Berlin Ensemble | Smart nonsense

"Shakespeare? Yes, but with romance, please!" That's how Knesebeck Verlag is advertising "Twelfth Night – The Graphic Novel after William Shakespeare." At the Dussmann cultural department store, an entire sales table has been dedicated to copies of this book, prominently displayed. Is this supposed to be literary education? A quick flip through the brightly printed pages doesn't exactly suggest so. Instead, it appears to be shallow entertainment for Gen Z with a prominent name in the subtitle.

I put the book down and head to the Berliner Ensemble, a thousand steps away. "Twelfth Night" premieres tonight. It's directed by Antú Romero Nunes, who previously garnered attention in Basel with his "A Midsummer Night's Dream," which was invited to the Berlin Theatertreffen in 2023, and more recently with "Hamlet."

The story is familiar, albeit convoluted: Twins Sebastian and Viola are shipwrecked. She believes him to be dead, he believes her. Both are lost and both find themselves in Illyria. She disguises herself as a man and becomes the servant of Duke Orsino, with whom she falls in love. He, however, loves Olivia, who is loved by many. She, however, abstains from love until the false servant casts his spell on her. After a few unexpected twists and turns, almost everything turns out well in the end.

Nunes takes Shakespeare's words seriously and has the ensemble conjure up fantastical worlds. The interval between laughter is rarely long during this three-hour performance. While more banal jokes, puns, and slapstick are also on offer, the audience is rewarded with witty humor, beautiful visuals, and superb acting.

The director believes in the theater. You can feel it. And that's why he doesn't bore us with lectures, good intentions, or so-called inspirations. His belief in the theater isn't naive, though. He presents us with the full spectrum of acting, but also shows us brushes and paint. A Shakespearean interpreter who has also read his Brecht.

What turns the graphic novel into a lighthearted romp is also presented by Nunes in an entertaining way. Very entertaining, in fact. But for all the wit and even more fun, one senses that there's more to it. "Clever silliness is never boring," as Thomas Brasch's powerful translation puts it. That sums it up well. "Twelfth Night" is a comedy, no question, but one with a deeper meaning.

The assumption that Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," currently being performed with record-breaking frequency, humorously questions gender relations is obvious, but only half the story. For not only is the age-old refrain of man and woman, woman and man momentarily silenced in this carnivalesque play, but the rigid order of superior and inferior also breaks down. Suddenly, what was previously almost unthinkable seems possible. No director needs to spell this out on stage, but they should demonstrate it. Just like Antú Romero Nunes, who is more than just a gifted comedian.