Stories about love in times of hate with Julia Jäger und Thomas Rühmann

The Theaterhaus Kleist Forum in Frankfurt (Oder) is presenting a virtuoso epoch painting about "Love in Times of Hate" between 1929 and 1939 on September 21. In the musical-scenic reading based on Florian Illies' bestseller of the same name, Julia Jäger, Thomas Rühmann, Anne-Catrin Wahls and Michael Kühl lend their voices to the prominent protagonists of the time, accompanied by Wolfgang Torkler on the piano.

The result is a collection of stories and feelings in which everyone has their say: Katia and Thomas Mann, Bertolt Brecht, Helene Weigel, Gustav Gründgens, Marlene Dietrich, Frank Wedekind, Gustav Mahler, Mascha Kaléko, Friedrich Hollaender, Erich Maria Remarque, Otto Dix, Kurt Weill – the whole of German modernism. A whole evening full of love and passion in a time when hate is gaining the upper hand. Disturbing, funny, weird, demonic, reprehensible, strange, elegant. A rousing journey into the past that feels like a commentary on the unsettled present.

When and where?

Sunday, 21. September 2025 | 5:00 p.m.
Kleist Forum, Platz der Einheit 1, 15230 Frankfurt (Oder)

"Love in Times of Hate"
Scenic-musical reading
With Julia Jäger, Thomas Rühmann, Anne-Catrin Wahls and Michael Kühl
Piano: Wolfgang Torkler