Mario and the Magician - Badische Landesbühne

A stage adaptation of Thomas Mann's novella - in a version for the Badische Landesbühne by Ulrich Cyran

Italy in the 1920s: a family is on holiday, but instead of relaxation the narrator and his relatives encounter nationalism and discrimination at every turn. For the children's sake they stay - and attend a show by the conjurer Cipolla, who promises a welcome distraction.

Cipolla turns out to be a brilliant stage hypnotist who strips his audience of their free will. The family watches with fascination and dread as the performance unfolds - until the charged atmosphere erupts in a fatal climax.

Thomas Mann's 1929 novella is a psychological portrait of a society that lets itself be seduced by fascism, surrendering responsibility, reason and morality in the process.

A pre-show introduction takes place at 19:00.