"Playing Trump" Premieres at Hamburg State Opera

An opera based on former United States President Donald Trump debuted at Germany's Hamburg State Opera last week

Written by composer Bernhard Lang and author Dieter Sperl, the opera comments on the state of decency, humanity, and democratic principle through Trump's character and presidency.

The libretto is based exclusively on quotes from Trump and is centered around the — to the writers, terrifying yet humorous — idea that history can and does repeat itself, first as tragedy, then as farce, according to Hegel and Marx.

"So banal the man, so dangerous the type," the opera's program notes read. "Four years of a U.S. presidency have shown how the world has been — or how it can become. As absurd the speeches and fake news, so symptomatic is the manipulative success."

At the premiere, George Delnon staged the piece, Emilio Pomàrico served as music director, and French soprano Donatienne Michael-Dansac played Trump's part.

With choreography Nicolas Musin and dramaturgy by Klaus-Peter Kehr, the opera posed the question: "How far has the democratic principle already eroded?"