Just Call me God

Just Call me God / 2017

The final speech of a resigning dictator,
for organ, electronics one actor and one singer.

From the dawn of time to the present age: time and again there have been rulers praised as superhuman, all-powerful or even divine. How do they achieve this status? Why do people allow this to happen? And just how gullible and corruptible are we? A world premiere featuring Hollywood star John Malkovich.

Following the worldwide success of their previous collaborations »The Infernal Comedy« and »The Giacomo Variations«, dream team Michael Sturminger and John Malkovich return to the city on the river Elbe with this musical theatre piece.

This one-man show pushes the 63-year-old Malkovich to his limits: from delusions of grandeur to morbid insanity and beyond. And on the way, the Hollywood star encounters something spectacular: the brand-new organ of the Elbphilharmonie! As Martin Haselböck, musical director and organist, reacts to the abdicating dictator with music by Bach, Ligeti and Messiaen, Franz Danksagmüller uses innovative electronic distortion techniques to explore the instrument’s innate sound possibilities.

Unsettling and disturbing, this extraordinary production dissects the causes and mechanisms of tyranny. Through Malkovich’s impressive embodiment of the charismatic dictator, the audience learns that power and authority always stem from convincing enactment.

Please note that »Just Call Me God« is not suitable for children under the age of 14. The work includes some disturbing scenes and wording.