Sapir Heller staged the Dürrenmatt classic “The Visit of the Old Lady” at the Munich Volkstheater. Claire Zachanassian, a young pop star, visits her grandmother's impoverished home town.
Only over time does she find out that her grandmother was once impregnated and slandered by Alfred Ill. The town believed Ill at the time, and so the single woman was driven out of Güllen with shame and shame. Since the city has never come to terms with its complicity, Claire puts a bounty on Alfred Ill's grandson. From now on, history seems to repeat itself. The premiere was on Friday (April 12, 2024) and the play ran until April 14. Theater critic: The more Heller focuses on the adjective of this “tragic comedy,” the better her work becomes. The beginning of the evening in particular drags: Neither the director nor the ensemble have developed a convincing approach to the cartoonish characters that is funny and revealing.