Die kleine Meerjungfrau

Under water we humans have unclear vision. Shapes blur. Physical boundaries dissolve. Everything flows. The same thing happens in drag, the artform that dissolves gender roles with extravagant costumes and makeup, plunges identities in glitter and sequins, and most of all, delivers a breathtaking show. Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale exhibits a similar transformation. A mermaid falls in love with someone and wants to get rid of her fishtail. The well-known ending of the story is tragic. Perhaps it reflects Andersen’s own fate: He was in love with his boyhood friend and could never live that love. Indeed it is a tale as old as humanity itself – of nymphs, mermaids, water spirits, of transformation and liberation from ascribed roles.

Director Bastian Kraft, together with his ensemble and stars of Hamburg's drag scene, delves into the place where biography and fairy tales merge, allowing new narratives of transformation and liberation to emerge.