TO EMBRACE THE WAVES

An original musical written specifically for the DJKT Small Stage, To Embrace the Waves is inspired by the final days of Romantic playwright, poet, and writer Heinrich von Kleist. In the autumn of 1811, Heinrich and his close friend Henriette—who had just left her husband—retreated to Lake Wannsee near Berlin. But Heinrich’s soul is as restless as the waves on the lake’s surface, and no less changeable are the many faces of love.

Between the enamored couple and Henriette’s absent husband unfolds an intimate drama that gradually reveals the secrets of the poet’s life and imminent death. Accompanied by music that is emotional, layered—at times quiet, at times piercingly urgent—the musical traces the inner journey of two people searching for happiness in a world unable to grant it.