. . . Urs Widmer's Top Dogs . . . Satire . . . overarching political and cultural satire into a "psychopathological" (from the program notes) satire . . . the corporate class elicits our pity and we can't help but be tinged with self righteous satisfaction . . . I'm not them! . . . the structure is many disjointed short scenes resulting in an episodic and scurrilous show . . . comedy, music, and gender play fuse to ridicule . . . to belittle the messy realities of those elite (a miserable elite it is) who desire control . . . precisely acted in a sparse, clinical environment we laugh smugly . . . the writing has bold strokes which allows for collective imagination that the director, actors and audience participate in with joy . . . yet intensity occupies the territory of meanings . . . the mutual making of meanings . . . great satire has the distance, ambiguity and ambivalent facility to be conscious of itself . . . making us more conscious . . .
Heart Play
My thoughts are wounds in my head. My brain is a scar. I want to be a machine. Arms to drag legs to walk no pain no thinking. (Heiner Müller , 'Hamletmachine' ) Heartplay A May I lay my heart at your feet. B If you don't make a mess on my floor.. A My heart is clean.. B We'll see, won't we.. A I can't get it out.. B Would you like me to help you.. A If you wouldn't mind.. B It'll be a pleasure. I can't get it out either.. A cries. B I will remove it surgically. What have I got this penknife for anyway. We'll have this sorted out in no time. work will keep you from despair. Right, there we are. But this is a brick. Your heart is a red brick.. A Yes, but it beats only for you.. (1981) A beats B to death with the brick.. (Addition, July 1991). ------------- Heiner Müller ----------------- from Heiner Müller Theatremachine translated and edited by Marc von Henning
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