ARENDT, thinking in dark times
German Premiere October 11, 2025
THALIA THEATER, Hamburg, Germany
A gripping drama based on the life and thinking of philosopher Hannah Arendt.
The performance takes us to 1975, where Arendt is in Copenhagen, Denmark, to receive the renowned Sonning Prize. Here, she is confronted with voices from the past that lead her on an intense, turbulent journey through her life, the choices she made, and the political theories she presented. We follow her on the run from the Nazis in 1930s Berlin, as a stateless person in France and the USA, and as a correspondent for The New Yorker during the trial of top Nazi Adolf Eichmann.
The performance reflects today’s challenges with anti-democratic movements, totalitarianism, and populism, which raise questions about our responsibility as humans – questions that Arendt herself explored throughout her life.
This performance is a work of fiction inspired by the life and thinking of Hannah Arendt.
Written by: Rhea Leman
Director: Tom Kühnel
The Cast: Corinna Harfouch, Oliver Mallison, André Szymanski
Set Design: Jo Schramm
Costumes: Ulrikke Gutbrod
Musik: Hannes Gwisdek
Video: Jo Schramm
Dramaturg: Saskia Jablonska
Written by: Rhea Leman
Director: Tom Kühnel
The Cast: Corinna Harfouch, Oliver Mallison, André Szymanski
Set Design: Jo Schramm
Costumes: Ulrikke Gutbrod
Musik: Hannes Gwisdek
Video: Jo Schramm
Dramaturg: Saskia Jablonska
Photos: Katrin Ribbe
“What a play—it is “well-made” down to the last detail; and Tom Kühnel’s team shapes it into a storm of thought. (…) Arendt remains. Even on this acclaimed, exhilarating evening at the theater. But the main character is an author we didn’t know before. And, of course, Hannah Arendt. Forever.”
Michael Laages, nachtkritik.de, October 12, 2025
“Arendt – Thinking in Dark Times” is an extremely powerful, star-studded play that, unfortunately, resonates strongly with our times.
An important, compelling evening of theater about the power of thought. Even in dark times.”
Annette Stiekele, Hamburger Abendblatt, October 12, 2025
“With her drama, already acclaimed in Denmark, Rhea Leman offers a perspicacious psychological portrait of the rift that continues to run through society.”
theaterkompass.de, October 12, 2025
“Despite its complexity, the German-language premiere at Hamburg’s Thalia Theater succeeds in creating a powerful image. Corinna Harfouch portrays a clever and self-assured woman who cannot come off well in this fateful situation.
Arendt was not an unconditional supporter of Israel as a unified state. And at that point, at the latest, the play and its production touch upon the most current political upheavals and human dramas.”
Detlev Baur, Die Deutsche Bühne, October 12, 2025
ARENDT -
Denken in finsteren Zeiten
German Premiere October 11, 2025
THALIA THEATER, Hamburg, Germany
The time is now, the place is Hitler’s Führebunker, the man is Dr. Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s loyal Minister of Propaganda and Enlightenment, a man who can’t die until his mission is completed.
Down in the bunker, Goebbels sends his daily dispatch via Art, Culture, and Communication produced by RADIO FREE GOEBBELS. Here, he teaches his loyal listeners the importance of culture and its link to propaganda. “You don’t change a culture with weapons, you change a culture with culture.” In walks Leni Riefenstahl, the film director of the Third Reich, and their dance of death begins.
Rhea Leman wrote HITLER ON THE ROOF in 2010, inspired by the harsh right-wing tone that appeared in the Danish political arena. Unfortunately, the play’s message is more relevant today (2026) than ever before.
Written by: Rhea Leman
Director: Tom Kühnel
The Cast: Corinna Harfouch, Oliver Mallison, André Szymanski
Set Design: Jo Schramm
Costumes: Ulrikke Gutbrod
Musik: Hannes Gwisdek
Video: Jo Schramm
Dramaturg: Saskia Jablonska
Photos: Katrin Ribbe
“Arendt – Thinking in Dark Times” is an extremely powerful, star-studded play that, unfortunately, resonates strongly with our times.
An important, compelling evening of theater about the power of thought. Even in dark times.
Annette Stiekele, Hamburger Abendblatt, October 12, 2025
With her drama, already acclaimed in Denmark, Rhea Leman offers a perspicacious psychological portrait of the rift that continues to run through society.
theaterkompass.de, October 12, 2025
Despite its complexity, the German-language premiere at Hamburg’s Thalia Theater succeeds in creating a powerful image. Corinna Harfouch portrays a clever and self-assured woman who cannot come off well in this fateful situation.
Arendt was not an unconditional supporter of Israel as a unified state. And at that point, at the latest, the play and its production touch upon the most current political upheavals and human dramas.
Detlev Baur, Die Deutsche Bühne, October 12, 2025
What a play—it is “well-made” down to the last detail; and Tom Kühnel’s team shapes it into a storm of thought. (…) Arendt remains. Even on this acclaimed, exhilarating evening at the theater. But the main character is an author we didn’t know before. And, of course, Hannah Arendt. Forever.
Michael Laages, nachtkritik.de, October 12, 2025