Das Vermächtnis

A seven-hour theater marathon that keeps the audience inside the theater is not a medley of ancient Greek epics (“Dionysus Stadt”) nor a tome of Dostoevsky (“Anna Karenina oder Arme Leute”), but a story about the daily life of the gay community in New York.

In Matthew Lopez’s play “Das Vermächtnis” (“The Inheritance”), the protagonist Eric is a human rights lawyer living with his boyfriend Toby—a narcissistic writer—in a high-end apartment in the Upper West Side of New York. Their relationship undergoes dramatic changes after they encounter a man named Adam in a bookstore… Eric welcomes Adam into their circle, and as Adam stars as the male lead in Toby’s play and falls in love with Toby, other characters outside the trio begin to emerge on stage. Lopez has created more than a dozen characters in the script. While the relationship among the three moves forward, the stories of sex worker Leo, real estate magnate Henry, and the kindly Walter gradually unfold alongside the protagonists’ narratives.

“The Inheritance” refers both to the hundreds-of-years-old house in the story that specializes in sheltering terminally ill gay men, and also to the legacy left by three generations of the New York gay community—ranging from the Stonewall riots, to the devastation of HIV, to widespread acceptance of LGBT communities during the Obama era. When minority groups face the achievements of today, they should not forget the countless blood and tears left by previous generations. It’s difficult not to compare this play to “Angels in America”. Compared to that, this “Inheritance” replaces the individual with the development of a community to portray the dilemmas of an entire era. The storyline and characters in the play are simple and easy to understand but richer than “Angels in America”. The tangled romantic stories between the characters are merely love stories, not “gay love stories.”

“The Inheritance” premiered in London’s West End to great success, then moved to Broadway. The version now staged for the first time in Germany is directed by Philipp Stölzl, who, as a film director, brings a cinematic feel to the production. Scene transitions, rise and fall of curtains, and interplay of foreground and background all reveal a rigorous Hollywood industrial vibe. New York, as the story’s setting, is vividly brought to life by the director, from the opening black brick wall, Strand bookstore shopping bags, Peter Luger steaks, to even a trash can on stage that looks exactly like one on the streets of Manhattan. Each of these details transports the audience instantly through time and space into the noisy, hedonistic world of New York—perfectly capturing the essence of “Sex and the City.”

Compared with other long plays lasting seven or eight hours, this part, aimed at bridging the two halves, feels more like a long TV series. After the first part unfolds all backgrounds and mysteries, the following story feels like a meaningless extension. Even though the quality of the work doesn’t decline, staying for the entire second part feels more like habit than expectation. What is most praised about this production is the acting. Familiar faces from the Residenztheater can easily create preconceived impressions for the audience, but the selfish arrogance and self-doubt of the cynical writer Toby (played by Moritz von Treuenfels) is portrayed in great detail. Vincent zur Linden’s first formal stage performance at the Residenztheater vividly brings to life the roles of Adam and Leo—from Adam’s initial timidity about New York to his later overconfidence after success; from a sex worker unable to lift his head to finding the meaning of life—he masterfully portrays the four characters’ very different personalities.

In this German version, there is more a “creative translation” of the prior English version, much like some of Simon Stone’s plays previously staged at the Residenztheater, which don’t feel like traditional German theater at all. But what does traditional German theater really feel like? This question kept coming to mind during the seven-hour epic. The naturalistic theater of the West End and Broadway sharply contrasts with German avant-garde theater. From ancient Greek myths to Shakespeare, then to modern Ibsen and Albee, Germans have rarely staged these plays “seriously.” Yet when such a finely crafted piece appears in Germany—powered by delicate dialogue, nuanced acting, accessible humor, and stirring excellence—the German audience sees it as cheap and lacking depth, overlooking how naturalistic theater, with its unique charm and sense of immersion, breaks the fourth wall in a different way. This play’s inclusion in the Top 10 of the 2023 Berlin Theater Festival is a good sign, and one hopes more naturalistic, Anglo-American works will flourish in German-speaking areas, teaching German directors and actors—who often just play concepts and deliver grand lectures—about the upper limits of traditional performance.

Rating: 9/10

German Difficulty: 6/10

Das Vermächtnis (The Inheritance)

Part 1 and Part 2

by Matthew Lopez

Directed and Stage Design: Philipp Stölzl, Costumes: Kathi Maurer, Composition: Ingo Ludwig Frenzel, Lighting: Gerrit Jurda, Stage Assistance: Franziska Harm, Dramaturgy: Ewald Palmetshofer.

