Romeo & Juliet at the Tiroler Volksschauspielen

This year, actor and director Gregor Blóeb is directing the Tiroler Volksschauspiele in Telfs for the third season - he focuses on the Trinity and a dazzling show.

After the opening as part of the Telfer village festival, Tyrolean folk theaters took over the town hall. Under the direction of Thomas Gassner from the Theaterverband Tirol, eight village stages told a short history of Tyrolean humanity in eight pictures and a grail.

The revival of the Broken Jug by Heinrich von Kleist, directed by Anna Bergmann. On the mobile truck stage at Eduard-Wallnöfer-Platz, Tobias Moretti as the village judge Adam, Corinna Harfouch as the court counselor and the two young local talents Annalena Hochgruber (Eve) and Lenz Moretti (Ruprecht), among others, caused breathless amazement in sold-out rows. The audience in Salzburg, where the production was performed at the Salzburg Festival completed an interlude at the Salzburg Festival.

It is difficult to top such a production - but the expectations of the Telfer audience are high. And Gregor Blóeb fulfilled them, by no means understating the case, with "The Greatest Show On Earth", with Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, which he described as "The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet".

A tragedy that has been told so often on stage, in musicals, operas, classical pieces of music, in cinema and television productions, that it is difficult to retell what is perhaps the most famous love story in world literature. In a nutshell, it is about two young people who belong to two hostile families: Juliet of the Capulets and Romeo of the Montagues. They fall madly in love with each other, buttragic entanglements drive them both to suicide.

For the Telfer version of the much-performed play, Blóeb tinkered with the material, tweaked the scenes and dialog, transferred the whole thing to "Telfs bei Verona" and into a circus. So it was "Clear the ring!" in the Telfer Kuppelarena, where a steel grandstand had been erected. Even before that, all sorts of weird characters had mingled with the audience, taking colorful selfies in garish outfits and hearty make-up. Impressario Blóeb, in a red leotard and blue work coat, found witty opening words for the big show.

The central themes, Love and Hate, in large letters on the stage inspired by the USflag, with Frajo Köhle's ensemble accompanying the show musically in the gallery. First things first: the playlist fitted in perfectly with the action - everything from groovy to romantic was included.

Although it had been raining heavily for the last few weeks and the atmosphere in the dome arena was anything but summery (warm clothing and seating were required), it soon warmed the heart.

After a rather clamorous opening, Romeo & Juliet oscillated, mostly well balanced, between action and poetry. There was everything from Asian-inspired show fighting to breakneck acrobatic numbers and poetically calm scenes. This made "The Greatest Show On Earth" an entertaining stage experience that allowed for both spectacle and quiet tones.

The coarse and suggestive Mercutio (Lisa Hörtnagl), for example, is countered by an increasingly thoughtful Romeo (Diyar Agit). The cheeky and rebellious Juliet (Desirée Jakobitsch) struggles with a mother obsessed with power (Zarah Kofler) and argues with a wet nurse (Marlene Markt) who is not averse to alcohol. The two lovers receive help from Father Lorenzo (Liliom Lewald), who experiments with all kinds of mind-expanding substances. Count Paris (Daniel Klausner) stumbles through the ring as Tybald (Gustav Blóeb) rumbles and Benvolio (Aaron Röll) stumbles.

Dance and artistry are wonderfully choreographed by Gustavo Oliveira and Sonja Schwaiger. The magnificent costumes are particularly eye-catching. A touch of commedia dell'arte, vaudeville and Japanese manga storms, wanders, creeps and rages through the ring. Mercutio and Father Lorenzo always remind you of Legolas and Gandalf from the film adaptation of Lord of the Rings - or of corresponding characters in Harry Potter. Romeo and Tybald often make you think of Japanese anime. Spectacular and in the best circus style.

Gregor Blóeb and his team therefore have a lot to offer to make Romeo & Juliet truly the "Greatest Show On Earth". The ensemble is impressive, and the young stars - especially Romeo and Juliet - are in no way inferior to the well-known faces in terms of their stage presence. The fact that most of them have a direct or indirect connection to Tyrol is also a tradition at the Tiroler Volksschauspielen.

So it can be proclaimed: Stormy applause, sold-out performances! It was magnificent! Nothing stands in the way of a revival in 2026. A little tip: get your tickets in good time!

Tiroler Volksschauspiele
Untermarktstraße 5+7

A-6410 Telfs

Phone: +43 676 83038 753

office@volksschauspiele.at

www.volksschauspiele.at

Information on cultural events in the Innsbruck region can be found at innsbruck.info

Photos, unless otherwise stated: © Susanne Gurschler