In the stage adaptation of 95 Pounds of Hope the many different ways of storytelling at all levels of the show are raised to the status of a principle. This begins in the storytelling perspective. The three actors constantly change roles during the story. Even David, the main character, can be seen in different embodiments. Here we look for things like psychologising and stage realism in vain. Despite (or precisely because of) its permanent refusal to empathise, the production is notable for its clear delineations of character. The characters can be grasped at all times and we can appreciate their development, their wishes, their yearnings, their deeds, and their hopes. Intimacy is created by distance.
With an instinctive sensitivity the director succeeds in fusing the different theatrical means and levels of significance to create a significant whole. Radical stylisation and alienation come up against highly emotional moments. Atmospheres and attitudes switch easily between humorous lightness and poignant seriousness. Performative approaches penetrate playful situations. Melancholy songs and a shrill colourful costume party are played out in front of a clinically white set. Even the many projections offer stark contrasts when photos from the family album and live projections flow into one another.
In all this the virtuoso use of means never becomes an aim in itself. The story of the school failure David is never revealed. The powerfully aesthetic approach allows the director to create an intense atmospheric depth with great images and moments. For all its artificiality the production is full of humour and emotions, and close to the audience. The ambitious adaptation from the novel provides us with a new and very convincing answer to the question of how content and form are conditioned by one another in children’s theatre. Martin Grünheit’s production is a great challenge to the audience. The young viewers take up this challenge with enormous pleasure. 95 Pounds of Hope is avant-garde theatre for children in the best sense of the word – and that is really grounds for hope!
