The whole Truth about Lies

A project about self-deception, heteronomy, white lies and fallacies

The whole truth about lies? Is that even conceivable – and desirable?

In our latest Berlin premiere, we focus on the most powerful weapon of populist politicians: the lie. The presidential election in the USA, in which a shameless liar triumphed, has recently shown how effectively this age-old means of gaining power can be used. But the rise of right-wing nationalist forces in other parts of the world also often goes hand in hand with the targeted use of untruths, disinformation and fake news. Even the end of the grand coalition in Berlin was justified by the breach of trust, the essential prerequisite for which is the truth. But wasn’t this alliance also based on self-deception from the outset? 

With the musical theatre evening ‘The whole Truth about Lies’, we are transforming the stage into a lie detector. The production deals – sometimes tongue-in-cheek, sometimes soberly – with the truth as an abstract quantity that can have an existential effect in both the private and political spheres and bring about unexpected catastrophes. 

The boundaries between real bodies and false images are blurred, as are those between genres. In a navigational manner, the evening moves between baroque and pop, between song, dance and text. Visually, perception is put to the test through the combination of old theatre illusions and new AI technologies. 

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Nico and the Navigators in Shanghai - Fernsehbeitrag in shine.cn Is AI a friend or a threat to stage art creators?

Press reviews

Felix Müller / Berliner Morgenpost

The evening seems like a logical continuation, although the differences could hardly be greater. At the end of September, Nico and the Navigators sent Fabian Hinrichs to the Federal Press Conference Centre as the leader of a populist party called ‘Democratic Alliance’ and played out the possible consequences of such a man winning the election. The lie as a tried and tested means of political communication already appeared there in all conceivable manifestations; in ‘The whole Truth about Lies’, an eclectic and ecstatic evening of music theatre, it takes centre stage – with a wide cultural-historical focal range, but always with reference to the present… A clever, multi-layered evening well worth seeing.

Felix Müller / Berliner Morgenpost

‘The whole Truth about Lies’ by Nico and the Navigators at Radialsystem


The evening seems like a logical continuation, although the differences could hardly be greater. At the end of September, the independent theatre collective Nico and the Navigators sent Fabian Hinrichs to the Haus der Bundespressekonferenz as the leader of a populist party called the ‘Democratic Alliance’ and acted out the possible consequences of such a man's election victory. The lie as a tried and tested means of political communication already appeared there in all conceivable manifestations; in ‘The whole Truth about Lies’, an eclectic and ecstatic evening of music theatre, it takes centre stage - with a broad cultural-historical focus, but always in relation to the present.


That sounds abstract. In concrete terms, it is about the lies of images and the question of what authentic speech actually is or could be. What we see becomes implausible and self-contradictory in two fascinating ways: Firstly, the singing, dancing and acting ensemble uses an illusion technique with which the British inventor John Henry Pepper caused a sensation as early as 1862. A huge, semi-transparent mirror tilted at 45 degrees reflects what is happening on the floor of the stage in such a way that it looks as if it is standing or floating in the centre of the room. And secondly, Nicola Hümpel's production utilises the alienation effects made possible by the new image generators with artificial intelligence. They are also projected onto the mirror and appear as three-dimensional as holograms, even though they are not. 


In both cases, it is clear how the visual effect is created, it is a game with perfect information. And yet the impression is overwhelming: you believe him because you want to. The question of the nature of the lie can be experienced here as a problem of the relationship between sender and receiver. And as such it has been dealt with extensively in art, in wonderful pieces of music from Gioachino Rossini to John Lennon, from Georg Friedrich Händel to Leonard Cohen. They alternate fluently here, interspersed with dance choreographies and short play scenes in which everyday lies become a theme: in small talk, in the reunion of a separated couple, in a farewell speech at the grave or in the flaming speech of the demagogue. A clever, multi-layered evening that is well worth seeing.




Alban Nikolai Herbst / Faust Kultur

Nico and the Navigators once again play a masterful game with the senses. In their new production, they interweave illusion, irony and postmodern narrative art to create a Gesamtkunstwerk that explores the boundaries of deception and truth. Between breathtaking (dance) acrobatics, sound collages and philosophical dialogues, the troupe makes the audience laugh, marvel – and pause for a moment. But where does the pretence end and the lie begin? An unforgettable evening that will captivate the audience and make them think.

Alban Nikolai Herbst / Faust Kultur

Nico and the Navigators: ‘The whole Truth about Lies’


The internationally acclaimed ensemble Nico and the Navigators once again present a masterful play with the senses. In their new production, they interweave illusion, irony and postmodern narrative art to create a Gesamtkunstwerk that explores the boundaries of deception and truth. Between breathtaking (dance) acrobatics, sound collages and philosophical dialogues, the troupe makes the audience laugh, marvel - and pause for a moment. But where does the pretence end and the lie begin? An unforgettable evening that will leave the audience enthralled and thought-provoking.


