"Àlies Gospodin", a contemporary folk tale in the Sala Beckett

Àlies Gospodin is a contemporary folk tale, a political fable with Gospodin himself as the central character, a pig-headed antihero who stumbles upon his coveted freedom in his own peculiar way. The play, by the young German playwright Philipp Löhle, is programmed in the Sala Beckett up until the end of March.

 

Directed by Moisès Maicas, the play stars Jacob Torres in the title role. The remainder of the cast, a dozen characters in total, includes Mireia Aixalà and Pau Sastre. Torres is a familiar figure to anyone acquainted with Catalan theatre, having worked with acclaimed directors such as Rigola, Portaceli, Buchaca, Bieito, and Gas, among others.

 

The author, Philipp Löhle, has been the resident playwright of the maxim Gorki Theatre in Berlin and the National Theatre of Mannheim and he is currently writing for the Staatstheater, in Mainz. Despite his German roots, his relationship with the Sala Beckett is not a new one. As an upcoming German playwright he was invited to the international workshop titled ‘Obrador d’estiu’ in 2008.

 

Àlies Gospodin works on the reverse box office principle, in other words the spectator decides how much they will pay for the performance after having seen it, a formula that the Sala Beckett have used with other plays such as Si existeix encara no ho he trobat, and has proven to be an effective way of getting audiences to continue attending the theatre at a time when everybody has to keep a close eye on expenses.