Georg Büchner’s drama Woyzeck was incomplete at the time of the playwright’s death in 1837. The German playwright’s work was posthumously finished and presented for the stage in Munich in 1913. Loosely based on the life of a Leipzig wigmaker who was publicly beheaded, it touches on the dehumanizing effects of doctors and the military. It’s pretty dark stuff, but in the right frame of mind this is kind of a brilliant tragedy.
There’s nothing that brings one into the right frame of mind for Woyzeck quite like the music of Tom Waits. Waits did a few songs on his 2006 album Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards that were inspired by Woyzack. Some time ago he and his wife Kathleen Brennan put together a sympathetic portrayal the title character. Theatre Gigante staged a production of the drama some time ago. Memories of that show still resonate with me. I was a bit stunned to find out that production was ten years ago. It’s testament to the power of Waits’ music with the intensity of the story that it feels like it might have only been a few years ago the last time I saw it. Actually, Theatre Gigante wasn’t even Theatre Gigante when I saw the show last. This was back in October of ’06. They were calling themselves Milwaukee Dance Theatre back then . . .
Do yourself a favor and see something you’ll vividly be remembering in 2026. This is a remarkably memorable trip to the theatre.
Theatre Gigante’s Woyzeck features the talents of Paris-based chanteuse Christine Zufferey and one-man band Frank Pahl. Performers on the cast include Mark Anderson, Leslie Fitzwater, Isabelle Kralj, Edwin Olvera and Michael Stebbins. The show runs Mar. 4 - 12 at UWM’s Kenilworth 508 Theatre on 1925 E. Kenilworth. For more information, visit Theatre Gigante online.
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