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Rietzschel’s ‘Der Girschkarten’ Premieres in Leipzig, Recasting Chekhov in a New‑Build Suburb

The production uses minimalist design to examine nostalgia versus progress through a family rift over a lone house.

Overview

  • Directed by Enrico Lübbe at Schauspiel Leipzig, the play unfolds inside a bare white cube that underscores the property dispute at its core.
  • The reworking shifts Chekhov’s symbol of decline from aristocracy to the contemporary middle class, with an overgrown garden standing in for a neglected society.
  • Reviewers note pointed references to misinformation dynamics, as characters assert self‑serving claims that blur fact and fabrication.
  • The ensemble features Katja Gaudard as the grandmother, with Vanessa Czapla, Niklas Wetzel, Dirk Lange, Lisa‑Katrin Mayer, Thomas Braungardt and Tilo Krügel.
  • MDR praises Rietzschel’s sharp observations and humor but finds the minimalist staging static and light on dramatic momentum across its 100‑minute running time.