Emma Bovary is bored. She is bored with the French provinces and the mediocrity of her marriage. She is bored standing at her husband’s side, who turns out not to be the protagonist in her love story, as she had hoped, but a lazy philistine. The way out: she throws herself into affairs and squanders her money, which (spoiler alert) doesn’t end well. The ending is tragic. “Bovary” is the name of Christian Spuck’s ballet piece in which he takes on the plot of Gustave Flaubert’s novel “Madame Bovary” and brings it to the stage at the Deutsche Oper with the Staatsballett Berlin. He tells the turbulent story of the bored wife with a selection of music, narrative pas de deux and an impeccable cast. The evening is dedicated to Michelle Willems, who dances the story of an adulteress (and one of the most important novels of realism) as Emma. It’s a piece that’s relatable to anyone who has ever sought to escape from supposed hopelessness through self-indulgence and detachment from reality. Or, as Flaubert himself supposedly said: “Madame Bovary, c’est moi!”. Two shows are remaining for which tickets are still available. If you and your loved ones are spending Christmas in Berlin, ring in the evening together at the Deutsche Oper on 25.12.2024 (16h).
Text: Inga Krumme / Photos: Serghei Gherciu (with the first cast Weronika Frodyma)
Deutsche Oper, Bismarckstr.35, 10627 Berlin–Charlottenburg; map
Bovary 21.12. & 25.12.2024. Get your tickets here.
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