Zur schönen Aussicht

A play by Ödön von Horváth

I’m actually quite different, but I rarely get the chance to show it.

Things are looking grim. Not just the weather, but the finances, too. It’s been a long time since anyone here had anything to look forward to. The hotel owner, Strasser, and his staff are ready to welcome guests, but no one is coming. Only Baroness Ada von Stetten keeps the hotel afloat with her long-term lease—she pays the men for whatever they have to offer her. Everyone knows what's happening; the hotel is on the verge of bankruptcy.

Suddenly, Christine appears at the door! Last year she had an affair with Strasser, and since all her letters went unanswered, she now wants to speak directly with the father of her child in person. Without even letting her get a word in, Strasser and the men around him assume the worst. They think Christine wants to move in, take over the hotel, and force him into marriage. So they hatch a malicious plan that will allow Strasser to shirk his responsibilities and get rid of Christine. But Christine had plans of her own. In any case, she doesn’t need money.

On the one hand, there is the dilapidated, doomed society at the hotel, dreaming of bygone days. On the other hand, there is Christine, who isn’t afraid of the future and asks the right questions. She seems out of step with her time; one might think she’d spoken with bell hooks about love, with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie about the status of women in society, with Virginie Despentes about all the demands that still need to be made, and with Emilia Roig about new models of relationships.

Just under 100 years ago, the premiere of*Zur schönen Aussicht*unfortunately fell through due to a lack of funds and could not be staged until 40 years later. Now, director and actress Katharina Marie Schubert is attempting to shed new light on the times, the perspectives, and the values that shape our lives today. And perhaps this will give rise to a moment of connection, of utopia, and of the future.

www.staatstheater-kassel.de