InfoAnda - 'Demjanjuk: a Holocaust cabaret' hits German stage

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Eva Amurri, Susan Sarandon's daughter, marries beau | | 31 October 2011
Massachusetts, New York Launch Anti-Obesity Campaigns | 8 January 2009
Taiwan says on track for record export value in 2010 | 10 August 2010

Roman Polanski released on bail into house arrest | | 4 December 2009

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : 'Demjanjuk: a Holocaust cabaret' hits German stage

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail More Yahoo! Services Account Options New User? Sign Up Sign In Help Yahoo! Search web search Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Asia Pacific World 'Demjanjuk: a Holocaust cabaret' hits German stage AFP - Sunday, May 2 Send IM Story Print Accused Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk (2nd R) arrives for another session of his trial in a courtroom in Munich last month. Demjanjuk is the central theme of a play about his life which is being staged in Heidelberg. HEIDELBERG, Germany (AFP) - – The scene is familiar: 90-year-old alleged war criminal John Demjanjuk sits silently in his wheelchair, mouth lolling open, covered by a sheet and wearing a baseball cap. But this is not the Munich courtroom where Demjanjuk faces charges for helping to murder 27,900 Jews but a stage in Heidelberg, western Germany where a play about his life is wowing critics, despite the awkward issues it raises. The play, by Canadian-Jewish writer Jonathan Garfinkel, deals mainly with a trial in Jerusalem, where Demjanjuk was sentenced to death in 1988 but later acquitted of being "Ivan the Terrible", a monstrous Nazi death camp guard. However, the Brecht-inspired production, a raucous, provocative and at times shocking combination of slapstick, song and satire, begins and ends with the Munich trial that has gripped Germany and the wider world since November. At the crux of the play is the question at the heart of the Demjanjuk trial. Is he a Nazi death camp guard with the blood of thousands on his hands or, as he has always claimed, an innocent family man, the victim of mistaken identity? As one character says: "How can it be possible that the nicest bloke you could ever hope to meet is, at the same time, a sadistic murderer?" "The question we all want to know is what is going on in John's head and what did he actually do?" Garfinkel, 36, who spent several days observing the trial in Munich, told AFP. To illustrate this dichotomy, Garfinkel portrays one character, "John", a man who is utterly devoted to his wife and family and a true baseball-loving believer in the American dream after settling in Cleveland, Ohio after the war. "John" is tormented -- like Goethe's Faust -- by an evil alter-ego, "Ivan", who tells disgusting anti-Semitic jokes, performs the Hitler salute and simulates the rape of a prisoner of war on stage while groaning "Sieg Heil". Addressing the audience at the beginning of the play, one character says: "You've come here to have fun, so: why does Volkswagen have so few Jewish customers? Most of them have trouble with the German gas pedals." This "joke" drew a sharp intake of breath from the audience here. No one laughed. A stony-faced elderly couple left within 10 minutes and two other theatre-goers also departed well before the end. -- 'It was a bit extreme, especially the Jewish jokes' -- --------------------------------------------------------- Garfinkel acknowledged his work could upset audiences. "Using satire with this very sensitive material can be offensive and in some ways, it doesn't make anyone look good," he said. "It doesn't try to make a hero out of anyone ... it's trying to show the complex layers of truth in this case." Nevertheless, he admitted that an Israeli theatre had rejected the play, judging it "very offensive to Holocaust survivors". The play seemed to split the audience down generational lines. "Basically, I thought it was good," said a 20-year-old student from Heidelberg University, who declined to give his name. "Having said that, it was a bit extreme -- especially the Jewish jokes." "I think it was harder for the older people in the audience. That's probably why that old couple left." During a lively audience debate afterwards, some older Germans argued the play bordered on the flippant. "I think there is a danger it could be seen as a lack of respect for the most disgraceful period in our history," said Siegfried Kristen, a spry 81-year-old retired actor who said he was in Hitler's Waffen SS. "When you've lived through that time, I think you have a different opinion. It is still a terrible period in our history and I think it will always be with us," he told AFP. However, he said it was "extraordinarily important" that people came to see the play and welcomed the debate it prompted. Critics were largely impressed. "The court scenes take place right in front of the audience, as if they were themselves the judges," said the local Rhein-Neckar daily. "In a way, they are. They are asked to make a moral judgement on Demjanjuk, on Germany and on their own responsibility. An exciting, magnificent evening at the theatre. Very strong applause." Garfinkel said Germans were gradually learning to laugh at satirical portrayals of even the most despicable Nazi crimes. "My agent in Berlin asked me for this play four or five years ago. Back then, he told me that Germans weren't ready for it. Have things changed in Germany in the past five years? I think they have." "I think films like (Quentin Tarantino's) 'Inglourious Basterds' do show that humour when talking about the Holocaust is acceptable in the right context." Recommend Send IM Story Print Related Articles US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary Reuters - Monday, May 3 'Demjanjuk: a Holocaust cabaret' hits German stage AFP - Sunday, May 2 Heavy metal dinosaurs rock the kiddie crowd in Finland AFP - Sunday, May 2 Spielberg, Scorsese call for release of Iran film-maker AFP - Sunday, May 2 Willie Nelson has more country tunes in the works Reuters - Saturday, May 1 News Search Top Stories Higgins's snooker future in question over match-fixing claims Obama to visit scene of US oil spill Spain reverses rise in unemployment: report Greece agrees painful cuts in return for bailout Shroud of Turin 'mirrors' human suffering: pope More Top Stories » ADVERTISEMENT Most Popular Most Viewed Most Recommended Obama jokes about his ratings and nationality Greece agrees painful cuts in return for bailout Hundreds gather for US May Day immigration protests Shroud of Turin 'mirrors' human suffering: pope New York police foil Times Square car bombing More Most Viewed » Aliens may exist but contact would hurt: Hawking Apple engineer loses iPhone prototype French driving veil row escalates Airlines want compensation as Europe's skies reopen More Most Recommended » Elsewhere on Yahoo! Financial news on Yahoo! Finance Stars and latest movies Best travel destinations More on Yahoo! News Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Subscribe to our news feeds Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS » More news feeds | What are news feeds? Also on Yahoo Answers Groups Mail Messenger Mobile Travel Finance Movies Sports Games » All Yahoo! Services Site Highlights Singapore Full Coverage Most Popular Asia Entertainment Photos World Cup 2010 Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community | Intellectual Property Rights Policy | Help

