Bye Bye Lolita
after the novel by Lea Ruckpaul adapted for the stage by Lea Ruckpaul and Nora Schlockerafter the novel by Lea Ruckpaul adapted for the stage by Lea Ruckpaul and Nora Schlocker
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Vladimir Nabokov’s 1955 novel »Lolita« became a bestseller, albeit a controversial one. Since its publication, it has been the subject of heated debate, with accusations of pornography and calls for a ban on publication on the one hand, and admiration for its literary finesse on the other. The author viewed his title character – who has become a dubious myth – through the eyes of her stepfather. In her successful debut novel, Lea Ruckpaul allows Dolores Haze to survive and recounts the story of years of abuse in retrospect, with the analytical insight of an adult woman who does not wish to be understood solely as a victim.
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»I’m not dead. I’ve travelled though all times. I don’t want any affection, and I don’t want any compensation. I want autonomy.«
Unlike in Vladimir Nabokov’s novel from 1955, Lea Ruckpaul, a member of the Residenztheater ensemble, not only allows Lolita to survive in her debut novel: she also has her own say. With the fury of the child no one would help and the analytical powers of a grown woman, Dolores Haze – to use Lolita’s proper name – tells of her years of sexual abuse by her stepfather Humbert Humbert. She delivers unsparing testimony of her own life, describing the relationship with her abuser from their first meeting in her mother’s house to their last, long after she has managed to escape. She portrays in detail the countless days and nights in motels on their odyssey across America, in which she is constantly wrestling for power and affection with this importunate man, an orphan completely on her own. Ruckpaul provides a radically different perspective from Nabokov’s bestseller – whose title character has achieved a highly dubious mythical status aided by suspicions of pornography, a publication ban and a fascination with its literary finesse.
The world premiere is directed by resident director Nora Schlocker, who has already collaborated successfully with Lea Ruckpaul on »Prima Facie«.
