Don Quijote

About

Jan Bosse’s production of Jakob Nolte’s adaptation of Cervantes’ classic is a co-production between Bregenzer Festspiele and Deutsches Theater Berlin. It leans on the power of imagination and the kinetic partnership of Ulrich Matthes and Wolfram Koch, who play alone on a pared-down stage. Simple theatrical devices, including a fog machine, are used to summon landscapes and moods rather than to build realistic worlds. The staging probes the thin boundary between fantasy and reality, inviting the audience to participate in image-making. As Quixote’s imagined triumphs repeatedly collapse, the performance foregrounds exhaustion, disillusionment, and a tender, melancholic humor. The evening’s language-focused approach turns attention to rhythm, timing, and the musicality of speech. What emerges is a playful yet somber reflection on companionship, failure, and the stubborn human need to dream.