I certainly no longer need to introduce the ensemble Nico and the Navigators, founded in 1998 by Nicola Hümpel and Oliver Proske. It has long been touring internationally, has been nominated several times for important (music) theatre awards, received the Georg Tabori Prize; Nicola Hümpel herself won the Konrad Wolf Prize of the Berlin Academy of the Arts in 2016. But this is theatre.


The fact that Proske and Hümpel keep their eyes and ears focussed on the often immediate present suits him. At the same time, however, they keep an eye on what it feeds on - which artistically leads to a strong syncretism that, like Alfred Schnittke's music, could be called ‘polystylistic’. It owes as much to postmodern narratives as it does to the fun of the audience, to entertainment. The, shall we say, ‘pedagogical’ goal may be realisation, but the audience is constantly fed - not least through virtual techniques that are handled with great playfulness.


People should first of all be amazed, preferably even laugh, even (or especially) when there are conspicuous moments of a brief flinch before realisation - tenths of a second of amazement. ‘And Jonas isn't your son either, by the way,’ the woman reveals to the man. To which he responds dryly: ‘I know, I had a vasactomy.’ The effective trick is that instead of the woman, it is we who feel the small shock; accordingly, the laughter is only offset. Meanwhile she herself, the woman, continues unaffected: ‘Your deep voice is so lulling - an endless sermon.’


Such spoken theatre parts are repeatedly inserted between the action scenes, especially the dance scenes, which bring all too heavy burdens of meaning back into suspension and, with the sound and image collages, realise a continuum that has something to do with Richard Wagner's concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk. The transcendence he strives for, however, is ironically broken throughout; postmodernism is too cool to allow pathos, even if the sensual truth is retained even when, as happens almost throughout, the mechanics of illusion are also demonstrated. The illusory character isn't spoilt by this - our perceptual apparatus (appearance) falls for it.


It sweeps us away completely. Nevertheless, the real art, as distinct from (dance) acrobatics, is to be found in the musical pieces. Basically, they are the heartbeat of every performance, especially where they tear, as it were, or are not disturbed by lecture-like recitations (or dialogues as above), but are repeatedly pulled down to the ground of reality, becoming material, as it were. And thus political.


Here, however, in this new production by the ‘Navigators’ - a venue could not be more fitting for their aesthetic than Berlin's Radialsystem (but its existence → is now also under threat) ... - this time the troupe thematises itself, so to speak: ‘The whole Truth about Lies’ intersects the appearance of any theatre with the concept of lies as a false assertion strategically directed towards a goal. This is not without absurdity insofar as an AI-generated semi-philosophical text, for example, is not a ‘lie’ even if it completely collapses when it is scrutinised a little.


After all, there is no intention; such an intention presupposes consciousness, which machines and their algorithms hardly possess. AI only collects data and weights it according to quantities. Equally, erroneous statements are not lies; case law speaks of ‘good faith’: having acted in good faith excludes fraud. In this respect alone, ‘appearance’ should be separated from ‘lies’ even where their contours overlap.


The play of the troupe does not separate it. Ultimately, it is up to us if we believe the mirror, which is tilted diagonally across the entire width of the stage: In the air, someone is balancing on a white pole, upright, not infrequently in danger of losing their balance; and we see people flying, this too in the mirror. In fact, what we see at the same time is someone lying on the ground performing perfectly rehearsed movements. And the pole in the mirror is nothing other than the strip of toilet paper rolled out in a straight line on the floor.


So we know and yet we don't know. And realise that we wanted to believe the eyes. But only later do we begin to think: are we in need of deception? We are already drawn into the heart of art, which is a true lie - the mentir-vrai of Aragon.


But this is precisely what the Navigators want to ‘question’, i.e. politically criticise. This is what Oliver Proske writes in the programme booklet:


However, the renaming of a familiar illusion as a futuristic technology also illustrates the readiness with which the surface is taken for the depth, the image for the original. In such a world, the lie becomes the truth because it appears more convenient, more accessible and more spectacular. This lie is not harmless; it reflects a society that is increasingly prepared to take surface for substance, appearance for essence (...)


Which is wrong. Lies do not become truth, they are only taken for it. That is a difference, and one wonders very much whether this has ever been different. Doesn't that also seem to be the case? Of course, the instruments of manipulation - including technical ones thanks to AI - have increased. But that is once again quantity, not essence. Nevertheless, the programme booklet goes one better with a travesty of the Christian creed (the original wording of which began the entire performance)


I believe in the lie

The Almighty

The driving force of people on earth


(Are there any elsewhere?)


And in progress

Her natural companion, our star,

Received through insatiable greed,

(...)

Ascended into the future,

He sits at the right hand of the lie,

The almighty mother;

(...)

I believe in false promises, 

The unstoppable growth,

(...)

Slander of the good and eternal evil.

Amen.


