John Malkovich: Just Call Me God
A World Premiere
Hollywood star John Malkovich as an abdicating dictator
From the dawn of time to the present age: time and again there have been rulers praised as superhuman, all-powerful or even divine. How do they achieve this status? Why do people allow this to happen? And just how gullible and corruptible are we? A world premiere featuring Hollywood star John Malkovich.
Following the worldwide success of their previous collaborations »The Infernal Comedy« and »The Giacomo Variations«, dream team Michael Sturminger and John Malkovich return to the city on the river Elbe with this musical theatre piece.
This one-man show pushes the 63-year-old Malkovich to his limits: from delusions of grandeur to morbid insanity and beyond. And on the way, the Hollywood star encounters something spectacular: the brand-new organ of the Elbphilharmonie! As Martin Haselböck, musical director and organist, reacts to the abdicating dictator with music by Bach, Ligeti and Messiaen, Franz Danksagmüller uses innovative electronic distortion techniques to explore the instrument’s innate sound possibilities.
Unsettling and disturbing, this extraordinary production dissects the causes and mechanisms of tyranny. Through Malkovich’s impressive embodiment of the charismatic dictator, the audience learns that power and authority always stem from convincing enactment.
Please note that »Just Call Me God« is not suitable for children under the age of 14. The work includes some disturbing scenes and wording.
Performers
John Malkovich acting
Sophie von Kessel acting
Martin Haselböck organ
Franz Danksagmüller live electronics
Errol T. Harewood acting
Felix Dennhardt acting
Josef Rabitsch acting
Valentin Ledebur acting
Renate Martin props
Andreas Donhauser props
Martin Haselböck concept and musical director
Michael Sturminger text, direction
Programme
Just Call Me God: A dictator's final speech / Weltpremiere / Ein Auftrag der Elbphilharmonie Hamburg (Libretto: Michael Sturminger)
Szenische Produktion in englischer Sprache
Mit Auszügen aus:
Johann Sebastian Bach
Toccata und Fuge d-Moll BWV 565
Richard Wagner
Der Ritt der Walküren
Johann Sebastian Bach
Alle Menschen müssen sterben BWV 643
Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Liszt
Variationen über »Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen« S 180
Martin Haselböck
A whiter Air
The Grand Anthem
Martin Haselböck, Franz Danksagmüller
Sound Collage
Grand Organ Macabre Harmonica
Bigger Than Life! / Grand Organ Improvisation / Psychocratic Barground Improvisation
Grand Organ Cacophonia
The Final Waltz
Estimated end time
21:30