Sankt Falstaff

Shakespeare for today – Austrian author Ewald Palmetshofer transports the royal drama Henry IV into our political present. 

His play Sankt Falstaff dissects the brutal world of a dying democracy. As a play of the moment, it uses comedy and linguistic wit to expose a power politics that attempts to make itself unassailable through lies and violence. The authoritarian quasi-king Heinz needs a successor. He is ill, and resistance is stirring among the electorate. Unfortunately, his son Harri falls in love with pub junkie Falstaff and explores the lower echelons of society with him – until the ambitious rival Percy appears. Only the holy fool Falstaff upholds humanity and holds up a mirror to society. 

It is directed by the visually striking director Luise Voigt, who has just been invited to the Theatertreffen.