La Fleur
The Phantom of the Operetta (2024)
Performance
Photo: Mukenge/Schellhammer
The operetta is often considered a genre of the past, embodying the turn of the 20th century when European empires began to crumble. In Austria, it emerged as a popular alternative to the opera and is still seen nostalgically as the epitome of a lost Austro-Hungarian culture.
In this new commission, the transnational collective La Fleur explores the sociopolitical context of late Viennese operetta and its contemporary resonances through Emmerich Kálmán. Kálmán, a Hungarian Jew, was Vienna’s most celebrated composer before fleeing to the US to escape the Nazis. Guided by his life and works, the performers sing, dance, and analyze the operetta from a postcolonial perspective, accompanied by a string quintet. They address not only the fruitful exchange between European and non-European art but also the impact of racism and cultural appropriation.
La Fleur creates a witty and virtuoso piece that looks behind the genre’s glamorous facade, challenging and confronting stereotypes and conventions—all while revealing how seemingly escapist show business is influenced by dark historical times.
La Fleur was founded in 2016 by director Monika Gintersdorfer and choreographer Franck Edmond Yao, a.k.a. Gadoukou la Star. The independent transnational collective comprises performers from France, Mexico, and Côte d’Ivoire—often showbiz stars in their home countries. La Fleur focuses on adapting classical works from a postcolonial perspective. Their performances have been shown at renowned festivals and theaters such as MC93, Bobigny (Paris); Kampnagel, Hamburg; Zürcher Theater Spektakel; Theaterfestival Spielart, Munich; and Wiener Festwochen.
Commissioned by steirischer herbst ’24
Produced by steirischer herbst ’24 and La Fleur Gintersdorfer/Yao GbR in coproduction with FFT Düsseldorf, Kampnagel, Pumpenhaus Münster, and Theater Bremen
Supported by Fonds Darstellende Künste with funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media
Opening sponsor: AVL List
Education event
21.9., following the performance
Eat and Greet
19.9., 21:00
21.9., 19:30
In French, German, and English
Helmut List Halle
Waagner-Biro-Straße 98a
8020 Graz ♿
18/14 euros
Duration: ca. 90 min.
Director: Monika Gintersdorfer
Choreography: La Fleur
Stage: Mukenge/Schellhammer
Costumes: Arturo Lugo, Bobwear, Mukenge/Schellhammer
Music: Timor Litzenberger, Shaggy Sharoof
Musical preparation: Vetcho Lolas
Production management: High Expectations / Gregor Zoch
Dramaturge: Katinka Deecke
With: Annick Choco, Montserrat Gardó Castillo, Timor Litzenberger, Ordinateur, Shaggy Sharoof, Franck Edmond Yao a.k.a. Gadoukou la Star
String quintet
Arrangement, Violine: Eduard Luis
Viola: Anna Pankina
Cello: Viktória Menyhárt
Violin: Jelena Jovovic
Double bass: Tom Bräunling
With special thanks to Kevin Clarke
Commissioned by steirischer herbst ’24
Produced by steirischer herbst ’24 and La Fleur Gintersdorfer/Yao GbR in coproduction with FFT Düsseldorf, Kampnagel, Pumpenhaus Münster, and Theater Bremen
Supported by Fonds Darstellende Künste with funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media
Opening sponsor: AVL List
Education event
21.9., following the performance
Eat and Greet