Complicite & Schaubühne Berlin: "Beware οf Pity"

Young officer Hofmiller commits a faux pas at a soirée held by a Baron, unwittingly asking his paralyzed daughter to dance. The mistake pulls him into a relentless train of events in this devastating depiction of honor, love and betrayal, realized against the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire – a catalyst for the outbreak of the First World War.

Young officer Hofmiller commits a faux pas at a soirée held by a Baron, unwittingly asking his paralyzed daughter to dance. The mistake pulls him into a relentless train of events in this devastating depiction of honor, love and betrayal, realized against the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire – a catalyst for the outbreak of the First World War.

Two of Europe’s most boundary-pushing, imaginative theater companies work together at the Barbican for the first time. Their co-production is based on Stefan Zweig’s 1939 novel, written just before the Second World War but looking back to the verge of the previous disaster. Reverberating in the past and present, the story is relayed in German by seven actors, swapping narration and dialogue to vocally build the tension of McBurney’s orally rich, visually eloquent production.

Beware of Pity follows the five-star triumphs of “The Encounter" and "The Forbidden Zone”, the last shows presented by Complicite and the Schaubühne respectively.

Press
“Magnificent” – Der Tagesspiegel
“Marvellous” – Der Spiegel
“A thrilling vortex of fear, hope and doubt” – Zitty
“World wars and refugee crises collide in blood-soaked horror” – Guardian

About Complicite

Founded in 1983, Complicite is an international theater company based in London led by Artistic Director Simon McBurney (OBE) and Producer Judith Dimant (MBE). The company has won over fifty major theater awards worldwide. Complicite’s recent work includes “The Encounter”, “Lionboy”, “The Master and Margarita”, “Shun-kin” and “A Disappearing Number”. Alongside its productions, Complicite runs an extensive Creative Learning program with recent projects including “Like Mother, Like Daughter” and “Tea”. The "Encounter" was live streamed in March 2016 and seen by 67,500 people online.