Die Blumen.The Flowers
About the project
The show incorporates writings from German authors from the early 20th century, contemporary Russian writers, and cinema quotes.
Consequently, artists, painters, and poets shifted their activities indoors and added some dancing, poetry readings, and liquor alongside songs. The cabaret evolved into a space where creators could experiment with new ideas, and audiences could openly discuss taboo subjects. In our current repertoire, we feature three cabaret performances.
"The Flowers" (Die Blumen) is an anti-war reverie envisioning a better world when the outer world is already lost; it is a party in hell; it is a story of the tumultuous and tragic demise of humanity.
Consequently, artists, painters, and poets shifted their activities indoors and added some dancing, poetry readings, and liquor alongside songs. The cabaret evolved into a space where creators could experiment with new ideas, and audiences could openly discuss taboo subjects. In our current repertoire, we feature three cabaret performances.
"The Flowers" (Die Blumen) is an anti-war reverie envisioning a better world when the outer world is already lost; it is a party in hell; it is a story of the tumultuous and tragic demise of humanity.
The show debuted
In Saint Petersburg in October 2020, and in December 2022, Fulcro replicated the Israeli rendition of the performance at the Tmu-na Theatre.
Dasha Shamina, director:
On the one hand, "The Flowers" endeavors to resurrect or recall the essence of German cabaret in the times from the Weimar Republic to the Second World War. It is within such cabarets and taverns that Brecht’s early texts found their origins.
On the other hand, it strives to replicate the sensation of the complete breakdown of humanity, a moment when the entire world hurtles towards an abyss without yet knowing which abyss it would be. A social inferno created by humans on Earth, a fantasy of what it might resemble in one of its numerous potential realities. This inferno is intimately connected to humanity’s experiences in the 20th century, ranging from individual tragedies to global catastrophes. What if hell is an unending quest for freedom, coupled with the perpetual impossibility of attaining it?
On the other hand, it strives to replicate the sensation of the complete breakdown of humanity, a moment when the entire world hurtles towards an abyss without yet knowing which abyss it would be. A social inferno created by humans on Earth, a fantasy of what it might resemble in one of its numerous potential realities. This inferno is intimately connected to humanity’s experiences in the 20th century, ranging from individual tragedies to global catastrophes. What if hell is an unending quest for freedom, coupled with the perpetual impossibility of attaining it?
Cast and crew
Director: Dasha Shamina
Narration design: Fulcro
Artistic design of the space: Dasha Shamina
Choreography: Dmitry Komarov, Polina Dreyden
Producers: Sonya Gromova, Anya Ginzburg, Liza Shkolnik
Costumes: Frau Blau
Actors: Nikita Goldman, Katya Tikhonova, Nastya Gordymanova, Alya Goldman, Polina Vingorodova, Grisha Katsenelson, Vasya Butkevich, Misha Rakhlin, Asya Feldberg
Cabaret singer: Sofa Chudnovskaya/Nadezhda Gaidukova
Musical director: Zhenya Natanova
Sound engineer: Andrey Mirny
Translation into Hebrew: Polina Brukman
Live music is performed by a band formed exclusively for the show
Keys: Sasha Zarankin
Trumpet: Grigory Rivkin, Vadim Yagman
Violin: Anya Grinfeld
Drums: Sergey Kivin
Bass: Alexey Dragunsky
Narration design: Fulcro
Artistic design of the space: Dasha Shamina
Choreography: Dmitry Komarov, Polina Dreyden
Producers: Sonya Gromova, Anya Ginzburg, Liza Shkolnik
Costumes: Frau Blau
Actors: Nikita Goldman, Katya Tikhonova, Nastya Gordymanova, Alya Goldman, Polina Vingorodova, Grisha Katsenelson, Vasya Butkevich, Misha Rakhlin, Asya Feldberg
Cabaret singer: Sofa Chudnovskaya/Nadezhda Gaidukova
Musical director: Zhenya Natanova
Sound engineer: Andrey Mirny
Translation into Hebrew: Polina Brukman
Live music is performed by a band formed exclusively for the show
Keys: Sasha Zarankin
Trumpet: Grigory Rivkin, Vadim Yagman
Violin: Anya Grinfeld
Drums: Sergey Kivin
Bass: Alexey Dragunsky