Thorsten Lensing

‘Karamasov’ by German director Thorsten Lensing breathes the spirit of Chekhov and Beckett. Rarely has Dostoyevsky been performed with so much humour and sense of perspective. With great mastery, the 48-year-old Lensing and Dirk Pilz highlighted several parts of the thousand-page book, mixed them up chronologically and then forged them into a new composition. They expose the essence of the work and master the great art of reduction. Not only the text, but also the means. Lensing places the performance in a sober setting, in which the lines and the voices of six first-rate male actors play a central role. The only female actress, Ursina Lardi, is confined to a wheelchair. This is pure narrative and verbal art. All the characters become involved in situations and relationships, and encounter questions and conflicts they are unable to deal with. It makes them what they are: distant, needy and astonished people.