Beware of Pity is an exciting collaboration between Complicite and Schaubühne Berlin, as two of Europe’s most boundary-pushing, imaginative theatre companies work together at London’s Barbican for the first time. Watch it online until 26 February
On 12 February, we host a live stream of Beware of Pity, the new sold-out production from the world renowned theatre company Complicite, in an exciting collaboration with the Schaubühne Berlin. It’s a chance to see two of Europe’s most boundary-pushing, imaginative theatre companies working together at London’s Barbican for the first time. It will be available to watch on demand until 26 February, accompanied by a post-show discussion between director Simon McBurney and the Schaubühne’s Artistic Director, Thomas Ostermeier.
In Beware of Pity, McBurney directs the outstanding Schaubühne ensemble in a vivid account of a young man’s slide into a terrible situation, his struggle to extricate himself from it raising questions of consciousness and compassion.
"A thrilling vortex of fear, hope and doubt"
Young officer Hofmiller commits a faux pas at a soirée held by a Baron, unwittingly asking his paralysed daughter to dance. The mistake pulls him into a relentless train of events in this devastating depiction of honour, love and betrayal, realised against the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire – a catalyst for the outbreak of the First World War.
"A comment on the vast new humanitarian catastrophe now engulfing Europe"
The production is based on Stefan Zweig’s 1939 novel Ungeduld des Herzens, written just before the Second World War but looking back to the verge of the previous disaster. Reverberating in the past and present, the story is relayed by seven actors, swapping narration and dialogue to vocally build the tension of McBurney’s orally rich, visually eloquent production. Performed in German with English surtitles, it forms part of the 14-18 NOW arts programme commemorating World War I.
“The novel’s sense of unstoppable disaster has become chillingly resonant” writes Simon McBurney. The production is "a thrilling vortex of fear, hope and doubt" according to the German magazine Zitty. “It is… clear that McBurney’s staging is a comment on the vast new humanitarian catastrophe now engulfing Europe” writes Andrew Haydon in The Guardian. “At the end, we are left with a photographic vision of the murderous horror of both world wars, followed by a fast-forward montage up to the present.”
Beware of Pity. Photographer: Gianmarco Bresadola
At a glance:
What can I watch?
Visit this page to watch a performance of Beware of Pity by Complicite and Schaubühne Berlin and a post-show discussion with director Simon McBurney and the Schaubühne’s Artistic Director, Thomas Ostermeier.
When can I watch it?
The live stream begins at 3pm GMT on 12 February 2017. The film is then available to watch on demand until 11.59pm GMT on 26 February.
Age guidance
Recommended for ages 12+
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