A threat to democracy

The Berlin musical theatre ensemble Nico and the Navigators is breaking new ground in two areas: their production Ein Volksbürger (A Citizen of the People) is a spoken theatre piece, and its world premiere will take place in the Haus der Pressekonferenz, where, since the inauguration of the new building on 8 May 2000, only political journalism has been presented, never a theatrical format. 

Director Nicola Hümpel doesn't have to think long about why the ensemble is now devoting itself to decidedly political theatre: ‘Because the times demand it.’ Ultimately, this is not completely new territory: in the more than 25 years of their existence, Nico and the Navigators have always dealt with current socio-political issues in an extremely intelligent and aesthetically outstanding manner. The ensemble has been friends with author and lawyer Maximilian Steinbeis, who has been running the ‘Verfassungsblog’ since 2009, for quite some time. ‘He has known our work for a long time and approached us with some extremely relevant material,’ recalls the director. 

Steinbeis published the essay ‘Ein Volkskanzler’ (A People's Chancellor) in 2019 and this year the book ‘Die verwundbare Demokratie. Strategien gegen die populistische Übernahme’ (The Vulnerable Democracy: Strategies Against Populist Takeover). Both writings highlight the danger that populist forces can undermine democratic institutions and manifest authoritarian structures. ‘This year we are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Basic Law and have to ask ourselves how it can be modified to prevent hostility towards democracy from gaining ground,’ says Hümpel. ’Max didn't approach us because he had a musical theatre project in mind, but because he believed we were capable of creating the right characters and bringing them to life on stage. I see this as a project with a lot of responsibility and needed time to think it through. How can the supposedly dry field of constitutional law be translated into a theatrical format that makes the issues clear to the audience without simplifying them?’

The election forecasts for the federal states of Brandenburg, Thuringia and Saxony accelerated the project – its relevance is evident given the expected success of populist parties. For this reason, the House of the Press Conference immediately gave the green light. Fabian Hinrichs felt the same way. This is the first time Nico and the Navigators have worked with the actor and director. ‘Shortly after we approached him, he was hooked on the project,’ recalls Hümpel. ‘Fabian studied law, so he not only brought an interest in the subject matter, but also the necessary expertise. He immediately understood the legal implications.’

In keeping with the location, the play consists of several press conferences set after an election. The prime minister, played by Fabian Hinrichs, has been elected by a convincing majority, even though he has proclaimed anti-constitutional slogans. It quickly becomes clear that these are not just election slogans, but that he wants to undermine asylum law and environmental policies. This leads to intervention by the federal government. Article 37 of the Basic Law stipulates that so-called federal coercion comes into effect if a state refuses to fulfil its federal obligations. This has not happened in the history of the Federal Republic, but given the populist parties' pithy slogans – combined with the election forecasts – it cannot be ruled out in the future. The question remains: what would be the consequences of such a scenario? It is conceivable that the populists would become supposed martyrs, which could give them another boost in popularity. 

What currently looks like a not entirely unlikely future scenario has already happened in a similar form in history, as Hümpel points out: ‘Think of the Prussian coup in 1932.’ At that time, the NSDAP and KPD won a majority in the state elections. ‘The then Prime Minister Otto Braun, who was still in office, was dismissed along with his ministry and replaced by Reich Chancellor Franz von Papen as Reich Commissioner. He believed he could control Hitler if he joined forces with him. A fatal mistake.’

The play, which will be performed on three evenings, warns against another act of naivety. The title suggests the populism that populists like to pretend to have: ‘I am one of you.’ Billionaire Trump does this excellently, bizarrely railing against the elite he actually represents. In Germany, the situation is not much different. Brecht was probably right in his distrust of the term ‘people.’ Heiner Müller took this idea even further. It quickly leads to the dictum: ‘Thou shalt have no peoples beside me.’

The combination of Fabian Hinrichs and Nico and the Navigators sounds more than promising for this material. Due to limited seating capacity at the press conference venue, tickets should be reserved as soon as possible. However, the stage performance will also be broadcast live in theatres throughout Germany. In Berlin, the Babylon cinema on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz will take over this role on Saturday. Afterwards, author Maximilian Steinbeis and the stage team will answer questions from the audience. The television channel Arte will edit the play and broadcast it after the premiere, providing further background information.

Shortly before Christmas, Nico and the Navigators will return with another world premiere. At the Radialsystem, they will continue the theme with ‘The Whole Truth About Lies.’ The musical theatre piece deals with fake news and artificial intelligence.