Lebensraum (Vital Space)

"Through mime, acrobatics and magic they trick their audience with mind-blowing stunts both on and off-stage"

- ANNETTE EMBRECHTS, VOLKSKRANT

A stage occupied by a piano-bed and a fridge-library, a non-stop routine of acrobatic leaps, falls and blows, a constant game of doors which open, close and revolve... It could easily be a Buster Keaton film. Lebensraum is a theatrical production which, inspired by the world of slapstick, is full of startling images, extraordinary skills and an exhilirating humour. Jakop Ahlbom's latest creation is a dazzling work featuring two men who live in a very small space who decide to create a mechanical woman cleaner. But this robot has a mind of its own causing tensions to rise while the living area gets progressively smaller. All of this is accompanied by the wonderful 1920s-style live music of Dutch band, Alamo Race Track.

The essence of slapstick has its base in farce together with jokes based on humorous physical actions. This genre, which resorts to exaggerated gags to create an over-dramatic scenario, had its golden age in the cinema and animated films of the first half of the 20th century.

In Lebensraum, theatre and mime come together in a refined slapstick based on the physical movement and timing used in silent films. Through mime, physical action and magic, the cast manage to win the audience over with breathtaking stunts performed both on and off-stage. This production was first performed on March 23, 2012, in Toneelschuur, Harlem (Netherlands).

 

Credits

CONCEPT: Jakop Ahlbom

CAST: Reinier Schimmel, Jakop Ahlbom, Silke Hundertmark, Leonard Lucieer, Empee Holwerda

MUSIC: Alamo Race Track

STAGE DESIGN: Douwe Hibma y Jakop Ahlbom

STAGING: Judith Wendel

LIGHTING DESIGN: Yuri Schreuders

 

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