In the lead role ¨C
John Malkovich
The play
The Infernal Comedy was written by Michael
Sturminger. In 2008 it was performed in the USA under the title
Seduction and Despair, and on
1 July 2009
the full stage version
was premiered to great
acclaim at the Vereinigte B¨¹hnen Wien, Ronacher. In 2010
the production travelled the world ¨C there were performances of
The Infernal Comedy in Luxemburg, Brussels, Paris, Istanbul,
Hamburg, Bilbao, Tarragona, Malaga, Athens, Toronto, Quebec, the Ruhr and
festivals in Ravello, Spoleto and Turku.
The Infernal Comedy is a stage-play for a baroque
orchestra, two sopranos and one actor. It is based on the real-life story
of Jack Unterweger, a murderer and acclaimed poet who was imprisoned but
later pardoned, a celebrated author and journalist, a notorious
womaniser and prime example of reintegration. He was suspected of killing
a growing number of prostitutes in Vienna, Graz, Prague and Los Angeles. He
then vanished from Vienna and fled to the USA, was arrested in Miami,
extradited to Austria and accused of eleven murders before he ultimately
committed suicide.
The first scene shows the actor (Jack) reading from his new novel and
gradually drifting into his memories which are connected to
the melodramatic music of Christoph Willibald von Gluck¡¯s Don
Juan. His monologues are interwoven with scenes together with one of
the two opera singers. In correlation with a study of
the affectations of baroque music, each scene reflects such emotional
states as Joy, Hatred, Love, Grief, Desire and Admiration in relation to Jack¡¯s
various relationships with women. All of this unfolds against the backdrop
of solo pieces such as La scena di Berenice and other works by
Vivaldi, Handel, Gluck, Haydn and Mozart that paint the emotional context
of our story.
On an ordinary table there is a glass of water and some copies of
a paperback. Meanwhile, the orchestra plays the intensely
dramatic music of the final Chaconne L¡¯Enfer (the descent to Hell)
from Gluck¡¯s Don Juan. Once the music has ended, a handsome
middle-aged man wearing a white suit and dark sunglasses comes on stage and
welcomes the audience with a brief speech as a preface to
a reading of his latest novel which is entitled The Infernal
Comedy.
He notes the presence of the great number of beautiful women in
the auditorium ¨C after all, the entire book is nothing more than
a justification to the women who have always been the centre of
his world, his paradise, the source of his despair and his destiny.
Perhaps, he notes with an ironic smile, it is all because his name is Jack ¨C
Johann or Hans in German, or Juan or Giovanni in Spanish and Italian
respectively. At first glance, it would seem that this is an incredibly common
name but, if it is your name women will love you and hate you, they
will call you a liar and a pervert, yet they will never leave you in
peace.
Before he sits down to start the reading, Jack points out that he wrote
this novel after his death and that although he was convicted of murder and was
an acclaimed author of several plays and novels, he had never before written
a single word of truth. Because if he had told even an inkling of
the truth he would have spent the rest of his life behind bars. It is,
therefore, on this evening only that he will reveal his talent as a writer
and performer for the very first time.
¡°Yes, and before I forget,¡± he continues, ¡°I will have the pleasure to
introduce you to two wonderful ladies, disposed to sing a few nice old
fashioned pieces of music, while I will have to clear my throat.¡±
He indicates the two incredibly beautiful women in stunning evening
dresses who appear on both sides of the stage and are welcomed by warm
applause. Jack suddenly cuts off the ovations with a sharp gesture,
utterly unlike his hitherto charming behaviour. Perplexed, the ladies leave
the stage and Jack, reviving his charming manner once more, tells us that
these women will be representing several of the women in his life and thus
give greater expressiveness to the reading.
Michael Sturminger
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