Yes, quite terrible, this text; if I had read it before the performance, I would not have sat in the audience. But then I would have missed the grandiose aspect of this evening - namely that the troupe's new piece is completely different from what this agitational political kitsch makes one fear; despite all the virtuosity, especially of the expressive dance (stunning: Yui Kawaguchi) and the instrumentation, I constantly had the feeling that I was moving on the most fragile ground: for example, the recitation form - recitative I would like to call it - is above all one of constant questioning of oneself and others.


Nothing is fixed, little is known for certain. We move through the same, only more elegant, continuum of uncertainties as in our everyday reality. The difference - a striking one, however - is that we enjoy it here. This is how the Navigators turn uncertainties into possibilities, a prerequisite for freedom. That's exactly what almost redeemed us that evening, or at least made it easier. And even if the question still bothered me for days afterwards (who didn't gulp?):


What now? Does ‘input’ now apply instead of ‘inspiration’?


Has Nico and the Navigators not only given us an evening of great pleasure, but a kind of hope - regardless of whether it is an illusion again?


Zhu Guang / Xinmin Art Review | Evening News

[…] The internal logic of music and visual composition merges here into an impressive philosophical reflection on lies and truth. And it is precisely in this that the sophistication of this production lies. […] As part of the “DIGI MUSE – Festival for Music and Technological Innovation 2025,” the music theatre piece “The Whole Truth About Lies” recently celebrated its Asia premiere at the Shanghai Concert Hall. This work addresses a highly topical subject: the illusion of AI. Here, the aesthetic effect of artificial intelligence is not only made visible, but its limits and ruptures are also exposed. […] The entire piece thrives on the contrast between grounded reality on stage and the mirror images as well as the imaginary spaces that lie behind them. […]

Zhu Guang / Xinmin Art Review | Evening News

Even the title "The Whole Truth About Lies" is dialectically composed: if we are dealing with lies – then where is the truth? Yet perhaps, in the interplay of different types of lies, shared patterns and even a collective understanding of deception can be extracted – and in that very analogy, a fragment of truth may emerge.


“I do not walk on clouds, but on solid ground” – this famous quote by the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein stands for a wisdom rooted in lived experience, not in lofty heights or stars. Happiness is not found at the top of a climbed ladder, but in the solid footing on the ground and in what we hold in our hands.


As part of the "DIGI MUSE – Festival for Music and Technological Innovation 2025", the music theatre production "The Whole Truth About Lies", a co-production by the German ensemble Nico and the Navigators and the Schwetzingen SWR Festival, recently celebrated its Asia premiere at the Shanghai Concert Hall. This work, which artistically integrates AI technologies, interprets Wittgenstein’s ideas through a striking theatrical form.

The stage design of this production is equally noteworthy. A one-way mirror wall spans the entire center of the stage from left to right, dividing the performance space into various zones. From the audience’s perspective, the performers appear to be in the same space – in reality, however, they are separated by the mirror wall and move within different, mutually blind dimensions.


The real bodies and their countless reflections on stage may look similar, but are fundamentally different. This set design itself points to a highly topical subject: the illusion of AI. Here, the aesthetic effect of artificial intelligence is not only made visible, but its limits and fractures are also exposed.


One of the truths about lies is this: lies often look or sound more beautiful than reality. Although the stage uses only simple props such as rolls of toilet paper, the images – thanks to live cameras integrated into the stage and AI-assisted projections – are transformed into aestheticized illusions on the mirror surface. A singer, dressed plainly in white, stands facing the audience and sings. Her partner drapes strands of toilet paper over her shoulders. But in the mirrored image, the AI transforms the scene: the paper becomes a traditional headdress and skirt ribbons – like a living oil painting from centuries past.

Another truth about lies: there will always be someone who believes them. While the transformation of paper into flowing fabric still appears as an obvious aesthetic enhancement, the scene that follows – featuring “Les oiseaux dans la charmille,” the so-called Doll Aria from Jacques Offenbach’s "The Tales of Hoffmann" – dives deeper into the production’s layers.


Aside from the AI-based mirror illusion, all other artistic effects on stage are created by human craft. One dancer outlines the shape of a house on the stage floor using toilet paper and then sits behind the mirror wall — in the projected reflection, it appears as if he is sitting by a window within that house. The dancer on the floor in front of the mirror — seemingly seated next to the house — and he act in separate dimensions, yet the mirror visibly connects them. The singer of the Doll Aria, who is in the same real space as the dancer (on the opposite side of the mirror), accompanies the scene with ukulele and vocals. For the audience, the dancer — who removes the house frame and repeatedly tries to break through the imaginary wall — now appears as the supposed ‘third figure’ in the triangle. But her attempts at connection are continually thwarted by the sound waves of the ukulele.

This scene remains ambiguous: who is telling the truth here, and who is lying? Though the three figures are separated by mirrors and move on different levels — generating an illusion — we, as spectators, are still inclined to trust our ‘guided gaze’.


