–
The stage design is a combination of a science fiction command bridge and a 1960s company canteen – and the music sounds like the familiar expanses of space. The retro-chic space opera is a sort of sequel to Star Trek, known in Germany as “Spaceship Enterprise”.
In the 23rd century, five earthlings embark on a journey through the cosmic expanses. Finally, a mysterious force forces the crew around Captain Jean Luc Yešilyurt into orbit on an ice planet, similar to Saturn’s moon Enceladus.
Young Creators
Beaming onto the surface indicates glittering ceilings, at some point everything is full of matter and antimatter – and luminous jellyfish creatures float in the icy ocean.
Director and author Bonn Park and composer Ben Roessler – both in their mid-thirties and therefore not “Trekkies” from the very beginning – talk about the intergalactic community in an entertaining way. The opera captivates with a surprising euphony for a contemporary piece.
You can find it all a little cheesy – or just wonderful. Should people actually travel across the universe in around two hundred years, hopefully things will be as peaceful and enchanting as they are at the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus.
Review of the space opera “Return to the Stars”–
–
