Jews in Europe -- who remained as their rights were slowly taken away before the last part of the final solution was implemented. Is Müller saying that his audiences are like the frogs in the boiling water of his words? Or rather, are all humans allowing themselves to be destroyed for lack of awareness and knowledge of both the social and political climate? |