Das Labyrinth | Wuppertal

Belinda Williams as Theseus’s Mother

I am thrilled to return to Wuppertal for Jonathan Dove’s Das Labyrinth (The Monster in the Maze), playing Theseus’s Mother in this reimagining of the Minotaur myth for our turbulent times. This community opera, which enjoyed success at Aix-en-Provence, is revived here in german translation with 260 local adults and children. Children are separated from their parents, young people make treacherous sea voyages in search of a better life. The scene above shows the aftermath of Theseus’s departure: a hundred children have just placed paper ships onstage, and, as they sing, behind us the screen shows mobile phone footage of Syrian refugees crossing the Meditteranean.

 Marie-Eve Signeyrole’s original staging impresses, and here in Wuppertal it is brought to life by the exhaustive and passionate work of conductor and musical director Markus Baisch. The community performers have rehearsed with him for a year and a half, and, joining them for the final weeks before the premiere, their energy and enthusiasm is a joy.

“Belinda Williams excelled as
the troubled Mother”
Wuppertaler Rundschau 

 I donated a portion of my fee to a couple of charities making an enormous difference in 2019: RAICES, who help reunite families separated at the US border, and Help Refugees, who provide, amongst other vital help, search and rescue ships in the Mediterranean.