Another truth about lies: it often seems that a single person can speak for many. In 1965, American singer Barry McGuire wrote the anti-war song “Eve of Destruction,” a harsh indictment of U.S. society at the time.

On stage, the drummer sings this song, dressed in an orange life vest. Simultaneously, his image appears on the mirror surface – and next to it, a second, AI-generated likeness also in an orange vest. As the song progresses, this face and details of the vest change continuously, revealing ever-new faces in the reflection. The impression arises that the singer is voicing the concerns of many. But the question remains: can a single person truly speak for many? Probably not.


Another truth about lies: lies are often flawed copies of the truth – but when these copies join forces, they can overpower the truth.

To the sound of Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2 “Grave; Doppio Movimento,” two men stand behind the mirror wall and enter into conflict. When Dancer A suddenly appears as a double in the reflection, this duplicate seems at first to support him. But the mirror image – confined to the mirror frame and without visible feet – remains a flawed copy. Shortly afterward, Dancer B’s double also appears.

Eventually, multiple flawed copies engage in an increasingly chaotic fight. In the end, it is the two real dancers themselves who collapse in exhaustion.

The musical structure of Chopin’s sonata – in which lyrical, dramatic, and contrapuntal elements artfully intertwine – is perfectly mirrored in this scene: the internal logic of music and visual composition merges into an impressive philosophical reflection on lies and truth. And it is precisely in this that the sophistication of the production lies.


The entire piece thrives on the contrast between grounded reality on stage and the mirror images, along with the imaginary spaces behind them. At first, the relationship between floor and reflection seems clear: a simple mirror image, at most reversed and with a second of delay. But gradually it becomes clear how multifaceted and manipulative this apparent mirror world can be.

Much of the projected imagery emerges from the performers’ floor-bound movements. So that their mirrored counterparts appear to effortlessly climb mountains, plunge into abysses, fly skyward, or float weightlessly through water, the dancers choreograph their bodies on the ground in often extremely twisted and physically demanding ways.

One might understand it this way: it often requires far more effort than visible to make something appear outwardly light and effortless – or put differently: truth is hard-won, while beautiful illusions masquerading as truth often come deceptively easy.


Music – particularly the lyrics, which range stylistically from classical and art song to pop – forms the dramaturgical backbone of the evening, shaping the emotional arc that unfolds in close connection with dance and movement.

After another piano sonata by Chopin – the famous “Funeral March” – an actor appears shirtless on stage, symbolizing the concept of lies. He moves fanatically and expansively like a cult leader, gathering followers who surrender to him in an orgiastic frenzy.


For the finale, accompanied by John Lennon’s Gimme Some Truth, another powerful stage image unfolds: the performers roll in one by one, singing, and lie down side by side as if in a giant bed – each with a pillow beneath their head – and tear off strips of toilet paper to form the word “LOVE.” At the same time, they crawl under a massive sheet, finding comfort and closeness with those beside them. At the final note of the song, eight performers tear the sheet away from the Liar-character, leaving him uncovered and isolated at the edge of the stage.


Redaktion / Klassik Heute

“Based on the seductive and disastrous fascination of the false, the ensemble goes in search of evidence of self-deception and heteronomy, white lies and fallacies in the dark depths of the classical heritage as well as on the glittering surface of contemporary music. The direction and artistic direction of this exciting production is in the hands of Nicola Hümpel.”

Redaktion / Klassik Heute

Closing with the world premiere of the music theatre production ‘The whole Truth about Lies’


The Schwetzingen SWR Festival 2024 will conclude on Saturday, 25 May, with the world premiere of the new music theatre production by Nico and the Navigators: The whole Truth about Lies. Based on the seductive and disastrous fascination of falsehood, the ensemble searches for evidence of self-deception and heteronomy, white lies and fallacies in the dark depths of classical heritage as well as on the glittering surface of contemporary music. The direction and artistic direction of this exciting production is in the hands of Nicola Hümpel. A few tickets are still available.


In the four weeks from 26 April to 25 May, the Schwetzingen SWR Festival welcomed a total of more than 18,000 visitors to 47 top-class concerts, music theatre performances and events from the supporting programme under the motto ‘Da capo’. The occupancy rate for the paid events was over 91 per cent. The 2024 edition of the festival was the eighth and final season under the artistic direction of Heike Hoffmann.


Heike Hoffmann: ‘I am delighted that my last Schwetzingen season was also an artistic success and was extremely well received by the audience. Many thanks to the artists and all those who have contributed to this success with their great commitment and professionalism.’


The radio culture programme SWR Kultur accompanied the festival events in Schwetzingen with broadcasts and reports as well as concert broadcasts. All concerts were and are broadcast live from Schwetzingen Palace or with a time delay on SWR Kultur. This gives the festival an enormous and international reach. This year's concerts and music theatre productions will be broadcast on the radio until the summer, after which they will be available to listen to on www.SWRKultur.de. The performance of St Mary's Vespers from Worms Cathedral will be available on Arte Concert until 29 October 2024.


