
A chaotic, darkly-comic study of class, culture and the uncomfortable truths we often choose to ignore, Café Populaire Royal is a whirlwind of self-referential humour, lip-synced musical numbers and biting social commentary.
Revolving around a local Mariendorf Kneipe, the play follows Svenja, a struggling artist who fetishises the poor while secretly despising them (the audience is only made aware of her secret harbourings by her alter ego, Don, who is never without a brashly racist or classist comment).
At the tavern, Svenja (portrayed compellingly by Aysima Ergün) converses with its owner, Çiğdem Teke’s Ossi Oma Püppi, who longs for a romanticised East Germany she probably never experienced, and Aram (Amanda Babaei Vieira), who is taxi driver, food delivery worker and bartender to Püppi and Svenja.
Café Populaire Royal doesn’t shy away from confronting uncomfortable truths about the repressed racism and classism of its audience and even its actors. It understands the brilliant irony of a play about the inaccessibility of ‘high culture’ being performed by university-educated professional actors for an audience of middle-class Gorki-goers.
But it’s exactly here where the play loses momentum. Sincere addresses to the audience might be well-intentioned, but also show a lack of faith – a heavy-handed attempt to pre-empt criticism. Some points are best left to the audience to chat about in the foyer, rather than be delivered to them as a neatly-unproblematic package. ★★★
- Café Populaire Royal, Jan 4 & 31 in German with English surtitles, Maxim Gorki Theater, Am Festungsgraben 2, Mitte, details.