Photo: © Klaus Bärwinkel. Theater Hagen in North Rhine-Westphalia, located in the Ruhr region, built in 1911.
The comic opera Ich, ich, ich! (Je suis narcissiste) by Raquel García-Tomás has fully connected with German audiences and will premiere in Hagen this September in a century-old theatre with its own orchestra, the Philharmonisches Orchester Hagen, under the stage direction of Ute M. Engelhardt, who premiered the work at Stadttheater Gießen in November 2024.
Ich, ich, ich! (Je suis narcissiste)
Comic opera by Raquel García-Tomás
Libretto by Helena Tornero
German translation by Arno Lücker
A production of Stadttheater Gießen
Recommended for ages 14 and up
Performed in German with German surtitles
Narcissism: excessive self-love and self-centeredness, inspired by the mythological figure Narcissus, who fell in love with his own reflection.
Raquel García-Tomás’s opera Ich, ich, ich! is a delirious musical-theatrical roller coaster in which styles and eras collide playfully and fearlessly, from blues and film music to 19th-century romantic opera, resulting in a fast-paced, entertaining, and sharply satirical work.
Synopsis
After an utterly disastrous day, event planner Klothilde finds herself in the office of the eccentric Dr. Giovanni Tempesta. The fact that she has lost not only her pampered cat, but also her lover and her job, seems to matter very little to the psychologist. His diagnosis is clear: Klothilde suffers — like the rest of society — from narcissism. Using more than questionable methods, Giovanni Tempesta embarks with her on a journey that will change Klothilde’s life forever… or perhaps not.
The opera premiered in 2019 under the title Je suis narcissiste at the Teatro Real in Madrid and now arrives at Theater Hagen in German translation.
Cast and Creative Team
- Musical Direction: Steffen Müller-Gabriel
• Stage Direction: Ute M. Engelhardt
• Assistant Stage Direction: Linnéa Unverzagt
• Set and Costume Design: Prisca Baumann and Kerstin Grießhaber
• Choreography: Giuseppe De Filippis and Michele De Filippis
• Lighting Design: Hans-Joachim Köster and Konstantin Wassilewski
• Dramaturgy: Thomas Rufin and Christian Förnzler
With
- Polina Artsis
• Tomi Wendt
• Nike Tiecke
• Anton Kuzenok
Philharmonic Orchestra of Hagen
Performances / Dates
Ich, ich, ich! (Je suis narcissiste)
Saturday, 12 September / 7:30 pm
7:00 pm Introduction at the Theatercafé
Großes Haus
Premiere
Sunday, 20 September / 3:00 pm
2:30 pm Introduction at the Theatercafé
Großes Haus
Saturday, 10 October / 7:30 pm
7:00 pm Introduction at the Theatercafé
Großes Haus
Thursday, 15 October / 7:30 pm
7:00 pm Introduction at the Theatercafé
Großes Haus
Thursday, 22 October / 7:30 pm
7:00 pm Introduction at the Theatercafé
Großes Haus
