Woyzeck

At the webpage of The Norwegian Theatre the following, among other things, is written about Woyzeck:

"Dirty, beautiful and expressive. That is how it will be like as two legends meet in this autumn's great attempt at the main stage. Tom Waits, the man of the dark and rasping voice and Georg Büchner, the young genius who in 1837, aged 23, wrote one of the most fascinating works of modern theatre's history. This version of Woyzeck had its world premiere at The Betty Nansen Theatre (Copenhagen) in 2000, a great happening all of theatrical Europe followed with excitement.

Robert Wilson was responsible for the direction, the way he was when he with Waits made the first so-called art musical The Black Rider for Thalia Theater (Hamburg) in 1995. The Black Rider had its Norwegian premiere at The Norwegian Theatre three years later (directed by Carl Jørgen Kiønig), with Lasse Kolsrud in the leading role - a performance still talked about. Robert Wilson is one of the best-known directors in the world, and he had his first Norwegian direction assignment when mounting Peer Gynt at The Norwegian Theatre in 2005.

Social criticism and dark humour
Woyzeck is a nightmare-like fragment based on a true story about Woyzeck, a soldier who killed his girlfriend in Leipzig in 1821. With insight and social anger Büchner depicts the desperate soldier. This is a story of social criticism with aspects of dark humour. Hans Rønningen interprets the role of Franz Woyzeck, who in his daily battle for survival sell himself to dubious medical experiments. Physically and psychologically destroyed, Franz goes paranoid, and when he discovers that his girlfriend is unfaithful, he listens to the voices of his head and ends her life.

Wilson told me about this lowly soldier who submitted to medical experiments and went slowly mad from eating peas. He finds out his wife is unfaithful. He slits her throat and throws his knife in the lake, goes in after it and drowns. Later the child is taken care of by the village idiot. I said, "OK, I'm in. You had me at 'slit her throat'.
Tom Waits"

SOURCES:

Import from the Scenekunst.no list of openings

The Norwegian Theatre, www.detnorsketeatret.no, 06.08.2014, http://www.detnorsketeatret.no/index.php?option=com_play&view=play&playid=424