Smart and dangerous: Cottbus ’Füchslein in the dark stage light!

Smart and dangerous: Cottbus ’Füchslein in the dark stage light!

Cottbus, Deutschland - The opera "The clever Füchslein" by Leoš Janáček is currently attracting attention in the Cottbus State Theater. On July 3, 2025, the piece will be performed and promises to captivate the viewers with its unusual action. The story follows the young Füchsin Schraukopf, which is captured by the forester, but does not stay in his care, but frees himself with list to regain her freedom. Subsequently, she falls in love with a young fox and founds her family, while she is ultimately killed by a poacher, a fate that is revealed to many of her peers.

The staging, which is directed by Armin Petras, deliberately dispenses with an idyllic representation of nature. The stage design is not only shaped by a beveled wooden surface and a crossbar fence, but also conveys a picture of a broken environment. The characters of the human world, including forester and landlady, appear malicious, which underlines the dark turn of the opera. This view is supported by the aria of Milan Kundera, who described the performance as a "heartbreaking idyll", which, however, is moved from the director in a much more negative light. In the final act, the host is on stage as a body, and a police officer is introduced, which shows the abysses of human nature again.

a game from humans and animals

The opera not only addresses the relationship between humans and animals, but also shows how characters carry both human and animal properties. Leoš Janáček himself described his work as "a cheerful piece with a sad end", which also illustrates the metamorphosis of game and seriously in the play. The eternal cycle of life and death as well as the dream of reconciliation between nature and culture are central topics that make up in Janáček's work. This is not only clear in the course of the action, but also in the musical accompaniment of the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Cottbus State Theater under the direction of Johannes Zurl.

A look behind the scenes

The staging is like an exciting game in which animal figures reflect the human abysses and the actors are often caught in bizarre situations. During the game it becomes clear that the boundaries between animal and human. Animals in the form of fox, bird and insect show a unique combination of human and animal properties; Nature becomes the stage of human conflicts and weaknesses. One could say that the sentimentality and tribulation are tidied up here to explore the heart of history - the brutal reality of life.

The opera celebrated its premiere in Brno in 1924 and has experienced numerous productions worldwide since then that always offer new perspectives on the timelessness of the story. At the Cottbus State Theater, it is now time to devote yourself to this timeless work, immerse yourself deep into the human psyche and the viewer: stimulates thinking inside.