Other News on Sunday, 2 May 2010
Arab League gives backing to indirect Mideast talks
EU sugar companies big winners from CAP subsidies
Bolivia nationalizes electricity companies
Governments, businesses to discuss cybersecurity threats
Fresh poll blow to British PM as papers turn against him
Hundreds gather for US May Day immigration protests
Soldiers kidnapped in south Yemen, U.S. embassy warns staff |
South Africa's Zuma promises laws curbing casual labor |
Papal envoy to run scandal-plagued priestly order |
Syria warns U.S. on accepting Israel scud claims |
Nepal Maoist leader calls strike at anti-govt protest
US Army captain becomes king in Afghanistan
Chinese city goes on defense after school attack
May Day protestors rally across Asia
Suicide bomber in Pakistan's Swat kills 5
Taiwan China flight diverted after explosive claim
Maoists rally in Nepal, announce general strike
Arab League backs resumption of Middle East talks
Eurozone set to endorse Greek bailout plan Sunday
Thai PM talks tough, red shirts refuse to give in |
Privacy vs profit at Facebook
Arab League backs resumption of Middle East talks |
Deadly blast overshadows Russia's May Day events
Weather hampers oil spill efforts in Gulf of Mexico
Spain April unemployment fall leaked to press |
Obama jokes about his ratings and nationality
Colombian rebels kill five soldiers in coca field |
Greek crisis to dominate ECB Lisbon meeting: analysts
US oil production, shipping unaffected by spill so far
Japan PM to meet mayors of proposed site for US base
NY car bomb threatened 'very deadly event': officials
S.Korea minister vows retaliation over sunk warship
Maoist strike shuts down Nepal; gov't urges talks
NY's Times Square evacuated in car bomb scare
Australian racer McFarlane dies in crash
Mass. water main break affects Boston, suburbs
NY's Times Square evacuated in bomb scare
Thai premier says no plans for martial law
Ark. tornadoes kill woman, gov declares emergency
Poor man's Gatorade saves Bangladeshi kids
Anger over Ariz. immigration law drives US rallies
Myanmar's junta prepares ground for elections
Ancient treasures set for auction in Indonesia
China steps up security at schools after attacks
Obama to visit U.S. Gulf as oil slick threatens
Shanghai Expo giant opportunity for big business
U.S. Hispanics decry Arizona law at May Day rallies
India weighs capital controls with rupee on rise
Spielberg, Scorsese call for release of Iran film-maker
China's cinemas set for record box office in 2010
Heavy metal dinosaurs rock the kiddie crowd in Finland
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Tourists in Copenhagen lament loss of Little Mermaid
Spielberg, Scorsese call for release of Iran film-maker
Shroud of Turin 'mirrors' human suffering: pope
Factbox: Turkey's constitutional reform
Palestinian leader says to meet Obama in Washington
Magnitude 5.8 quake hits Chile, no damage reported |
Greece agrees painful cuts in return for bailout
Police open fire in Darfur investment protest -witnesses
Police open fire in Darfur investment protest: witnesses |
Baghdad cafe waitresses break down barriers
New York police foil Times Square car bombing
Iran says develops short-range missile defense |
One dead, 80 hurt in Iraq bus bombing
Greece secures unprecedented bailout: PM
Threatening Note Found On Philadelphia-Bound Plane
UK election gets personal |
Police Kill Charging Bull On Texas Interstate
Pakistani jets target Taliban positions, kill 19 |
Illinois Congressman Arrested During Arizona Immigration Law Protest
Storms kill 15 Bangladeshis, thousands homeless |
Authorities Start Man-Hunt In Attempted New York City Carbombing
NY City Dodges A Bullet After Car Bomb Found In New York's Times Square
Palestinian leader says to meet Obama in Washington |
Somali insurgents seize pirate haven |
U.N. says investigating LRA massacre of 100 in Congo |
Bangladesh sentences 9 border guards for mutiny
Thai cabinet holds emergency meeting on crisis
Iran to propose reforms at US nuclear talks
Thai premier says no plans for martial law
Israeli, Palestinian talks 'within days'
Car bombing foiled in New York's Times Square
Afghan civilian deaths are rising, government says
5 killed in heavy flooding across Tennessee
Maoist strike shuts down Nepal; gov't urges talks
Car bomb scares Times Square, but fails to explode
Obama to visit scene of US oil spill
New Delhi on alert as embassies warn of attack
Small fire spreads smoke at US Embassy in Pakistan
Officials: At least 5 dead in Tenn. flooding
Thai PM talks tough, "red shirts" refuse to give in
China raises bank reserve ratio to rein in lending
US-Taiwanese man held after bomb hoax on plane
Shroud of Turin 'mirrors' human suffering: pope
'Demjanjuk: a Holocaust cabaret' hits German stage
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01