Les Contes d'Hoffmann

My first Theater an der Wien opera was Les Contes d'Hoffmann, which is a great Offenbeck opera based on the stories of E.T.A. Hoffmann, who is really one of my favorite German writers. The music is splendid, and the story line is charmingly Twilight-Zone-y with a twist of writerly dilemma which I find myself prone to on occasion.


The story starts in the Keller of Hoffmann's college town (Nuremberg?), where all his students love him, and he regales them with stories every night and drinks himself to oblivion. He's a blocked poet, mind you, and his muse has come to rescue him from being a hack, a lovesick fool, and an alcoholic. The muse disguises herself as his best friend, and attempts to lure him away from other loves, specifically his current obsession, the actress Stella.


Hoffmann has a doppelgänger, Lindorf, who is his evil side. Lindorf urges Hoffmann to tell the students of his three great loves: Olympia, Antonia, and Giulietta. Each of the women have their own act. Olympia is actually an automaton and Hoffmann is plagued by Lindorf disguised as Coppelius, the co-creator of Olympia, who sells him glasses that make Olympia seem like a real woman (from Der Sandmann). Antonia is a singer whose mother was also, but died, from a mysterious illness caused by singing, and whose father is a neurotic who does not allow Hoffmann to see her, nor does he allow her to sing. Dr. Miracle is this act's Lindorf, and he comes to "cure" Antonia, only to force her to sing until she dies (from Rat Crespel). Giulietta is a courtesan who steals men's shadows. Hoffmann falls in love with her, and is willing to give her everything. He even kills for her, but all in vain. She only pretends to love him, and steals his image from a mirror (from The Adventures of New Year's Eve and The Lost Reflection).


Back at Lawrence, I took a whole class devoted to Hoffmann, and really loved it. Hoffmann is one of the original suspense/horror/fantasy/sci-fi writers, and his stuff is: original, though-provoking, freaky-ass weird, and forward-thinking. Many of his themes have to do with scientific advancement, but also with traditional Germanic fairy tales and fantastical figures, such as alps, fairies, dwarfs, trolls and the like.


This staging was interesting, and a bit "out there" as far as Vienna theater is concerned. It took a lot of risks, if I may say. I liked it for the most part, but found it lacking in some areas. The director is William Friedkin who also directed The Exorcist. Um, yeah. There were puppets involved, and too many computer screen backdrops for my blood. Also, I was mildly scandalized by the soft-core porn in the third act. Simulated sex on stage can quickly turn from provocative to distracting to just plain gross, in my opinion.


All in all, I enjoyed the production. Despite directing the opera like one would direct a film, Mr. Friedkin, unless he tried harder, could not ruin an operas so great as Les Contes d'Hoffmann.