About the work
"Spirit and the Dust" is a world premiere by the American playwright Noah Haidle at the Deutsches Theater Berlin (directed by Anna Bergmann; translated by Barbara Christ). It premiered on 27 February 2026. The play is about living on after the loss of one's own child. For Anna Bergmann it is already the third Haidle premiere – after "The Homemaker" and "Birthday Candles".
Plot
At its centre is Hope, a real estate agent who finds people places where they are meant to feel safe, sheltered and at home. Hope has a rare gift: she can see into people's innermost selves – their fears, longings and their hope for a different life. Yet she carries her own wound: twenty years ago her child drowned in the pool while she was distracted for a moment. Between the rituals of mourning, the production repeatedly escapes into a candy-coloured retro-musical world à la "La La Land", with choreography and evergreens such as "Singing in the Rain" – a dazzling contrast to the weight of loss.
Cultural significance
Noah Haidle is among the American playwrights whose work is especially present in Germany; his continued collaboration with director Anna Bergmann at the Deutsches Theater has produced several premieres. "Spirit and the Dust" combines the existential experience of grief and guilt with the devices of the Hollywood musical, asking how much beauty and escapism living on after a catastrophe requires – and can bear. With Corinna Harfouch in the leading role, one of Germany's defining actresses stands at its centre.