Kiss of the Slug-woman
Dvorak's Rusalka and Strauss's Daphne at Berlin's Staatsoper Unter den Linden
Christiane Karg (Rusalka) Picture by Gianmarco Bresadola
Who or what is Dvorak’s Rusalka? In Kornél Mundruczó’s new production at Berlin’s Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Christiane Karg plays the role initially as a punkish squatter in a flat-share. We are in more or less contemporary Berlin. Rusalka’s cramped and messy apartment - kitchen-diner, bathroom and hallway is all we see of it in Monika Pormale’s design - overlooks a cityscape dominated by the famous Television Tower, still a huge tourist attraction in post-unification Berlin.
This could be the German Democratic Republic just after Die Wende (the change to democracy) in 1989. A wealthy yuppy (the Prince) and his family have moved into the luxury penthouse above. When he and Rusalka meet and fall in love at first sight on the stairwell, the Prince’s family and friends (including the ‘Forester’ and ‘Kitchen Boy’, here dressed as a society hostess) are appalled, especially when they visit the flat below and discover eel-like creatures concealed in the furniture. By the beginning of Act 3, it is raining catfish and dogfish indoors.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Operalogue to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.