The Schwetzingen SWR Festival 2025 will take place from 2 to 31 May 2025 - then for the first time under the artistic direction of Cornelia Bend. As usual, the programme will be published at the end of 2024.

Annett Jaensch / Rostrot-Texte

From small untruths in private life to big lies on the political stage, the subject of lying inherently has a lot of negative potential. The fact that the evening still has a striking number of poetic moments is mainly due to an old illusion technique that Nico and the Navigators have unearthed […] When the performers lie on the floor and move, the vertical projection makes it look as if they are floating or flying through the air. It’s a dramaturgical trick that also holds up a mirror to the audience: we see ‘the lie’ and yet succumb to its visual appeal […] Will we go home with ‘The Whole Truth about Lies’? Perhaps not, but we will certainly have plenty of food for thought. 

Annett Jaensch / Rostrot-Texte

It begins as a delicate network of shoots. Just a moment ago, Annedore Kleist's face was visible. In a large-scale projection, she explains that every person tells 200 lies a day. At least, that is the common belief. As the actress speaks, the screen continues to grow. The harmless mycelium from the beginning has become an ulcer, a toxic fungus that covers everything like an opaque film.


This is just one of many visual metaphors that Nico and the Navigators have devised for their new production to explore a phenomenon that seems to be increasingly encroaching on our everyday lives: lies and their modern counterparts, fake news. Giving the piece the title ‘The Whole Truth About Lies’ already highlights an important characteristic of lying, namely the absoluteness of the assertion, which, on closer inspection, can collapse just as quickly.


In typical Nico and the Navigators style, the ensemble led by Nicola Hümpel and Oliver Proske interweaves music, text and dance into a multi-layered collage that – perhaps even more than usual – seeks to play with the illusory power of the theatrical surface. AI image generators are used to boost the visual sleight of hand. In a madcap ride, the images morph through a panopticon of alienation. Naturally, the themes of social media power and mass manipulation are also explored. Who would be surprised to see figures such as Trump, Putin and Marine Le Pen emerge from this carousel of characters? Probably no one.


From small untruths in private life to big lies on the political stage, the subject of lying inherently has a lot of negative potential. The fact that the evening still has a striking number of poetic moments is mainly due to an old illusion technique that Nico and the Navigators have unearthed: ‘Pepper's Ghost’. Developed around 1860 by British innovator John Henry Pepper, a semi-transparent, tilted mirror creates astonishing stage effects. When the performers lie on the floor and move, the vertical projection makes it look as if they are floating or flying through the air. It's a dramaturgical trick that also holds up a mirror to the audience: we see ‘the lie’ and yet succumb to its visual appeal.


Musically, too, the evening delves deep into the classical and contemporary repertoire for the soundtrack to deceiving and being deceived: the arc spans from Handel's baroque invocation of guardian angels to Chopin's ‘Funeral March Sonata,’ Schumann songs à la ‘Ich grolle nicht’ to ‘Little Lies’ by Fleetwood Mac and ‘Gimme Some Truth’ by John Lennon.


Will we go home with ‘The Whole Truth about Lies’? Perhaps not, but we will certainly have plenty of food for thought. 

Christoph Wagner / Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung

The evening was characterised by the high artistic achievements, emotional resilience and unbridled enthusiasm of the entire ensemble, with which the concept of the ensemble director Nicola Hümpel, characterised by exuberant scenic imagination, was brought to the stage.

Christoph Wagner / Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung

The musical theatre ensemble Nico and the Navigators performed at the Rococo Theatre at the end of the Schwetzingen Festival


A certain amount of confusion must have arisen in large parts of the audience right at the beginning when the Christian creed was recited unabridged. This was then captured in the last spoken text of ‘The whole Truth about Lies’, a kind of revue presented by the Berlin music theatre ensemble Nico and the Navigators at the end of this year's Schwetzingen SWR Festival in the Rococo Theatre, written by the ensemble itself: ‘I believe in lies / The almighty / The driving force of people on earth / And in progress / Their natural companion, our star. / Conceived through insatiable greed, / Born in the bloody battles, / Suffered under the constraints of truth, / Judged but never died, / Drawn down into the realm of good / Risen again and again from the good / Ascended into the future. / He sits at the right hand of the lie / Of the almighty mother; / And there he will remain / Transforming the living into the dead. / I believe in false promises / The unstoppable growth / Fellowship of the deceptive / Falsification of the truth / Slander of the good and eternal evil / Amen.’


This field of tension gave rise to a two-hour kaleidoscope of around twenty pieces of music from Handel to Chopin, Jacques Offenbach, Shostakovich, Ligeti and John Lennon, set for violin, trumpet, piano, electric guitar and percussion, in some cases enhanced by synthesiser and electronically alienated. This was accompanied by texts that take a rather pessimistic view of human behaviour and spectacular ballet interludes.


