SALON LUITPOLD | Illusionen - wie Schwanensee | Ein Gespräch zur Wiederaufnahme mit Christoph Gaiser

In the organizer's words:

llusions - like Swan Lake. A conversation about the revival with Christoph Gaiser.

Choreographer John Neumeier is certainly no stranger to Munich - the Bayerisches Staatsballett has performed his story ballets The Nutcracker (Munich premiere 1991), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1993), The Lady of the Camellias (1997) and A Cinderella Story (2003), among others. In May 2025, Illusions - Like Swan Lake, which was first performed at the Nationaltheater in 2011, will be revived.

Neumeier drew inspiration for this piece from the life and suffering of King Ludwig II of Bavaria. The "Kini" takes refuge here in the theatrical reality of a Swan Lake performance, where he hopes for redemption from his existential torments. The unfinished walls of Herrenchiemsee Castle also reappear - an image of his unquenchable longing for completion and at the same time his prison.

In a discussion with those involved in the production, ballet dramaturge Dr. Christoph Gaiser will try to find out where Neumeier's role models and inspiration can be found and what the artistic challenges of the revival are.