11. Madách International Theatre Meeting

Affluence is a thing of the past when the elegant Blanche arrives at her sister’s apartment. Stella lives in a humble dwelling with her husband, Stanley, an American whose family has Polish roots. Blanche carries deep secrets in her heart; her posh behavior, her daydreaming, her thirst for attention collide with Stanley’s raw masculinity. The two characters collide, and they destroy each other.

Tennessee Williams’s classic play, published in 1947 (and adapted into a world-famous film starring Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh), is set in New Orleans, a major city in the American South. Director Michael Thalheimer has chosen a method highly characteristic of his works: he takes the play out of its original milieu and focuses on the essence of the drama. He provides a brutally sharp picture of the decay of human and social relationships and the extremes of existential failure. 
Having seen the premiere last year, German critics were effusive with their praise, calling the performance grand, artistic, clever, captivating, a real feast, and an array of enthralling acting. After last year’s success with The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Thalheimer and the Berliner Ensemble again brought the best of contemporary German theater to MITEM.