The stage design was based on an invention by John Henry Pepper from 1862, called ‘Pepper's Ghost’, in which a skilfully positioned, semi-transparent mirror makes activities performed while lying on the floor appear to float freely in space through reflection, while also allowing interaction with people positioned behind the mirror. This old illusion technique was given a contemporary twist with alienating video projections, whereby almost everything that took place on stage could also be seen as a video image.


The evening was characterised by the high artistic achievements, emotional resilience and unbridled enthusiasm of the entire ensemble, with which the concept of the ensemble director Nicola Hümpel, characterised by exuberant scenic imagination, was brought to the stage.


You could simply enjoy it, but of course it was also intended to stimulate thought and reflection, but it also gave rise to contradiction. For example, it is doubtful that thinking automatically leads to lying and that one should therefore withdraw to the senses. It should also be noted that the series ‘progress - lies - evil’ evoked in the creed quoted implies the highly questionable opposite ‘regression - truth - good’.


Of course, you can also ask about the relationship between lies and illusion or truth and reality, but then you simply have to call the end of the programme kitsch: To John Lennon's ‘Gimme some Truth’, the Berlin ensemble snuggled together under a large blanket and wrote the word ‘Love’ in capital letters across the scene.


Such nostalgic recourse to the romance of flower power and the legendary ‘bed-in’ of honeymooners John Lennon and Yoko Ono in an Amsterdam hotel in 1969 will certainly not solve the real problems of this world. It would have significantly increased the evening's impact if it had closed with the confession ‘I believe in lies...’. Did Nico and the Navigators lack the courage to do so?

Hans-Günther Fischer / Mannheimer Morgen

Nico and her collective […] navigate through the vast land of sophisticated illusions […] the artistic means employed are often virtuoso, especially in the dance interludes. This includes brilliant slow-motion sequences. And in the background, a semi-transparent hall of mirrors creates the illusion of gravity being defied. The extension of the stage into digital space also creates fascinating effects. As far as the musical aspect is concerned, the selected pop songs, some of which are interpreted in highly original ways, are particularly impressive.

Hans-Günther Fischer / Mannheimer Morgen

[…]


Then it's off to the Rokokotheater, where the SWR Festival bids farewell to its artistic director Heike Hoffmann and welcomes over 18,000 mostly paying visitors this year. The finale features a premiere: Nico and the Navigators want to let us know „The whole Truth about Lies" in their current production. Which, of course, cannot work at all, but the topic is as relevant as ever. If not omnipresent.


The artistic means employed by Nico and the Navigators are virtuoso, especially the dance interludes


Nico and her collective of stage technicians, actors, musicians and dancers navigate through the vast land of sophisticated deception – which is even bigger than Putin's Russia or Trump's America. It is inevitable that the compass will have to lurch. But the artistic means employed are often virtuoso, especially in the dance interludes. These include brilliant slow-motion sequences. And in the background, a semi-transparent hall of mirrors creates the illusion of gravity being overcome. The expansion of the stage into digital space also creates fascinating effects.


As far as the musical aspect is concerned, the selected pop songs, some of which are interpreted in highly original ways, are particularly convincing. At the very end is ‘Gimme Some Truth’: in 1971, John Lennon begged for a tiny bit of truth. But even back then, that was rather rare. Because there was also a master of lies like ‘Tricky Dicky’, as Lennon wrote. Who did he mean by that? President Richard Nixon.

Knut Elstermann / RBB - RadioEins

…a very special, beautiful, and timely evening indeed! It’s obviously a wild mix…

Knut Elstermann / RBB - RadioEins

Link to the interview


What is the whole truth about lies? Where can it be found, and what emerges when it is uncovered? In the age of Artificial Intelligence and social networks, those searching for the truth about lies often end up in paradoxes — or in the theater.


With "The whole Truth about Lies", the performance collective NICO AND THE NAVIGATORS explores the unpredictable power of deception. In this Berlin world premiere, they dive into the realm of music theater. Today, we speak with Nicola Hümpel, artistic director of Nico and the Navigators, at studioeins in Bikini Berlin.


Elstermann: “The Whole Truth About Lies” is a new piece — or maybe a performance? We’ll get to clarify that soon. The premiere is next Thursday at Radialsystem, and I’m delighted to welcome the woman who not only brought this work to life but has created many boundary-defying projects, the kind you can’t quite label — is it a play? A performance? Perhaps even a discursive event? Please welcome: Nicola Hümpel from Nico and the Navigators.

Before we discuss your latest work, let’s give listeners a bit of context. Some time ago, I remember seeing huge posters and wondering: Can you actually vote for Fabian Hinrichs now? Is he running for something? I even asked him, but I missed it — what was that project about? That was yours too, wasn’t it?


