Christoph Marthaler stages Dieter Roth's 'Das Weinen' in Bologna

Christoph Marthaler has adapted Dieter Roth's experimental book 'Das Weinen (Das Wähnen)' into a theatrical performance in Bologna. The production is set in a pristine pharmacy, where five actresses in white coats perform absurdist routines inspired by Roth's linguistic play. The text, given to Marthaler by Roth in the 1980s, blends Dadaist and nouveau roman techniques with echoes of Adamov and Perec. The performers—Liliana Benini, Magne Håvard Brekke, Olivia Grigolli, Elisa Plüss, Nikola Weisse, and Susanne-Marie Wrage—enact mechanical gestures like clicking pens and rearranging medicine boxes, translating Roth's nonsense into physical comedy. The show includes a cappella songs, a pop number, and a finale where shelves are emptied and a Christ-like customer carries a green pharmacy cross. Marthaler's staging, with surtitles translated by Sonia Antinori, aims to give materiality to Roth's abstract language while preserving its irreverent spirit.