Death is never an easy guest to tackle. So it is for the duck who leads a quiet life by the lakeside. An unexpected guest who turns up at at the lake topples this serene world. It is Death. The German puppet show ‘Ente, Tod, Tulpe (Duck, Death and the Tulips) is inspired by this unusual storyline.
As it turns out, the two become friends, discussing life, death, and what afterlife might be like. Finding that they mix well with each other, they go diving and sit on a tree, pondering what would happen to the duck’s lake after her death. The duck tells Death that some ducks say that they become angels and sit on clouds, looking down on earth. Death says that this is possible since ducks already have wings. Then, she says that some ducks also believe that there is a hell down below, where bad ducks are roasted; Death replies that the idea is remarkable but adds, “who knows”. Surprised, the duck responds, “so you don’t know either.”
The story of an impossible and thus wonderful friendship is adapted from a children’s book of the same title penned by German author and illustrator Wolf Erlbruch. Translated into various languages, the book has also been adapted into animation and movie format.
For all the seriousness of the topic, the play approaches it using simple means, making it both touching and entertaining in equal measure. Play, puppet show and live music intermingle and complement one another beautifully in this show directed by Joerg Lehmann with the music of Anja Gilles. German Cultural centre will present the show at Co-Bank Towers on July 28 at 7 pm.
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