Alex Brücke Langer opened last Friday and went very well. The audience contained many former friends and colleagues of Alex's and it must be a strange experience for them to see a piece which attempts to portray him, and which includes as part of the production much video archive material of Alex 'in action'. However the response was warm and attentive.
The new ending worked well and seemed to round off the piece well. Unfortunately Yoshi was not able to make the performance so I can only guess as to whether he would have approved of my tinkering or not.
So I flew from Bolzano early yesterday, leaving the cast to 3 more performances, and came to Prague for a couple of days of meetings and casting for the next project, Idomeneo. Website of the Narodni Divadlo Prague
In Bolzano it was just beginning to feel like the early signs of Spring were eager to appear. I stopped over in Rome for a couple of hours where it was a decidedly balmy 15 degrees and the change of season was firmly underway. Prague is still gripped by Winter, though the snow which lays deeply on the outskirts of the city is beginning to thaw.
Prague Old Town Square
I will be in Prague for two months leading up to the first performance in May. I was here last year at the State Opera for the revival of Death in Venice and had a difficult though ultimately very rewarding time. But the city didn't quite get under my skin. It is certainly very beautiful but also full of contrasts. The city has also vigorously taken the tourist dollar, though that has probably saved it.
It is a strange mix of Western and Eastern Europe and there are sights which take you by surprise. Beggars here abase themselves completely, with their faces to the ground and their noses in the snow and ice. An uncomfortable sight in a city alive with tourist temptations. Perhaps that's good.
It is interesting coming back, even for this short visit, and I think I will enjoy this next stay here much more, now that I know the ropes a bit more. In the meantime, my sights are firmly set on a few blissful days at home!
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