DAS BESTE ALLER MÖGLICHEN LEBEN

In the organizer's words:

Naomi and East are "lonely", married and childless. One morning, they find a basket with a newborn baby on their doorstep. An enclosed note asks them both to raise the baby and they accept it as their own. Suddenly they are father and mother of a son; they name him Christopher. He learns at breakneck speed and goes through the course of an entire life within two hours. At first he makes his parents happy, but soon he provokes them and plays them off against each other. Their love and marriage are called into question, especially their habits of enduring life. What Christopher says and does, including vicious impositions, are consequences of their upbringing. He has uncanny growth spurts into a pubescent boy and strong man who becomes violent and terrorizes his parents. Despite all the suffering, East and Naomi do not reject him, but keep him with them in a caring way. After a drug binge, Christopher wants to live a life of abstinence and find a relationship with God. As an old man, he shows remorse and dies. Naomi and East have it in their hands to face each other and life more consciously once again and make a fresh start.

The play by American playwright and screenwriter Noah Haidle begins as a comedic chamber play, but the humor of this surrealistically told parent-child relationship becomes increasingly darker. Where violence comes from and how strong love can be are philosophical dimensions of their search for the best of all possible lives.

Domestic and sexual violence as well as drug use are addressed in "The Best of All Possible Lives". There is a drastic choice of words from the vulgar language. We recommend the play for people aged 18 and over.