Berlin

“This is a major new work from Court of a size and scope that has been all too rare in post-pandemic Chicago theater…If you follow significant theatrical events here, you’ll want to see this piece.”
– Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, ★★★ 1/2 (of four)

“A homegrown Chicago project of jaw-dropping ambition and exhilarating theatricality”
– Chicago Sun-Times, ★★★★ (of four)

“A stunning world premiere…theater like Berlin is more than just historical. It’s a brutal, necessary reminder”
– Chicago Reader, Reader Recommended

Berlin is an unforgettable mosaic of intersecting narratives set amidst the decline of Weimar Germany. This original commission brings Jason Lutes’s exhilarating and acclaimed graphic novel to life.

It is 1928. Fascism is taking hold; revolutionaries are organizing; creatives are trying to capture the ineffable nature of their changing city; and – as everything falls apart – everyone is faced with a choice: abandon Berlin or fight to survive.

Charles Newell (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead) directs Mickle Maher’s propulsive adaptation, an ever-shifting kaleidoscope of everyday people trying to survive one of the most remarkable moments in history. Set almost one hundred years ago, Berlin speaks to our current moment, and our future, with undeniable urgency.

Photo of Tim Decker, Raven Whitley, Mo Shipley, Brandon Ruiter, Molly Hernández, Kate Collins, Ellie Duffey, Guy Van Swearingen, Jack Doherty, and HB Ward by Michael Brosilow.