Audio Play: Mother Faints
Ursula Krechel's audio play 'Die wirkliche Lämmchenhaftigkeit' explores themes of childhood through a blend of heartwarming and unsettling scenes, leaving listeners in a haunting underwater experience.
Ursula Krechel, a Büchner Prize-winning author, presents her audio play 'Die wirkliche Lämmchenhaftigkeit,' which opens with a childhood rhyme that sets a whimsical yet eerie tone. The narrative follows a bride who mysteriously disappears before breaking off her engagement, creating a suspenseful atmosphere. In a poignant scene, a grandson visits his grandmother, seeking comfort, only to be met with a chilling performance directed by Matthias Kapohl that leaves the audience feeling unsettled.
As the play progresses, Krechel immerses her listeners in a surreal underwater world filled with opening and closing doors and bowing seaweed, evoking a sense of both breathlessness and beauty. This stark contrast between the comforting imagery of childhood and the foreboding auditory experience challenges the audience's perception of safety and familiarity. The direction by Kapohl enhances the feelings of dread and wonder, contributing to an atmosphere that is both captivating and disturbing.
'Die wirkliche Lämmchenhaftigkeit' is described as a profound exploration of childhood, illustrating how the innocence and nostalgia associated with it can be intertwined with discomfort and anxiety. Krechel crafts a narrative that invites the audience to reflect on the complexities of growing up, underscoring that while childhood can be a time of joy, it is also marked by unsettling truths that linger beneath the surface.