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| Nazi themed opera |
A new Nazi themed opera began playing in Dusseldorf, Germany this week which created a public firestorm.
Now, the German opera was canceled amid a storm of criticism after it featured performers dressed in Nazi uniform, a Jewish family being massacred and a brutal rape scene.
Members of the audience started walking out of the interpretation of Burkhard C. Kosminski classic "Tannhauser" by Wagner after just 30 minutes, and some in the audience required medical care.
The Opera House in Dusseldorf Rhine said, though it knew that the concert would be "controversial" I did not expect such an extreme reaction.
As we reported earlier, Germany was blasted by several human rights groups after a Nazi themed Wagner opera was opened in Dusseldorf, Germany.
A production of Tannhauser, which officially incorporated Nazi swastikas and what appears to be a gas chamber in the famous opera of Richard Wagner, has provoked outrage in Germany.
The controversial staging of the opera,which traditionally explores the themes of love and salvation, opened at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Dusseldorf on Saturday. The debut drew boos, complaints and prompted audience members to leave, mid show.
The company is considering the possibility of making changes in response to the outrage.
The company confirmed that members of the public "booed and was surprised" by the opening performance on Saturday.
“I think the show is very insensitive to the Jewish community around the world and to the German people. The show should be canceled immediately,” Ralph Dunn, 34, of Berlin, Germany told YourJewishNews.com after learning about the Nazi themed opera.
In addition to the flood of negative public reaction in the debut weekend, some critics have lashed out against the production company, while angry opera goers clashed in an opening night after party.
Jewish community leaders have also expressed horror and outrage after the show.