Anna Karenina Premieres at the Volkstheater
In Brief: Stage, Nov. 2012
Nov 22, 2012
Martina Stilp (from left), Roman Schmelzer, Susa Meyer, and Patrick O. Beck in the Volkstheater production of “Anna Karenina” (Photo: Photo: Christoph Sebastian)
Three couples, three stories, one stage. On Friday, 23 November, Armin Petras’ stage adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina makes its Austrian premiere on the Volkstheater stage.
The novel, published between 1873 and 1877 and deemed a "flawless work of art" by Fyodor Dostoevsky, is a dense portrait of Russian society, told through intertwined tales of adultery, morality, love and the pursuit of personal happiness. Petras’ adaptation distills the novel’s 1000-plus pages into a timeless stage version, dispensing with period costume to create an enduring, character-based drama.
The scope of Leo Tolstoy’s Russia is condensed into the complicated relationships of three central couples: the eponymous Anna and her conflicted affair with Count Vronsky, the desperate longing of Lewin for Kitty, and the unhappy marriage of Dasha and Stefan.
Well-received across Europe, Austria’s first performance, directed by Stephan Müller is followed by a second on Wednesday, 28 November.
Volkstheater
23 Nov. prices: €22-50
28 Nov. prices: €21-€42