Der ideale Mann

In the organizer's words:

Sir Robert Chiltern is an ideal man. At least that's what his wife thinks. And indeed: the popular politician is not only good-looking, confidence-inspiring and wealthy, he has also had a dream career and is now on the verge of joining the cabinet. But the secret of his success has a dark side. His wife has no idea that her "ideal man" ultimately owes his rapid rise to the betrayal of an official secret. Only a certain Mrs. Cheveley knows the background and now wants to blackmail Robert Chiltern. Against his convictions, he is to vote in Parliament for a dubious building project in which Mrs. Cheveley has invested. Suddenly Sir Robert is faced with an unpleasant decision: does he pull out and resign or does he agree to the risky deal against all reason?

In Oscar Wilde's brilliant and witty social comedy from 1895, everything revolves around the relationship between politics and morality. Although Elfriede Jelinek still sets Oscar Wilde's wicked political comedy in England at the end of the 19th century, she also takes plenty of sideswipes at the present day.

Heike M. Goetze is a freelance director, costume and set designer. Her work is characterized by visually powerful narratives, a dancing presence of the body, radical content and a great musicality of speech. Her productions have taken her to the Deutsches Schauspielhaus in Hamburg, the Staatstheater Darmstadt, the Schauspielhaus Bochum, the Theater Luzern and the Schauspielhaus and Theater am Neumarkt in Zurich, among others.