Can Love Be a Sin? Queerness Under Fascism: The Case of Bruno Balz

"Davon geht die Welt nicht unter
Sieht man sie manchmal auch grau
Einmal wird sie wieder bunter
Einmal wird sie wieder himmelblau"

In 1941, librettist Bruno Balz writes the classic song "Davon geht die Welt nicht unter" for a propaganda film - while sitting in prison. The Gestapo had arrested him for his homosexuality. Although his lyrics, set to music and performed by Zarah Leander, are hugely successful, his name can no longer appear in public. His photographs are destroyed, and he is forced into a heterosexual marriage.

Paragraph 175 is not repealed until 1994. Since 2001, same-sex couples have been able to enter into registered civil partnerships. Yet a sense of unease is growing again: the political campaign against trans people in the US, arson attacks on queer cafes in Berlin, repeated bans on Pride marches - these are only the most visible signs. People who fall outside the heterosexual norm are once again facing increasing physical and verbal violence.

In a blend of music and monologue, singer and actor Dominik Müller brings the figure of Bruno Balz back to the stage, directed by Franziska Detrez. His story traces the shift from the open society of the 1920s to the fascism of the 1930s and 40s. What lessons can we draw from it today - and what kind of society do we want to live in?

Adaptation and direction: Franziska Detrez
Acting and vocals: Dominik Müller