The Hamburg State Opera introduced "Monster's Paradise" to the world stage, an inventive opera by composer Olga Neuwirth and librettist Elfriede Jelinek that presents a caricatured figure resembling former U.S. President Donald Trump. Ahead of the first performance, Tobias Kratzer, the opera's artistic director, expressed amazement at the disturbing parallels between the satire and current realities. He hoped the opera would not quickly become outdated, noting the boundary between satire and reality continues to blur.
Collaboration between Neuwirth, an acclaimed composer recognized with the 2022 Grawemeyer Award, and Jelinek, who earned the 2004 Nobel Prize in Literature, marks their first joint opera project in twenty years. The German-language libretto enhances an intricate score featuring a mix of orchestral elements including electric guitar and drums.
In the period leading up to and during intermission, the theater's foyer was animated by chorus members costumed as zombies, alongside figures evoking Disney princesses and dancing hot dogs, setting an atmosphere that mirrors the opera's surreal and satirical nature. The production opened with a flashy, Las Vegas-inspired LED marquee and action unfolding on a catwalk.
The creators drew inspiration from Alfred Jarry's 1896 play "Ubu Roi," known for its crude and provocative content, which faced audience outrage during its initial showing in Paris. Echoes of characters from this work, such as King Wenceslas and Ubu, inform the portrayal of the central figure, named The President-King. The production, categorized by its creators as a "Grand Guignol opera," will have six performances in Hamburg until February 19 before touring to Zurich and Graz in subsequent seasons. There are plans to produce an audio recording.
The opera’s set portrays the President-King in a lavish Oval Office, including a refrigerator stocked with Coca-Cola and a golden crown on his desk. A red button that ejects guests mimics a game show gimmick, and among visitors expelled is an Elvis Presley impersonator. A character resembling Melania Trump appears in the backdrop. This surreal imagery underscores political themes with a satirical edge.
Jelinek, via translated email responses, described her immediate connection between Jarry’s play and the rise of Trump, which sparked the opera’s thematic foundation. Integral to the narrative are two vampires named Vampi and Bampi, voiced by Sarah Defrise and Kristina Stanek, who provide commentary across five scenes lasting nearly three hours. These figures frame the plot reminiscent of motifs found in Wagnerian opera.
The conflict centers on The President-King, portrayed by baritone Georg Nigl, clashing with Gorgonzilla, a monstrous entity born of nuclear catastrophe, played by Anna Clementi. Initially, the entity was named Godzilla, but a change was made due to rights issues. Supporting characters Mickey and Tuckey, the President-King’s henchmen sung by countertenors Andrew Watts and Eric Jurenas, represent figures influenced by Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. Their singing includes praise lines such as "Nobody has such high numbers as you." Actress Charlotte Rampling appears in video segments as The Goddess, advocating for the protection of nature and civilization.
The narrative progresses with Gorgonzilla consuming The President-King but subsequently emerging as an authoritarian ruler herself. The opera culminates with the vampires drifting on the Elbe River while playing Schubert on a Bösendorfer piano, lamenting the environmental destruction wrought by those in power.
Under designer Rainer Sellmaier’s vision, The President-King is depicted in oversized proportions adorned with a diaper and golden necktie, at one point placing a golf club on Gorgonzilla’s domain, evoking notable real-world imagery. Despite attacks by the vampire characters wielding sledgehammers and saws—while masked as Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy—the figure remains unimpressed, showcasing resilience to satire. The opera includes a scene where a Miss Piggy-masked vampire fires a rifle without success, provoking the President-King to raise a defiant fist.
Neuwirth reflected on the power dynamics underpinning the opera, citing that dominant figures often fear humor as it threatens their ego and authority—a theme exemplified historically by Adolf Hitler's covert viewing of Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator." The production blends musical styles with spoken-word singing known as Sprechstimme, conducted by Titus Engel who integrates the various genres seamlessly.
Baritone Georg Nigl emphasized that while the character shares some traits with the American president, he embodies broader themes of misogyny, deceit, arrogance, and contempt. Having portrayed Russian President Vladimir Putin in a previous opera, Nigl singled out a key line from this production: "He who has millions does not need voters," highlighting the critique of monetary influence in politics.
Composing "Monster's Paradise" proved a taxing undertaking for Neuwirth, who announced her intention not to write another opera, although she did not clarify her reasons. She also expressed some apprehension about potential reactions from the U.S. government, recognizing the impact such a politically pointed work might provoke in terms of access to the United States. In contrast, Jelinek dismissed concerns over repercussions, describing herself as a small and inconsequential European woman unafraid of backlash.