This year's Christmas play at the Reithalle takes a look at the madness of everyday life. Based on his own experiences as a temporary Christmas elf at the famous department store chain Macy's, David Sedaris paints a wonderfully absurd picture of the festive season—full of overexcited customers, moody colleagues, and screaming children dictating their wishes to Santa Claus. With plenty of humor, we encounter human peculiarities, banal situations, and profound stories. A satire about consumerism, Christmas hypocrisy, and the absurdities of modern holiday rituals. This entertaining evening looks at Christmas with a wink and plenty of music. 

Confessions of a Christmas Elf

Reithalle

The Divine Comedy, Divina Commedia, is the main work of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) and is considered the most important work of Italian literature and the basis for the modern Italian language. In it, Dante describes the stages of a journey through an otherworldly world. The Roman poet Virgil leads the author, who is also his own main character, through hell and purgatory. On their way, Dante and Virgil encounter the countless souls of the deceased, who tell of their respective fates. In paradise, Dante finally meets his childhood sweetheart Beatrice. In his reunion with her, the poet discovers the power of love and finds inner peace and tranquillity.

Choreographer Estefania Miranda uses the literary model for an “expansive” choreography. She asks about people’s greatest fears and desires and what might await our souls after death. She transfers the biblical deadly sins into a contemporary context. In the first part of the evening, we experience various choreographic installations on a journey of discovery through the opera house, which translate torments and sins into a contemporary dance language. In the second part of this sensual Gesamtkunstwerk, the audience follows Dante’s path to paradise from the auditorium as usual.

Till Kuhnert

Events

Upcoming events

Nov 21, 2025 - Jan 11, 2026

Confessions of a Christmas Elf · Landestheater Coburg

Jan 17 - Mar 7, 2026

La Divina Comedia · Oper Graz

Past events

Nov 21, 2025 - Jan 11, 2026

Confessions of a Christmas Elf · Landestheater Coburg

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