Ten years of imposture at the Volkstheater

Ten years ago, on June 17, 2011, “Felix Krull” premiered at the Munich Volkstheater.

Bastian Kraft's production has been on the program since then.

We spoke to lead actor Pascal Fligg.

• The theater evening "Felix Krull" is based on the novel by Thomas Mann.

• Bastian Kraft staged the stage version for the Munich Volkstheater.

• The successful production has been on the theater's repertoire for ten years.

He wore out four suits.

He's now wearing the undershirt a size bigger.

That's how it is - after ten years.

For Pascal Fligg, lifetime always means big theater.

On June 17, 2011 he appeared on stage for the first time with Nicola Fritzen and Justin Mühlenhardt as Felix Krull.

The day after tomorrow, June 17, 2021, they will do it again.

Like 180 times before.

Bastian Kraft's production at the Munich Volkstheater is a long-running hit.

And thus fits in with Fligg, who - 37 years old - has been in the ensemble of the house for longer than anyone else.

Pascal Fligg wore four suits as Felix Krull

“The others don't look like they did in the old photos either,” he says with a laugh when asked how he has changed between the premiere in 2011 and today. Are they actually still playing the same piece or isn't everything shifting a bit with every push that you make yourself in your development? "Certainly. We are now a Felix Krull with ten years more life experience - which does not necessarily have to be detrimental to the piece. This is the next generation Felix Krull who will have a say. "

At that time, according to Fligg, it could also have been: Why are they so young Krulls, they haven't experienced anything yet?

But nobody said.

On the contrary: It's a song of praise that critics and viewers sang together on this gorgeous impostor story based on Thomas Mann.

"If you don't rush there, you've missed the cheekiest, funniest, most virtuoso thing that Munich's theaters are currently delivering," judged the critic of our newspaper.

Back then, he gave readers the tip to secure tickets quickly.

Nobody had expected the production to be so successful

In retrospect: superfluous. But who could have guessed how often production would be on the program in the future? Not even the protagonists themselves thought of it. "No, really not. The fact that the piece is so successful is due to the great cooperation of so many people from all trades. "

The costume designers, for example. They not only had to tailor new suits on a regular basis, they also had to iron and strengthen their shirts flawlessly, because a tailor like Krull can't run around in a mess. In doing so, they made a significant contribution to motivating the three men on stage again and again. Because hand on heart, Mr. Fligg: One hundred and eighty times the same piece - that wears out at some point, right? Like a singer who has to sing the same song over and over for the fans. "That's right, I've always wondered how they get through it," says Fligg. “But it never feels like that to me.” Of course, his body tells him when he has one of the demanding “Felix Krull” performances behind him with bruises or a bruise, “Oh, man,tomorrow again? ”But the stage adrenaline and the visible joy of the audience make up for it in a matter of seconds. “Because I have the feeling that the piece is a little different with every new audience. I am a fan of surprising myself and thinking about it: is there anything else to discover? "

"Felix Krull" is of course moving to the new Volkstheater in the Schlachthofviertel

The "Krull" is included in the repertoire of the new Volkstheater in the Schlachthofviertel.

Here, too, Fligg's curiosity triumphs over any hint of routine: "I'm very excited to see how it works in the new room, with a larger crowd."

At the beginning, back in 2011, they were not at all sure whether everything was going in the right direction at all.

“We asked ourselves whether we don't need more depth in the piece, whether we should no longer work out Felix Krull's doubts.

Because we thought: It has to be, it can't just be so wild and funny ”, the actor remembers the first rehearsals.

But here and now it is clear to him that precisely this lightness was the key to success. He experienced it himself, a few years ago in Bad Gandersheim. Privately, he watched the musical “Linie 1” there - and just thought: Why is there actually a theater? "I was so happy watching, I was just being mocked." He had a grin on his face throughout the performance - "and a moment later a crisis of meaning," he remembers and laughs. Do you always have to try to work on several levels, meta-levels, thoughts and crises in the theater? Isn't it nice now and then for the viewer to just sit back and enjoy well-made entertainment? The "Felix Krull" enables exactly that.It is physically demanding for Fligg and his teammates - acrobatically and vocally and in terms of concentration they have to perform at their best. “But we know that we can do well with what we give and send a little joy to the audience. That's just wonderful. "