© SLT / Christian Krautzberger
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger
Adam's Apples
Based on the film by Anders Thomas Jensen
German translation by Beate Klöckner
Stage adaptation by K. D. Schmidt
Black comedy
Synopsis
A seemingly perfect country priest, Ivan devotedly takes care of his small community with unconditional mercy and boundless optimism. At his church, he also runs a rehabilitation programme for dangerous criminals on parole, including the Saudi gas station robber Khalid, who likes to shoot people at random, and Gunnar, a former professional tennis player, who is an alcoholic and a compulsive eater and has a preference for illegal sexual practices. They are joined by Adam, a violent Neo-Nazi. Ivan is trying to find a positive personal goal for Adam, and when Adam sarcastically announces that he wants to bake an apple pie, Ivan takes him at his word. Adam is assigned the task of grooming the apple tree in the churchyard, so he can later use its apples to make the pie. Reluctantly, he sets to work, but first the tree is besieged by crows, then it is infested with worms, and eventually it is hit by lightning and catches fire… Ivan, the do-gooder, versus Adam, the Neo-Nazi: “Adam’s Apples” is an explosive duel, a dark fairy tale full of black humour about the fine line between faith and fanaticism, about the power of self-deceit and about redemption by apple pie…
Anders Thomas Jensen was born in Frederiksværk, Denmark, in 1972. He works as a director, screenwriter and actor. He won the Nordisk Film Award in 2005. Five films to which he had contributed have been nominated for Academy Awards, with two wins. He is considered one of Denmark’s most important screenwriters. The grotesque film “Adam’s Apples” was released in 2005, and the stage version premiered in Oldenburg three years later.
Duration: 1h 20 min / no intermission
Selected performance
Performances
Audio introduction
von Christina Piegger
Cast (on 12/19/2025)
Director
Max Immendorf
Set / Costume Design
Lina Sofie Staudinger
Music
Frederik Werth
Dramaturgy
Christina Piegger
Ivan, Minister
Matthias Hermann
Adam, neo-Nazi
Aaron Röll
Khalid
Ismail Deniz
Gunnar / Dr. Kolberg
Christian Freund
Sarah / Poul Julienne Pfeil
Reviews
„Die Regie von Max Immendorf auf der Bühne von Lina Sofie Staudinger in den Kammerspielen legt schnell offen, wie schnell Ideale zu Zwang werden können. Die Inszenierung arbeitet mit Anspielungen. Eine „jedermann-hafte“ Totenstimme aus dem Off. Ein Godot-Moment, wenn Gunnar wie Lucky an einer Strumpfhose geführt wird. Ein Happy-End-Heiratsantrag, der eher in den Abgrund als in die Zukunft blicken lässt. Zwischendurch sackt Ivan wie Stephen Hawking in den Rollstuhl, blutet aus den Ohren und wirkt wie ein Sinnbild kollabierender Heilsgewissheiten. Musik von Frederik Werth verbindet die Szenen.“
„Und so stellt sich am Ende die eigentliche Frage: Ist Adams Äpfel nur ein Mosaik aus absurd-komischen Spezialeffekten? Die Welt im Stück ist nicht deswegen absurd, weil das Theater es so will, sondern weil die Gegenwart längst absurder ist, als Literatur je war. Der Abend zeigt: Nur wer den Zumutungen der Wirklichkeit standhält und die Vielfalt der Welt und der Menschen wirklich wahrnimmt, kann zu neuen Einsichten gelangen. Und vielleicht, ganz vorsichtig, auch Versöhnung erleben.“