Artists dance at lofty heights in a kind of crystal-shaped cage, wearing tight latex-look costumes: In just under a week, the new show “Falling | In Love” will celebrate its premiere on October 11th in Berlin’s Friedrichstadt-Palast. “I am very excited,” French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier told the German Press Agency on Thursday at a press event in Berlin. Gaultier helped develop the show.
It is already finished, but perhaps there will still be small improvements, said the 71-year-old. According to the theater, the play has a production budget of almost 14 million euros – making it the most expensive production to date at the house on Friedrichstrasse. “This time we have 100 million Swarovski crystals on stage,” said artistic director Berndt Schmidt on Thursday. These were incorporated into the stage design and costumes.
The Friedrichstadt-Palast is known for its glittering revues. Gaultier took on the role of visual design director – meaning he was responsible, along with others, for costume and set design. The designer had already designed the costumes for the 2016 show “The One”.
The new show will tell about a character named You. In her search for love, You is rejected and just wants to sink into the ground. “The gray asphalt of civilization crumbles beneath his feet,” it was said. You fall into another reality and see in the hidden garden of love what he has never seen before. The story is inspired by the poem “The Garden of Love” by the Englishman William Blake (1757-1827).
During his journey, the protagonist, who is alternately played by two deaf actors, gets to know different worlds. “It’s about colors, different types of colors. Each living environment will have its own symbolic color,” said Gaultier about the idea behind his costumes. “Falling in Love” has been showing in previews since September 21st. (dpa)