Sein oder Nichtsein

The sea and the theater. A dream and a nightmare.  An uneasy silence ensues – and before our eyes there unfolds a farewell, which at the same time is also the miracle of what is now the legendary 1981 production of Hamlet by the theater director Peter Zadek and his famous ensemble. How this work of art ended up being staged after months of great effort, passion, and tragicomedy – this is the story that Klaus Pohl tells us in a funny, exciting, and deeply poignant way in his play Sein oder Nichtsein, (To Be or Not To Be), which is based on his novel of the same name, and which Pohl adapted exclusively for the RambaZamba Theater Ensemble.  

This production is like a poetic-melancholy declaration of love to the theater – as a mirror of our life-long struggle with our mistakes and fallacies. We are allowed a look behind the scenes here, and we observe a place where both the fear of failure and tears of happiness are ever-present. Given the “anarchistic and direct acting method” this piece calls for, as well as the special relationship the actors need to develop with the text, it was clear to the author that only the RambaZamba Theater could be entrusted with the premiere. The fact that Nele Winkler, daughter of actress Angela Winkler, is a member of the Ensemble, also played a role here.

In any case, the RambaZamba Ensemble will be facing a double challenge, as they will portray both the stars of German theater at the time Hamlet was staged, and also play the roles that those stars played in that production. Nele Winkler will obviously play Angela Winkler, who plays Hamlet, yet doesn’t really want to. Jonas Sippel plays the author and actor Klaus Pohl, who plays Horatio in Hamlet and also takes notes before and after rehearsals and surprises Hamlet (aka Angela Winkler) with a red rose every morning. Sebastian Urbanski plays Peter Zadek, who brings Shakespeare’s drama to the stage despite all opposition etc.

Even with all the adversity, missing stage set elements, botched lines, and a lead actor (actually actress) on the run, the miracle is nevertheless achieved and the premiere is a smashing success. Still, despite all the success, theater wouldn’t be theater without death raising its ugly head and demanding its tribute from the muses.