Schicklgruber - Theater in the Josefstadt

German by Nikolaus Habjan and Manuela Linshalm

Life is but a walking shadow; a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Karl May? Shakespeare. Already dead!

Berlin, April 1945. The war is lost, the Reich is sinking into ruins. Yet deep underground in the bunker, Adolf Hitler and his closest confidants cling to their last illusions: Perhaps a great speech could still turn everything around. Or the stars. Or simply the right food. While bombs fall outside, they plan birthday parties and victories. But another guest comes and goes in the bunker. Waiting. Death – amused and unstoppable. Even evil eventually forgets its own name. But death? Death never forgets. And it spares no one.

Neville Tranter, a pioneer of contemporary puppet theater, not only strips the figure of Adolf Hitler of the name he gave himself but also of its almost mythical status. The Australian native, who has revolutionized puppetry for adults with his Stuffed Puppet Theatre since the 1970s, is known for his biting satire and absurd-grotesque humor. Now, Tranter hands over the puppets to his former student and long-time colleague Nikolaus Habjan, as well as to actress Manuela Linshalm. He himself remains behind the scenes to co-direct this new production with Habjan. Together, they expose with Schicklgruber a regime in its final stage – a grotesque farce about power, megalomania, and the inevitably final curtain.