Cast: Simon Zagermann, Nicola Mastroberadino, Thiemo Strutzenberger, Moritz von Treuenfels, Michael Goldberg, Oliver Stokowski, Vincent zur Linden, Florian Jahr, Vincent Glander, Noah Saavedra, Patrick Bimazubute, Nicole Heesters

Premiere: January 30, 2022

Duration: Part 1 approx. 3 hours, one intermission // Part 2 approx. 3 hours 30 minutes, one intermission

www.residenztheater.de

七个小时的剧场马拉松，把观众留在剧场内的故事并不是古希腊史诗的串烧(“Dionysus Stadt”)亦或是陀思妥耶夫斯基的大部头(“Anna Karenina oder Arme Leute”)，而是一部在纽约同性恋群体的日常生活。

在剧作Matthew Lopez的这部“遗产(Das Vermächtnis)”中，故事主角Eric与是人权律师，与其男友Toby-自恋的作家共同住在纽约上西区的一间高档公寓中，两个人的关系因为他们在书店偶遇的男子Adam二开始产生了翻天覆地的变化。。。Eric将Adam接纳到他们的群体中，随着Adam参演Toby戏剧男主角而与Toby相恋，三人关系外的角色也都逐一浮现在舞台上。Lopez在剧本中设置了十数个角色，在上述三人的关系随着剧情推进的同时，性工作者Leo，地产大亨Henry，老好人Walter也与主角们的故事也都慢慢展开。

“遗产”-说的既是剧中几百年历史专门收留临终同性恋的房子，也是在纽约三代同行群体奋斗留下的痕迹，从石墙事件，到HIV的肆虐，在到奥巴马时期LGBT群体被广泛的接受。行少数群体面对现在取得的成果时，也不应忘了前面几代人留下的无数血与泪。这样的一部戏很难让人不去拿“天使在美国”来比较，与之相比，这部“遗产”用一个同行社群的发展代替了个人，来展现整个时代的困境，剧中故事与人物性格在简单易懂的同时也比“天使在美国” 更加丰满，任务之间错综复杂的爱情故事只是爱情故事，而不是“同性的爱情故事”。

“遗产”在伦敦西区首演，大获成功后被搬到了百老汇，现在第一次被搬上德国舞台的版本是由Philipp Stölzl执导，Stölzl作为电影导演，在对这部戏的把控上也充满了电影感，场景的切换，幕布的起落，前景后景的穿插都透露着一股好莱坞工业的严谨劲儿。纽约作为故事发生的背景，其中的元素被导演表现得淋漓尽致，从开场的黑色砖墙，书店Strand的购物袋，Peter Luger的牛排，甚至台上出现的垃圾桶也与曼哈顿街头上的一模一样。每次这些细节的出现，都能让台下的观众一瞬间转换时空，将自己置身于纽约喧嚣与纸醉金迷中，将 Sex and the City 描绘的淋漓尽致

与其他七八个小时的长篇作品相比较，这部分为了上下两部分的戏其实更像是一部长长的美剧，在第一部分将所有的背景与悬念都展开后，后面的剧情更像是一种无意义的拉伸，即便作品的质量并未下降，但能坚持看完第二部分更像是因为习惯，而不是期待。这肠炎初中最为令人称道的就是演员的表演，皇宫剧院这些熟面孔的出现很容易让人们对演员产生既有印象，但是玩世不恭的作家Toby(Moritz von Treuenfels饰)的自私自大和对自己价值的怀疑被表现得细致入微，Vincent zur Linden 在皇宫剧院的舞台上的第一次正式演出就将Adam和Leo这两个角色都刻画地活灵活现，对纽约从开始的怯懦感到成功后的不可一世；从一个抬不起头的性工作者到最后找到了人生价意义，截然不同的四个人物性格都在他的表演下惟妙惟肖

在这部德语版本中，其实更多是对之前英文版的“创造性翻译”，就像之前同样在皇宫剧院上演的Simon Stone的一些作品一样，完全没有看德国戏的感觉。可是怎样的感觉才算德国戏剧？在这七个小时的长篇巨制中这也是一个不断映入脑中的问题。西区与百老汇的自然剧场(naturalistisches Theater) 与德国的先锋剧向来是泾渭分明，从古希腊神话到莎士比亚再到近代的易卜生、阿尔比，德国人从来没有“正经”排过几部戏。而像这样一部精细打磨过的作品，凭借着细腻的台词、演员细致入微的表演、通篇容易理解的笑料与煽情的卓越作品出现在德国人面前时，德国观众看到的却是廉价与没有深度，却忽视了自然剧场以它独特的魅力与代入感，用另一种方式打破了第四面墙。这部作品入选2023的柏林戏剧节十佳也是一个好的信号，希望将来能有更多自然剧场、英美作品能在德语区绽放异彩，让在德国只会玩概念和给观众上大课的导演和演员学习一下传统表演的上限在哪里。

评分 9/10

德语难度 6/10

Das Vermächtnis (The Inheritance)

Teil 1 und Teil 2

von Matthew Lopez

Inszenierung und Bühne: Philipp Stölzl, Kostüme: Kathi Maurer, Komposition: Ingo Ludwig Frenzel, Licht: Gerrit Jurda, Mitarbeit Bühne: Franziska Harm, Dramaturgie: Ewald Palmetshofer.

Mit: Simon Zagermann, Nicola Mastroberadino, Thiemo Strutzenberger, Moritz von Treuenfels, Michael Goldberg, Oliver Stokowski, Vincent zur Linden, Florian Jahr, Vincent Glander, Noah Saavedra, Patrick Bimazubute, Nicole Heesters

Premiere am 30. Januar 2022

Dauer: Teil 1 ca. 3 Stunden, eine Pause // Teil 2 ca. 3 Stunden 30 Minuten, eine Pause

www.residenztheater.de