Written by Nabokov in Berlin in the 1930s, the novel Invitation to a Beheading shows the émigré Cincinnatus as a foreign body within a fascist state. Sentenced to death, he lives in isolation in prison, surrounded by polite arbitrariness, wrestling for certainty of self. The staging contrasts him with prison staff, chamber orchestra, and polystylistic music moving between opera, folk song, and the avant-garde.
Press
(English translations of the original German reviews; see the German version of this page for the original wording.)
"Beyond current politics, this production reveals something else of significance: these are young artists who once again take seriously — and use — the power of their art in every register, including the pathetic. After 40 years of irony, refusal, and postmodernism, that is something new. A new theatre for a new era."
"Aesthetically, the premiere's stage design recalls Lars von Trier's film 'Dogville'. From costume to props to emotional charge, the spare stage landscape is filled with an entirely earnest realism. The lead role, Cincinnatus, is split between two acting students as a spoken part: the pragmatic David Stancu and Anouk Warter, who remains strongly attached to life, dreams, and the world — a directorial device that lays bare the prisoner's emotionally incomprehensible situation."
Süddeutsche Zeitung: "Brutal nah an der grausamen Realität", Feb 23, 2024
"The most astonishing thing is that this is, in almost every position, the work of emerging artists. Zmelty's score is a deliberate patchwork, moving as boldly as it does wittily between accordion drifts (as an echo of the past), zither interjections (accompanying the title character), belated Romanticism, Russian folk idiom, and warped waltzes. The latter are the signature of Pierre, the friendly executioner: countertenor Pieter De Praetere plays the entertainer who boldly risks the garish, too."
"It is a showcase of the Theatre Academy's talent, deserving the very highest respect."
Münchner Merkur: "Beklemmend aktuell", Feb 27, 2024
"After this premiere, it can safely be said: Zmelty has a strong talent for theatre with music. In this 'Invitation to a Beheading', fortune favoured the diligent — and that goes for everyone involved, on stage and off, in bringing about a truly thrilling evening."
Abendzeitung München: "Alexey Nawalny stößt den Zuschauer in die Gegenwart", Feb 24, 2024
"And Leon Zmelty's music, too, becomes a prop — a supporting element in an intensely acted search with no destination, no end. He probes the limits of the instruments, letting them knock, screech, rattle, and clatter, and then, rarely, float melodiously. Mostly, the music is a backdrop for a feeling too large for one body, which is why it had to seize both of Cincinnatus's vessels. And in the end, all of this builds toward the evening's strongest and perhaps most important moment. Behind hope waits utter darkness. Surtitles appear, and the voice of Alexei Navalny is heard: 'In case they decide to kill me, it means that we are incredibly strong. […] Don't give up.' Zmelty and Chagina could not have used their voices more powerfully or humbly in these days."
Donaukurier: "Hinter der Hoffnung", Feb 24, 2024