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In 'Brecht's First Play,' Baal's Transgressive Statements Are Digitally Censored
🇳🇱 Netherlands /Technology

In 'Brecht's First Play,' Baal's Transgressive Statements Are Digitally Censored

From NRC Handelsblad · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • The Beijing Repertory Theater and Tempest Projects' production of Bertolt Brecht's "Baal" uses a "blue screen" technique to create virtual environments.
  • The play reinterprets Baal's transgressive behavior for contemporary audiences, with offensive dialogue censored digitally.
  • While visually innovative, the production's reliance on technical gimmicks overshadows its dramatic depth and narrative progression.

Actors from Beijing Repertory Theater (BRT) and Tempest Projects perform "Baal" within a minimalist blue set, utilizing a "blue screen" technique that transforms the stage into various virtual settings projected on a large screen above. This digital backdrop shifts from a chic apartment to a dystopian landscape, or the dingy basement where Baal resides, immersing the audience in the play's world.

With roots ‘on the other side of the world,’ they can reinterpret this originally German play; they can provide a fresh perspective.

— An actor from Beijing Repertory TheaterExplaining the approach to performing Brecht's 'Baal' from a non-German perspective.

This production of Bertolt Brecht's first full-length play offers a fresh perspective from performers with "roots on the other side of the world." They conclude that the protagonist Baal's behavior is incompatible with modern morals. Baal is depicted as a destructive force, spewing insults, drinking heavily, exploiting women, and urinating in public bins. His actions embody "transgressive behavior," leading to his "cancellation" within the play's narrative. Provocative dialogue is digitally blurred or "bleeped out," mirroring censorship techniques used in news reports.

Baal is the type of person for whom the term ‘transgressive behavior’ was practically invented.

— ReviewerDescribing the protagonist's actions and their relevance to contemporary social issues.

While Bertolt Brecht is known for his musical elements, "Brecht's First Play" prioritizes visual storytelling. Directed by Ben Kidd and Bush Moukarzel, the production's conceptual strength lies in its rapid world-building via the blue screen and dramatic close-ups captured by a front-stage camera. However, the constant visual effects and pixelated censorship, initially impressive, lose their impact over the play's 90-minute runtime.

Therefore, he is canceled in Brecht’s First Play.

— ReviewerExplaining the play's narrative response to Baal's behavior.

The performance struggles to transition from its playful, humorous tone to a grimmer narrative. The humor and infectious lightheartedness that permeate many scenes eventually give way to a forced depth. Jin Shijia portrays Baal as a charming yet sinister figure, seductive but ultimately controlling. He ruthlessly overpowers those around him, embodying an egoist whose "out-of-control mischief" ultimately leads to his downfall.

Conceptually, Brecht’s First Play, directed by English theater makers Ben Kidd and Bush Moukarzel, is a performance that stays with you.

— ReviewerCommenting on the conceptual strength of the production.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by NRC Handelsblad in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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