Opera ‘Sacred Susanna’ Performance
18 German Audience Members Affected
Contains Explicit and Violent Scenes, ‘[Edaily Kwon Hye-mi Reporter] The level of a certain opera performed in Germany was too high that audience members had to be taken away.’,
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, ‘According to the British daily newspaper The Guardian on the 10th (local time), 18 audience members who were watching an opera at the Stuttgart National Opera House in Germany complained of nausea and received medical treatment.’,
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, ‘The opera they watched is called ‘Sacred Susanna’ (Sancta Susanna), with a minimum age rating of 18 years old. ‘Sacred Susanna’ depicted the journey of a nun trying to break free from a repressed framework.’,
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, ‘Although this opera was composed by Paul Hindemith (1895-1963), it was canceled from its premiere in 1921 due to its provocative content at the time.’,
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, ‘However, controversy still surrounded the stage performance 103 years later. In the modern reinterpretation of the play, scenes include the actor playing Jesus striking a half-naked woman and nuns engaging in sexual activities. Additionally, graphic scenes of real blood and physical harm have sparked controversies regarding explicit content and sacrilege.’,
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, ‘As shocking scenes continued, 18 audience members complained of nausea and shock symptoms, receiving medical treatment on the spot. A representative of the opera performance said, “On Saturday, 8 people received treatment, and on Sunday, 10 people did,” adding, “Doctors visited the venue several times for medical treatment.”‘,
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, “‘Sacred Susanna’ also received strong objections for sacrilege from Austrian church officials when it was performed in Vienna last year. Archbishop Franz Lackner of Salzburg criticized, “It seriously undermines the religious feelings and beliefs of the faithful, going beyond the limits of free artistic expression.”‘,
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, ‘On the other hand, one critic praised, “It was an incredibly creative interpretation of the original work and showed astonishing stage performance.”‘,
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, ‘Meanwhile, ‘Sacred Susanna’ is scheduled to be performed at the Staatstheater Stuttgart in Germany until November 3 and is set to take place in Berlin thereafter. It is reported that all seats for these performances have been sold out.’
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