Hümpel: Yes, even his plumber thought he was a real candidate. That was a highly political evening we created at the Federal Press Conference building, marking its 100th anniversary. It completely took off, and we were thrilled. The text by constitutional lawyer Maximilian Steinbeiß really hit the zeitgeist. And just one day after the Erfurt incident, audiences were practically going wild — the boundary between what we were performing and what was actually happening in real life blurred so intensely, it was surreal.


Elstermann: Sadly, I missed it — but you told me I can still watch it.


Hümpel: Yes, you all can — it’s available on ARTE Mediathek. Due to high demand, it’s now subtitled in six languages: Polish, Italian, English, German, French, and Spanish.


Elstermann: That’s a great tip — and perhaps a perfect prelude to your next project. It sounds like there's a similar blurring of boundaries between real politics and art? What’s it like now at Radialsystem?


Hümpel: It’s completely different. We asked ourselves whether we should continue on that political path — and maybe we will. But this time, we’re going back to our other roots: poetic music theater. We're dealing with themes like fake news, self-deception, external manipulation, and what AI is doing to us — in short, everything that introduces falsehood into our lives. But this time, we approach it very personally. We go from global political and religious conflicts into the intimate private sphere. And I think it's become a heartwarming evening, one that gives hope, because the group works together with such tenderness and intensity — between dance, singing, and text. Plus this insane AI technology and Oliver Proske’s incredible stage design, where we literally see how we’re being tricked: people appear to fly even though they’re lying on the ground. We show how it’s done — and yet we still fall for the illusion. For me, that’s a metaphor for what we let society do to us.


Elstermann: So if I understand you correctly, when scaled down to the private or intimate realm, we lie all the time. Studies say people lie about 20 times a day…


Hümpel: 200 times.


Elstermann: Really? That much? We don’t even talk that often in a day!


Hümpel: Those 200 include omissions — which we’re seeing in real-world politics. It’s not just about direct lies, but also about withholding truths. Like saying, “I didn’t know that” instead of “I did know, but I’m not admitting it.” That kind of ambiguity creates room for manipulation.


Elstermann: To be fair, I think many of these lies are what we might call forgivable sins — if we said everything we thought, it would be unbearable. Lies also grease the wheels of social interaction. But your work isn’t about those small lies — it’s about the larger structures of deception. The frameworks politicians use to serve us falsehoods every day.


Hümpel: Exactly. We even tried an experiment: What happens if we are brutally honest with each other? Saying things like: “You look awful,” or “You smell.” It’s very uncomfortable. And no one wants that. There’s even a scene about it in the show. We also included classical music — works dealing with conspiracy and lies. Theater, as we know from Shakespeare, invites audiences into lies on purpose. That’s the pact. Theater is a consensual lie. And in this performance, we surrender to false love songs sung in artificial voices. It's a beautiful way to live — and raises the question: does lying help us survive?


Elstermann: That’s beautifully put. Art is a beautiful lie — but it’s one we’ve agreed to. We know it’s not “true,” but it enriches us. The other lies — the ones told by people in power — are far more dangerous. And they’ve become more and more absurd.


Hümpel: Yes, and we’re copying more and more of it. What scares me is how little courage we have to be ourselves — and how easily we’re swept up into going along.


Elstermann: Yes, it’s a parallel reality. Like when Trump said, “Germany doesn’t have enough wind, that’s why wind turbines are a complete failure, and that’s why Angela Merkel resigned.” That’s a real quote from Trump. He just says it — and we’re no longer even shocked. From December 12 to 15, Nico and the Navigators will perform their new piece at Radialsystem. Is “piece” the right word? Or is it more of a “performance”?


Hümpel: You can call it a piece.


Elstermann: Alright then — The Whole Truth About Lies. We've covered a lot, but I still haven’t understood everything — for example, let’s talk briefly about AI. You use it on stage. In what sense is that a lie? I mean, we know it’s AI.


Hümpel: It generates things live on stage. A dancer moves, and is transformed into figures like Putin, Trump, or Elon Musk — we don’t know exactly what will happen beforehand. It changes every time. It can be brilliant or not quite work — it’s unpredictable. But we’re showing how it’s done, showing what’s possible. We all know that politicians can now be made to “speak” fake speeches online. That reality gave us serious doubts during our research. As artists, we’re asking: are we making ourselves obsolete? You feed something in, and out comes something incredibly good. We even had AI generate a song in the style of Leonard Cohen about lies. We kept feeding it prompts: “Make it more drastic, more philosophical, sharper…” It kept improving. We added chords, and had someone with a stunning Cohen voice sing it — and it was damn good. But the group refused to use it. They said: no. We can’t. It’s not right.


Elstermann: Because they felt replaced. And I think journalism will face the same. In a few years, maybe news anchors will be replaced by AI — even presenters. And maybe they’ll be better than us.


