Hamburg's Thalia Theater will perform Lulu with a cast that includes Fritzi Haberlandt, Norman Hacker, Felix Knopp, Christoph Bantzer, Markus Graf, Hans Low, Maren Eggert, Peter Moltzen, Helmut Mooshammer, Max Claessen, Andreas Dohler, Harald Weiler and Michael Benthin.
Originally published in two parts, Earth Spirit in 1895 and Pandora's Box in 1902, Wedekind's work will be performed as one piece for BAM.
The expressionist's work, which is receiving reignited popularity thanks in large part to the success of Broadway's Spring Awakening, is described in press notes as "childlike and knowing. Virginal and lustful. Gentle and dangerous. Lulu is all things to all men—an object of desire, as vulnerable as she is alluring… this is a Lulu trapped by her own ambivalence. Propelled by her appetites and both empowered and horrified by her lethal effect on men, she is a heroine for the ages—unwilling to be a victim, yet helpless to stop the carnage in her wake."
Michael Thalheimer, who directs the Thalia Theater company in Lulu, says his vision of the piece is to "give…back the emotional impact they had in their day. These writers wrote their plays on the verge of a scream…and so today it must also be about rage, about breaking boundaries, about the scream."
The creative team for Lulu includes set design by Olaf Aktmann, costume design by Barbara Drosihn, music by Bert Wrede, video design by Alexander du Prel and lighting design by Stefan Bolliger. Lulu will play BAM's Harvey Theater, located at 651 Fulton St. in Brooklyn. Tickets for Lulu, which will be performed in German with English subtitles, are available by calling (718) 636-4100 or by visiting www.BAM.org.