Soul of Fire.
Written by Susanne
Wolf. Directed by Alexander Hauer. Designed by Hannes Kaufmann. Costumes by Moana Stemberger. Performed by
Maxi Blaha and Georg Buxhofer on guitar. Street Two. The Street Theatre. October
2-4 2015
Reviewed by Peter Wilkins
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| Bertha von Suttner (1843-1945) |
This review opens with a
confession. I decided to attend the German performance of Soul of Fire, in spite of the fact that I am not fluent in German.
I do speak the language and have done since childhood, but I have to admit to
having insufficient grasp of the language to fully comprehend the dialogue, but
sufficient grasp to understand the fascinating life experiences of pacifist, novelist,
ant-war campaigner and Nobel Laureate, the first female recipient of the Nobel
Peace Prize.
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| Maxi Blaha as Bertha von Suttner |
Although the life of the
remarkable Bertha von Suttner (1843-1914) is highly noteworthy for its significant
contribution to international campaigns for peace, it is the striking
performance by Maxi Blaha as this fiercely independent and courageous feminist
and pacifist icon that persuaded me to attend the presentation for German
speakers. Frank McKone has already posted an erudite and informative critique
of the performance in English on Canberra Critics Circle, and readers may glean
the key events and influences in von Suttner’s life by googling her name or
reading her seminal novel ,Die Waffen Nieder” (Lay the Weapons Down). A glance
at her biography will reveal the key moments in the production, such as her
relationship with her mother, her family’s military background, her engagement
to Artur Hohenstein who died at sea, her marriage and misfortunes and her
platonic relationship with Alfred Nobel. One will learn of her literary contributions
to magazines such as Neue Freie Presse, her lecture tours, her meeting with President
Theodore Roosevelt and of course her investiture as the first woman and first
Austrian to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Ironically, or perhaps
fortunately, we learn of her death from cancer only months prior to the assassination
of the Arch Duke Ferdinand and the onset of World War 1.
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| Georg Buxhofer and Maxi Blaha in Soul of Fire |
But Soul of Fire is, as the title suggests, the story of a fiery soul,
of a woman determined to fight against civilization’s habitual obsession with
war. As Bertha says during the performance, war will continue as long as there
exists war loving soldiers. It is the soul of the woman I have come to see,
spoken in the language of the protagonist and uttered from the heart. Blaha
embodies the spirit and the soul of a woman obsessed and confident in the
knowledge that she is special, as told to her by her mother when a child. It is
her longing for fame and wealth that drives her passion, and an instinctive
understanding of the destructive nature and madness of war. Statuesque in a
costume that expresses both the period and beneath the voluminous dress the
tights of a contemporary activist, Blaha, accompanied by guitarist, Georg
Buxhofer, fills the stage with Bertha’s intelligence, her frustrations, her
passions and the courage of her cause until she savours the triumph of success
in the publication of her novel and its translation into several languages.
In the intimate setting of Street
Two at The Street Theatre, a simple design of hanging drapes, a chair upon a
muted carpet and a backdrop of text panels that outline the history of Bertha
von Suttner create an atmosphere of drawing room performance. This is an
intriguing, informative and dramatically powerful piece of Museum Theatre,
inspired by a life and brought to life by writer Susanne Wolf, the engrossing
performance of Maxi Blaha and the atmospheric sounds of the guitar from Buxhofer.
Director Alexander Hauer has orchestrated the moods from despondency to
frustration to elation with deliberate attention to the varying phases of von
Suttner’s varied and passionate life. The performance is both educational and theatrically
evocative. We learn of Bertha’s longings and of her dedication to her cause as
well as the trials and tribulations of her private life. Above all, we learn of
a woman, whose achievements and message to the world may have been lost in the
passage of time. Museum Theatre exists to bring to life those events and
characters who shaped history, for better or for worse, and who have left their
footprints in the sands of time as lessons for future generations.
In this performance, Bertha von
Suttner lives again, as a woman who campaigned for peace and dreamt of a vessel
in which all were happy and at peace. Her vessel has been cast upon the rocks
of history since her death, and we continue to be a world at wars. Museum
Theatre, such as this sensitively written, intelligently directed and
powerfully performed monologue, is a beacon of hope for the future and a plea
to maintain the work and spirit of Bertha von Suttner in her struggle for world
peace. Whether performed in English or in German and with songs interestingly sung in English, Soul of Fire will instruct and inspire,
and maybe move the world one step forward towards laying down its arms.