Khavn’s ‘SMAK!’ series in Berlin getting 10-minute standing ovations

Scene from “SMAK!”

The Filipino-led production “SMAK! SuperMacho AntiKristo: A Headless 100-Act Opera” that’s currently running in Berlin has been getting 10-minute standing ovations since the show premiered there on April 13, its creator-director Khavn dela Cruz told Inquirer Entertainment.

Khavn’s latest project, which merges different art forms, will be staged until April 28 at the Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, Germany’s most iconic theater.

“SMAK!” is Khavn’s homage to French symbolist Alfred Jarry and Filipino national hero Jose Rizal “through a sensory overload of silent cinema, avant-rock music, spoken-word poetry, folk dance and installation art,” he said.

‘Blown away’

Khavn described the first week of the show as “amazing … The energy of the cast is always 1,000 percent. An audience member said that they ‘haven’t seen something like this in five years at the Volksbühne,’ while another said it was ‘a much-needed adrenaline shot to the heart of German theater.’”

Khavn, actor John Lloyd Cruz and multiawarded filmmaker Lav Diaz are featured in a silent film, along with German actress Lilith Stangenberg (“Wild,” 2016). Also in Berlin as performers are Bituin Escalante, Bullet Dumas, Bong Cabrera, Roxlee, King John, Nozomi, Charlie Sage, Katch23 and Douglas Cardano.

Asked whether he thought the German audience has become more appreciative of Filipino arts and talents, Khavn said: “Of course! They’re blown away by the singing and acting of Bullet, Bong and Bituin, whose rendition of ‘Uranus’ always brings the house down.”

Khavn likewise said the audience was amazed at the “over-the-top lunacy of Roxlee’s performance art, who also does a live painting every show, as well as the charisma of King John (from Hobbit House and Ringside) who, according to Lilith, ‘has the soul of a mythical hero even if he’s in a small physical body.’”

When asked whether there were major adjustments he had to make as a Filipino performer in Berlin, Khavn pointed out that “unlike in film where you can just press play and it happens, theater is severely physical. We’re doing a three-hour nonstop spectacle every show. The audience, as well as the cast and crew, feed off each other’s energies like a hallucinatory ritualistic dance. It’s like lightning bolts are constantly flying around through our bodies.”

While Khavn said he usually works with the same film crew in the Philippines, there, he had to be open to collaborating with “a totally new set of people.”

Khavn dela Cruz (background) with son Katch23 (right) —PHOTO BY AXEL ESTEIN

‘Perfect spring’

The weather in Berlin was amazing when the Filipino delegates first arrived in mid-March, Khavn recalled. “The first week felt like you’re in perfect Baguio weather, then it began to really get cold. It also started to rain. Luckily, the weather since the day of the premiere has been wonderful: perfect spring.”

Khavn then took note of the German cuisine they have been able to try out so far. “It’s interesting, especially what they serve at the Volksbühne: authentic East Berlin dishes. Every now and then, we eat Chinese, Vietnamese or Thai for that Asian craving. Last night, we had ‘schweinshaxe,’ the Bavarian equivalent of ‘crispy pata,’” he reported.

Achinette Villamor, Khavn’s wife and producer, recalled what it’s been like since the family relocated there in mid-March. “In the beginning, (children) Katch and 1 showed some signs of homesickness but, after a week, they were cool. (Daughter) Charlie’s schedule is the worst since she has online classes at Miriam High School, which happen from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. here in Berlin. Then, we had whole day rehearsals in the first month,” she told Inquirer Entertainment.

When asked how affected life is by the war nearby, Achinette replied: “The Germans don’t talk of the war, not within our earshot anyway. ‘It’s not a polite conversation,’ I heard someone say. ‘War is a disease,’ said another.”

“It’s difficult to buy cooking oil. They closed the heaters this Easter weekend because the gas prices went up,” said Khavn, adding that he observed that there were a lot of rallies/protests on the streets against the war.

“There are lots of Russians and Ukrainians in Berlin, but they’re all the same; we’re all the same. This chaos and madness—also in the Philippines and everywhere else—should simply end, and humans should just release them on the theater stage and through other arts,” Khavn declared.