A film image from "Roma, citta, aperta" (1945) by Roberto Rossellini in black and white, we see a bit blurry. Little by little, the dramatic image of the woman running away from an old-timer sharpens. A woman who runs after her beloved who is being deported. On the left we see soldiers who have pressed people against the wall. Their guns are pointed at them.
The strength of the image is the mix of fear and love that meet at the same time. Tragic characters from theater history are the leitmotif through the performance. From Marie (1836) to Gretchen (1789), a woman (1930), Jane (1847), Sarah (1999), Charlie (1940) and Medea (480 BC) are just a few of those featured in Nicole Beutler's presentation. She lets Sanja Mitrovic, who co-created 1:Songs, sing original lyrics in English on a bed of electro, whisper and then scream out again. Theme: love in all its facets.
Sometimes it is very depressing, as in "Meine Rug ist hin" from Faust by von Goethe, which Sanja Mitrovic performs in English. Mitrovic is solo on stage. Five micros in a row. Very effective, because it also refers to the propaganda apparatus from the war. She raises her micro-tripod very high when she sings "I didn't have the courage to die alone. Please God make him call me back". Trying to reach the unattainable in a very vulnerable form. Beautiful.