A group of elderly people walk along a white tunnel. On the wall, two younger women write in black paint: "Place: Paris. Name: Anne. Date: 26.7.23"

Photo: Matthias Horn

MK:

Liebe (Amour)

A Play Adapted from the Film by Michael Haneke

 Schauspielhaus

 World premiere

 Opening night: 23.10.2023

 2 hours 20 minutes (with intermission after 1:15)

 Schauspielhaus

 World premiere

 Opening night: 23.10.2023

 2 hours 20 minutes (with intermission after 1:15)

Experience the last year in the life of a loving couple — This play is about one of the great controversies of our time: euthanasia. Karin Henkel finds new images for a deeply moving subject.

Michael Haneke, one of Europe’s most important auteur filmmakers, depicts the final year in the life of an old married couple in a deeply moving way and circles round one of the great ethical controversies of our time: euthanasia. In his film, he asks how we can cope with the suffering of a loved one.

Anne and Georges, a couple in their eighties, enjoy a fulfilling retirement in a spacious flat in an old building. Their everyday life is punctuated by concert-going and meeting friends — until Anne suffers a stroke. At first, Georges selflessly cares for her as they both try to come to terms with the new situation. But the couple becomes more and more isolated and, when Anne’s condition starts to rapidly deteriorate, she asks her husband for help. What should Georges do? What would you do?

Karin Henkel and her ensemble based around André Jung, who – after “Effingers” – is returning to the Münchner Kammerspiele for this project, find completely new and idiosyncratic images for this unsettling material about a dignified end to life.

Shortlisted for the German Theatre Prize DER FAUST in the category directing of a play. More info HERE.

Katharina Bach is sitting on a stool. She is wearing light-colored tights, gloves and a light-colored, short dress as well as a gray wig. Her face is covered in old makeup and André Jung is standing behind her.

Photo: Matthias Horn

Katharina Bach wears light-colored tights, gloves and a light-colored short dress and a gray wig. Her face is covered with old makeup. Next to her is a child in a green bathrobe.

Photo: Matthias Horn

The picture shows a man carrying a woman.

Photo: Matthias Horn

Four senior citizens are sitting or lying down. One man strokes the cheek of a woman.

Photo: Matthias Horn

A man holds on to the stand of a spotlight.

Photo: Matthias Horn

A man is illuminated by a beam of light. You can only see him from the side.

Photo: Matthias Horn

A woman and a man are sitting at a table. The woman's head is on the table, the man is sitting up straight. Behind them is a large poster with the word "window".

Photo: Matthias Horn

Three people wearing green bathrobes and a face-covering mask are lined up one behind the other. A man supports the first person in the row.

Photo: Matthias Horn

Photo: Matthias Horn

A woman pushes a man in a green bathrobe on a hospital bed. In the background, another person lies in a hospital bed. Both are wearing green bathrobes

Photo: Matthias Horn

A man and a woman stand at some distance from each other in a gloomy room.

Photo: Matthias Horn

A woman is lying on a hospital bed, three people are standing around her looking at her.

Photo: Matthias Horn

On one wall are the words place, name and date. Below them are matching words like Paris and Anne. The date is messily removed by a man.

Photo: Matthias Horn

You see a long corridor where two people dressed in white are standing with bags in their hands. In front of them, one person is undressing, another is wearing a green bathrobe and lying on a hospital bed.

Photo: Matthias Horn

A man is sitting on a child's chair, next to him is a young girl sitting on the floor wearing a green bathrobe. In the background, two women can be seen who are also wearing green bathrobes.

Photo: Matthias Horn

A woman takes off her shoes. In the background several people can be seen holding paintings in the air.

Photo: Matthias Horn

In the foreground is a man standing in front of a mountain of earth. In the background a woman is sitting on a chair next to the earth.

Photo: Matthias Horn

A woman sits in a wheelchair and is pushed by a man.

Photo: Matthias Horn

Three people are dressed in white and stand next to each other. The person in the middle stands on a platform and holds flowers in his hand. The persons on the outside hold him firmly support him

Photo: Matthias Horn

A senior citizen and a young girl sit next to each other.

Photo: Matthias Horn

A child is sitting on a chair. Behind him are two people, one of them is in a wheelchair and is pushed by the other person.

Photo: Matthias Horn

A child stands bent over, holding a paint bucket and brush. In the background is a large poster with the words window..

Photo: Matthias Horn

A man pushes a wheelchair in which a woman is sitting.

Photo: Matthias Horn

Many people sit together and look at a picture of a child.

Photo: Matthias Horn

A coproduction with the Salzburger Festspiele.

With André Jung, Katharina Bach, Christian Löber, Joyce Sanhá, Joel Small
Live music & composition Paul Pötsch
Live Music & composition Alex Röser Vatiché
Choir Klaus-Dieter Pfeffer, Birgit Conrad, Gerhart Groß, Gisela Ilk, Karin Krell, Peter Kuttner, Nine Manthei, Josefine Mastroberardino, Heinz Ott, Gisela Pichler, Irmgard Pohl, Eleonore von Maresch, Kurt Reinstein, Adelheid Schuster-Böckler, Ute Vermehr, Barbara Osterwald, Lisa Wanninger †
Directed by Karin Henkel
Stage Design Muriel Gerstner
Costumes Teresa Vergho
Dramaturge Tobias Schuster
Choir Direction Alexander Weise
Lighting Design Stephan Mariani

Assitance Director Hannah Waldow
Assistant director Max Pross
Dramatic assistant Tassilo Pyko
Assistant stage manager Ying Yue
Costume assistance Heloà Pizzi Mauro, Sophia Esterer
Support Statistry Niklas Zabler
Supervision of children's statistics Paula Kraus
Stage design internship Jule Kortus, Lena Matterne
Soufflage Jutta Ina Masurath
Inspection Barbara Stettner
Stage management supertitles Raman Khalaf
Translation supertitles Anna Galt
Production management technology Carolin Husemann, Constantin Weidenbach
Production management art Constantin Weidenbach, Zora Luhnau
Stage Manager Josef Hofmann
Stage machinery Michael Preußer, Stephan Preußer
Lighting William Grüger, Tankred Friedrich, Sebastien Lachenmaier, John-Philipp Schoch
Sound Viola Drewanz, Thomas Schlienger
Video Dirk Windloff
Makeup Sofie Reindl-Grüger, Sylvia Janka, Alyssia Achille
Costume Iroha Kaneshiro, Jessica Watermann, Fabiola Maria Schiavulli, Arite Pissang
Props Dagmar Nachtmann, Heidemarie Sänger, Stefan Leeb, Daniel Bittner
Joinery Michael Buhl, Sebastian Nebe, Wolfgang Mechmann, Clemens Künneth
Locksmith Friedrich Würzhuber, Jürgen Goudenhooft
Wallpapering Tobias Herzog, Maria Hörger, Anja Gebauer, Lisann Öttl
Painting hall Evi Eschenbach, Jeanette Raue
Salzburger Festspiele Technical Director Andreas Zechner
Salzburger Festspiele Technical production management Michael Pesendorfer
Salzburger Festspiele Technical planing Johann Bugnar, Michael Pesendorfer
Salzburger Festspiele Stage technology Robert Schmidjell, Paul Kiaba
Salzburger Festspiele Lighting Michael Timmerer-Maier, Stephanie Erb
Salzburg Festival Acoustics Kostas Pilos
Salzburger Festival Videotechnology Julian Besch
Salzburger Festspiele Props Markus Schober, Dagmar Bald, Anita Aichinger