Review: DER ZAUBERBERG at Grand Théâtre

Last week, Broadway World had the chance to attend the last performance of Der Zauberberg, the theater adaptation of Thomas Mann's most acclaimed work. Known in English has The Magic Mountain, this version of the famous tale was adapted by director Sara Ostertag and featured Tilman Rose in the role of Hans Castorp. Some interesting direction choices and an elaborate scenery featuring a massive rib cage gave an additional layer of symbolism to a narrative already filled with metaphoric concepts.

The gold: Castorp's banter. It is not always easy to provide comic relief to a story dealing with heavy philosophic concepts and deep socio-political messages. While this type of stock character can be presented to the reader / audience from a comedic angle, it is not always easy to do so in narratives of this kind. Through what we believe to have been a great combination of acting, direction and interactions on stage, Tilman Rose delivered a remarkable balance between the necessary seriousness of the story and the somewhat naive nature of Hans Castorp, mostly through banter and well executed dialogue.

The silver: The atmosphere. The scenery and props sought in no way to physically recreate a Swiss sanatorium in the 1910s. The general atmosphere, however, left the audience immersed in a claustrophobic, heavy and somber environment, that trapped you not only physically, but also psychologically. The pacing, the delivery, the lighting, the music and moments of silence all contributed for this tense and constricting mood.

The bronze: The versatility. The entire cast displayed formidable versatility throughout the play, with most of the actors playing more than one character. We would argue, however, that while this was a formidable display of talent, it might have diluted the overall strength of some stock-characters. A constant change of roles, often even across gender, was a bet that risked weakening the symbolic strength of certain figures. Still, a remarkable exhibition of acting skill, and our special word of praise for Bettina Kerl and Laura Laufenberg.

As always, our thanks to the Grand Theátre for yet another great show.

To reach out to the writer: nuno.de.sousa.lopes@gmail.com

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