Johan Simons . Münchner Kammerspiele

The French writer Michel Houellebecq had an international breakthrough with 'Atomised'. In this novel he shows us the moral bankruptcy of liberal western society. He tells us the story of the half-brothers Bruno and Michel who grow up separately. They have both been abandoned by their mother. Bruno is addicted to sex and only seeks pleasure in his life. Michel is a brilliant molecular biologist but unable to communicate. By creating changes in the gene structure he develops a new type of human being. Each 'specimen', comprising similar elementary particles, is without individual characteristics and is immortal. In 'Elementarteilchen', which is made up of a series of conversations, we see an outstanding cast of actors. It comprises four German actors including André Jung, as well as the Flemish actor Chris Nietvelt. They play with a sense of relativising irony in an intense and subdued production by Johan Simons. This is a first-rate performance! Without undermining Houellebecq's social criticism in any way, the director has still left room for hope in this raw, cynical story. For however disconsolate Bruno and Michel's lives may be, in the end they have both known love. A refreshing theatre adaptation of a controversial novel!