Der goldene Drache

In the organizer's words:

Music theater by Péter Eötvös

Closeup - in film, this term refers to the close-up that brings the audience up close to the action. At Theater Hagen, a format called closeUP! is being launched that makes it possible to experience musical theater from a completely new perspective. The audience sits on the stage and is therefore right in the middle of the action. Péter Eötvös' The Golden Dragon marks the start of this series, which will be continued in the coming seasons.

What if I could be someone else? This question is at the heart of Roland Schimmelpfennig's drama The Golden Dragon, which Péter Eötvös adapted into a gripping piece of music theater in 2014. It tells of the fates of those who fall between the cracks of our social grids.

A young man, called "the little one", works in the kitchen of an Asian fast food restaurant. It is cramped, noisy and hot, but the boy is even more troubled by his aching tooth than his uncomfortable workplace. A visit to the dentist is out of the question, as he doesn't have enough money. Without further ado, the tooth has to be pulled out with a pipe wrench, but the procedure ends fatally for the little boy. Péter Eötvös (1944-2024) is one of the most frequently performed contemporary opera composers. The Golden Dragon, which he described as music theater, plays with the means of drama and contemporary opera by changing scenes and roles at lightning speed and juxtaposing moments of haunting realism with situations of absurd, fantastical imagery. Julia Huebner's production, with sets by Iris Holstein, brings the audience into close proximity to the stage and opens up completely new perspectives on the action.