The Excursions of Mr Broucek

Staged at the Festspielhaus in Bregenz, the rarely performed satiric opera The Excursions of Mr Broucek tells the story of Matej Broucek, a man who finds the world outside too loud, too complicated, too exhausting. He seeks peace, but life has other plans: Broucek is first catapulted to the moon, then into 15th-century Prague: an odyssey with grotesque societies, bizarre trials, and a past that feels strangely unfamiliar. At a time when societies are increasingly closing themselves off from one another, Broucek’s journey feels more relevant than ever. Inspired by Dadaism and the Theater of the Absurd, US-American director Yuval Sharon brings Janácek’s rarely performed opera to the stage, in a production as bold as it is visually striking. Aesthetically compelling, musically vibrant, and theatrically daring, Janácek’s original opera stands as a satirical masterpiece of existential depth.