In its review, Die Deutsche Bühne describes the world premiere of ‘OPER OTZE AXT’ at the Staatstheater Darmstadt as a musically exciting experiment. The musical theatre by the DRITTE DEGENERATION OST collective premiered there on 14 February as the sixth production of the NOperas! funding initiative. There will be further performances on 2 and 9 March, followed by further development at the theatres in Gelsenkirchen and Bremen.
The work explores the question of how to break up the system, the state and the opera and is inspired by the story of the GDR punk band ‘Schleimkeim’ and its singer and guitarist Dieter ‘Otze’ Ehrlich.
As a resistant protagonist and East punk antihero, Otze experiences the increasingly disintegrating GDR, but finds no redemption in the social liberation of the fall of the Wall and the post-reunification period, only further invisible walls. The development of the play scrutinises our image and understanding of the post-reunification period and searches for new approaches to explain the political rifts that are occurring in ever more drastic ways in the present day. After more than thirty years of reunification, the seams between East and West are opening up again and calling into question the freedom we have achieved together.
The artists’ collective “Dritte Degeneration Ost” shares artistic responsibility for the production. Almost everyone involved in the team comes from the ‘new federal states’. They combine their project with the reappraisal of personal experiences and thus create a special perspective on the German-German problem against the backdrop of the reunification years. The question of the nature of freedom is explored in a provocative way, beyond the context of the play, and provides an intelligent thematic contribution to pressing contemporary issues in the context of musical theatre.
Following the performances in Darmstadt, the production will be further developed at the Musiktheater im Revier Gelsenkirchen (premiere: 13 April) and at Theater Bremen (premiere: 4 July).
‘Opera and punk combine through sound design – musically an exciting experiment (…)’
Ulrike Kolter, Die Deutsche Bühne, 15.02.2025
‘In the best parts, Baresel plays the electric guitar and drumset out of control, so that the punk really takes off.’
Rainer Nonnenmann, nmz neue musikzeitung, 17.02.2025
‘Operation a success, Patient rocks (…) ‘Oper Otze Axt’ has what it takes to attract audiences to music theatre who otherwise have little interest in it.’
Stefan Benz, Darmstädter Echo, 17.02.2025
