The Visit

This extraordinary play was written in 1956 by Swiss genius Friedrich Durrenmatt.   It’s considered one of the classics of twentieth century German-literature.   On one level a morality tale (many of the characters are simply called by the name of their profession), it is also an extraordinary examination of collective social responsibility, justice and revenge.The town of Gullen is on its knees.  All the industry and much of the work has dried up.  Very few trains stop at the station.  The townsfolk await the arrival of millionairess Clare Zachanasian as their last hope.  She grew up in Gullen and could restore all their lives with one mighty cheque.  Her childhood sweetheart, Anton Ill is given the job of schmoozing her.  When she arrives she is accompanied by a butler, two blind eunuchs, and a black panther (the latter was cut from this production – health and safety?).Eventually the millionairess agrees to give them one million dollars – in return for the life of Anton Ill.  It transpires that she got pregnant by him in 1910, but he bribed two witnesses to exonerate him in the paternity suit.  She subsequently left Gullen in disgrace, fell into prostitution, survived a plane crash (she has a false leg and ivory arm!) and turned her life around.  She is now hell-bent on revenge.  We get the impression she’s not to be messed with – the blind eunuchs are what is now left of the two witnesses who betrayed her.The play has been cut, and this renders it less powerful than it should be.  After the Mayor rejects Clare Zacahnasian’s offer on behalf of the town, claiming “we are human beings after all” Ill begins to notice the townsfolk getting more and more affluent, but all on credit.  This should be a slow burn realization, for it means that his fellow Gullenites are obviously banking on getting the money and that therefore he is going to be killed.  Because of the cuts this all happens to quickly.The acting from these youngsters from The Theatre School is mediocre.  Only the girl playing Clare really commits to her part and seems to understand a bit of stagecraft.  The others are all pretty bland, though the sinister and macabre eunuchs were skilled in their simultaneous dialogue.   There were also some very bizarre lighting choices. Nonetheless the climax when the whole town becomes complicit in Ill’s execution is nicely played here and it’s impossible not to feel slightly nauseous and ill at ease at the ideas expressed about mankind here.  “Justice can’t be bought”, declares the mayor at one point.   Zachanasian replies simply, “Anything can be bought”.