Slippery Slope

Singer Gustav returns to the spotlight after a scandal. Sky is already there, enjoying her great success. She used to be Gustav’s protégée. But wait – Sky’s version of the story is totally different. A clear case of #MeToo? Or of different perspectives? In this discursive almost-musical, the recipients of various shit storms alternate almost as quickly as the speaking and singing roles assumed by the fantastic cast. Directed by Yael Ronen, they perform at the highest level and address issues of appropriation, the abuse of power and cancel culture with acumen and vicious wit.

Statement of the jury
The eponymous slippery slope already starts during the first 30 minutes of the show, with a stunningly schmaltzy ethno-kitsch singer whose career is in crisis: cultural appropriation, cancel culture, shit storms, you name it. Add injured vanity and a broken heart to the mix and you have the whole nine yards. But Gustav won’t give up. He works on a comeback that may not actually succeed but still leads to plenty of twists and turns of supposedly simple identity politics. And these are a lot more complicated than anticipated. Because what does “truth” even mean in this shark tank of perspectives, interpretations and manipulations? Who is using whom for their own ends? Who has a blind spot where? “Slippery Slope” is a musical, or at least “almost” a musical: full of songs, ambiguous covers and fast punchlines. What sort of victimhood would you like? Which survival strategy will pay off? One thing is sure: There is no lack of offenders.

Tojuror Franz Wille’s video statement in the Berliner Festspiele Media Library (in German)