Pierrot Lunaire

Nightmare for opponents of gender ideology. And it’s none too surprising in this – after all, we are talking about yet another provocation by the scandalous Bruce LaBruce. This experimental work, originally performed at the Hebbel am Ufer theater in 2011, combines the musical poetry of the famous Arnold Schönberg with the trance-inducing sounds of the Berlin band MadLick. Inspired by the decadent atmosphere of prewar cabarets and the macabre sense of humor associated with the Grand Guignol theater, LaBruce is clearly paying homage to the past. On the other hand, however, we find in the character of Pierrot, struggling with her own sex and erotic needs (in a bravura performance by actress Susanne Sachße), a kindred spirit to the heroes of his earlier films. LaBruce’s sexy and blasphemous work captivated audiences as this year’s Berlinale. Pierrot Lunaire will undoubtedly also appeal to fans of classical music, as well as of artistic porn such as that seen in L.A. Zombie and Raspberry Reich.

Piotr Czerkawski