Hümpel: I once fed the AI a prompt saying: “I’m depressed — because of you. Write me something.” It produced such an astonishingly good text, I gave it to my dramaturge and said, “Look what I found.” I didn’t say it came from AI. And he said, “This is incredible. Where did you get it?” I had to tell him. He didn’t think it was funny.


Elstermann: Well, I can give some reassurance. My colleague Karkowski once asked ChatGPT: “What should I ask Knut Elstermann in an interview?” The questions were all okay — nothing wrong — but they lacked inspiration. It felt like what a trainee might prepare. There was no warmth, no humor. So, yes — there’s still a difference. But we have to talk more about this. Maybe not for long, but for now, humans still bring something unique. Maybe the real question is: will humans adapt to AI?


Hümpel: Exactly.


Elstermann: Or maybe we can use it as a framework and then bring in warmth, the human touch. Let’s try to remain a bit optimistic. But in politics — that’s where I lose hope. It’s not even new. Goebbels once said: “The bigger the lie, the more likely it is to be believed.” Are we back there? Or have we even moved to a new level?


Hümpel: Or like Trump said: “Repeat a lie long enough, and people will believe it.” And that’s become mainstream — even democratic parties now use this as a strategy. How can we be expected to trust them when they abuse our trust? This could be our chance to really restore democracy — and if we fail, it might be our last.


Elstermann: Nicola, before we finish: How should I imagine this evening? You’ve talked about dancers, AI, people flying when they’re not flying… What kind of night is this?


Hümpel: It’s a typically “navigator-esque” collage — with dance, classical music, arias, pop songs, a breakdancer. A mix from Cohen to Baroque, a pastiche shaped by our research into the topic. Out of that, something emerged — a narrative that we couldn’t have planned. In rehearsal, it all came together in ways that still astonish us. You sit there and wonder: who came up with this?


Elstermann: Nicola, I’ll say this openly — I believe you. I have the feeling this will be a very special, beautiful, and timely evening. You might’ve been better off listing what’s not in the piece — that would’ve been easier! It’s clearly a wild mix, and audiences can experience it from December 12 to 15.


Hümpel: And for those who can’t get tickets — we’ll perform it again in April. Or you can come see it in Shanghai at the Shanghai Concert Hall.


Elstermann: Really? You’re doing it there too? Not bad. That’s exactly where it belongs. And just to be clear — December 12 to 15 at Radialsystem, then again in April, and then a mini tour to China: The Whole Truth About Lies by Nico and the Navigators. Thank you so much, and Merry Christmas.


Hümpel: You too — thank you!





Redaktion / Klassik Heute

“Based on the seductive and disastrous fascination of the false, the ensemble goes in search of evidence of self-deception and heteronomy, white lies and fallacies in the dark depths of the classical heritage as well as on the glittering surface of contemporary music. The direction and artistic direction of this exciting production is in the hands of Nicola Hümpel.”

Redaktion / Klassik Heute

Closing with the world premiere of the music theatre production ‘The whole Truth about Lies’


The Schwetzingen SWR Festival 2024 will conclude on Saturday, 25 May, with the world premiere of the new music theatre production by Nico and the Navigators: The whole Truth about Lies. Based on the seductive and disastrous fascination of falsehood, the ensemble searches for evidence of self-deception and heteronomy, white lies and fallacies in the dark depths of classical heritage as well as on the glittering surface of contemporary music. The direction and artistic direction of this exciting production is in the hands of Nicola Hümpel. A few tickets are still available.


In the four weeks from 26 April to 25 May, the Schwetzingen SWR Festival welcomed a total of more than 18,000 visitors to 47 top-class concerts, music theatre performances and events from the supporting programme under the motto ‘Da capo’. The occupancy rate for the paid events was over 91 per cent. The 2024 edition of the festival was the eighth and final season under the artistic direction of Heike Hoffmann.


Heike Hoffmann: ‘I am delighted that my last Schwetzingen season was also an artistic success and was extremely well received by the audience. Many thanks to the artists and all those who have contributed to this success with their great commitment and professionalism.’


The radio culture programme SWR Kultur accompanied the festival events in Schwetzingen with broadcasts and reports as well as concert broadcasts. All concerts were and are broadcast live from Schwetzingen Palace or with a time delay on SWR Kultur. This gives the festival an enormous and international reach. This year's concerts and music theatre productions will be broadcast on the radio until the summer, after which they will be available to listen to on www.SWRKultur.de. The performance of St Mary's Vespers from Worms Cathedral will be available on Arte Concert until 29 October 2024.


The Schwetzingen SWR Festival 2025 will take place from 2 to 31 May 2025 - then for the first time under the artistic direction of Cornelia Bend. As usual, the programme will be published at the end of 2024.

A production by NICO AND THE NAVIGATORS and the Schwetzingen SWR Festival, supported by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe and the Hauptstadt Kultur Fonds. In cooperation with Radialsystem.

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