DER GANG VOR DIE HUNDE

In the organizer's words:

A musical journey through Kästner's "FABIAN" with Martin Brambach in the title role

Normally, Martin Brambach investigates as detective Schnabel in Dresden's "Tatort", while Jürgen Hartmann gets to the bottom of things as forensic doctor Vogt in Stuttgart's "Tatort" - but now the two of them, together with actress Christine Sommer, who is married to Martin Brambach, immerse themselves in the vibrant city life of the 1930s. Their reading of "Der Gang vor die Hunde", based on Erich Kästner's partly autobiographical novel, which was published in 1931 in a censored version as "Fabian", will be performed on stages across Germany from September. In their production, which celebrated an acclaimed premiere at the Ruhrfestspiele in 2019, they take the audience on a tour de force through Berlin in the early 1930s. Into the time of the Weimar Republic, between communist trench warfare and the rise of the National Socialists; into a metropolitan world whose dissolute, decadent and highly political character is frighteningly topical.

Martin Brambach embodies the main character Dr. Jakob Fabian, an advertising copywriter who is drawn into the maelstrom of Berlin's nightlife and becomes embroiled in political conflicts between left and right. He experiences various strokes of fate and disappointments. "The fascinating thing about Kästner's novel, which was published almost 100 years ago, is its topicality. We live in a time that is also highly politically charged, where indulgence, consumption and the desire for recognition override any moral obligation for many," says Martin Brambach. Christine Sommer plays a variety of roles, and her portrayal of the character of Frau Moll, who has chosen Fabian as her new lover, is particularly impressive. "The period of the 1930s is characterized by contradictions, which is what makes it so fascinating: the vibrant nightlife, where women could also stage themselves in completely new roles, but at the same time people lived a very bourgeois existence on the outside. On the inside, however, there was a lot going on and that's what we try to portray in our reading," says Christine Sommer. Jürgen Hartmann also interprets different characters, including Fabian's friend Stephan Labude, who constantly tries to motivate Fabian to set himself goals and fails miserably in life himself. "I am particularly inspired by the complexity of the characters that Kästner has created. Some reach for the stars, live out their ideals uncompromisingly or fail in the face of reality - a very exciting kaleidoscope of human emotions," says Jürgen Hartmann. Actor Jubril Sulaimon also slips into various roles, including publisher Zacharias, Fabian's colleague Fischer and several transvestites in Berlin's nightlife. The whole thing is accompanied musically by Christian Hammer, Gatti Groth and Markus Conrads, who are known as the Christian Hammer Trio under the name "The Babylon Syncopators".

"Der Gang vor die Hunde" is the original title of Erich Kästner's urban novel, which was first published in 1931 in a censored version as "Fabian". It was not until 2013 that the masterpiece was published in an unabridged version and sheds light on Fabian's search for love and fulfillment in a decadent and politically unstable society. Erich Kästner impressively describes the forlornness of the individual in the big city and the challenges Fabian is confronted with as he seeks his way in a world torn apart.