Sex, dance and longing – dance theatre in the spirit of Gustave Flaubert
Madame Bovary is a novel about nothing and about boredom – at least that is the way the author, Gustave Flaubert, once described his masterpiece, published in the year 1856. But this „nothing“ is so exquisitely narrated and the characters in this nothingness are so precisely analysed that, at the same time, the novel, just as Flaubert intended, is about everything. Susanna Curtis, aided by her talented ensemble of dancers and actors, has based her production on the five main characters of the world-famous novel and has examined what moves them, what motivates them and what happens when they interact. She is fascinated by their humanity, their longings and their failings. We gain an insight into the Flaubertian Cosmos: each protagonist is presented with his or her own individual characteristics, emotional palette, lesser and greater tragedies and his pattern of fate.
Madame Bovary, it’s me, Flaubert is reported to have said, when asked whom the source of inspiration for his title figure was. Susanna Curtis reckons that there is a bit of Bovary in every one of us. We all seem to be caught up in the eternal search for a more fulfilled, more exciting life and we often long to escape from the mundane existence of everyday-life. And in the modern world we are even more intensively confronted by the compulsion for self-optimisation and self-presentation, both analogue and digitally. Susanna Curtis brings Flaubert’s world right up to date with the use of live-cam scenes of poignant and shocking intimacy and with live instagram posts, as Emma Bovary publicises her experiences like a contemporary influencer.
Madame Bovary, it’s me too, and what else can one expect where Gustave Flaubert is involved, is about human interaction, sexuality and the taboos and no-gos from back then, juxtaposed with the changed morals of today’s society. Two women and three men examine their own behaviour, views and values in a world which is informed by political correctness, gender fluidity and #MeToo. Set in a rehearsal situation the ensemble members use their individual talents, whether in acting, dancing or comedy, to explore the inner lives of the characters they play. Role-switching is an integral part o fthe concept. And in the background - the sweet strains of the waltz are to be heard, the dance which changed society’s mores irrevocably.
| Madame Bovary, it’s me too | |
|---|---|
| Idea, Concept, Direction | Susanna Curtis |
| Production Development, Choreography | Susanna Curtis & Ensemble |
| Ensemble | Susanna Curtis, Stefan Drücke, Jürgen Heimüller, Isabelle Nelson, Johannes Walter |
| Costume Design | Johanna Deffner |
| Stage Design | Susanna Curtis, Johanna Deffner |
| Light Design | Sasa Batnozic |
| Film | Jürgen Heimüller, Miho Kasama |
| Assistance | Lea Müller |
| Graphic Design | Alexandra Kuhn |
| Music | Marc Bolan, Miquel Brown, Gaetano Donizetti, Aretha Franklin, Jimmy Bo Horne, György Kurtag, Joseph Lanner, Henry Mancini, Clara Schumann, Emile Waldteufel |
„You can really enjoy this fast-moving production, which indulges in the waltz rhythm at one moment and at the next is fired-on by pop music. The fantastic ensemble, in a series of quick costume and role changes, are on top-form.“
Nürnberger Zeitung, 01.02.20
„Drücke and Heimüller are wonderfully funny and wonderfully tragic, the dancers first-class. And when Curtis and Nelson, kitted out in highheels and corsets, enjoy their Cinderella moment, the piece has certainly arrived in today’s world“
Nürnberger Nachrichten, 01.02.20
