Theater: Nachtland - Württembergische Landesbühne Esslingen

A comedy by Marius von Mayenburg

After their father's death, siblings Nicola and Philipp clear out the attic of their parents' house and discover a painting buried in old belongings, mementos, and junk. Old-fashioned, with an idealized landscape and a crooked church, they initially dismiss it as ugly kitsch until they spot the signature: A. Hitler. Could they actually have an authentic work by Adolf Hitler? How much might this old canvas be worth? And is it even legal to sell it? Once it becomes clear they could earn over 100,000 euros, their initial moral doubts evaporate and they quickly construct a story about their grandmother Grete's Nazi past. If it weren't for Philipp's Jewish wife, Judith - a fierce argument erupts between the siblings and their partners, one that increasingly descends into antisemitic prejudice. Marius von Mayenburg's play is a bitterly cynical comedy about the heavy burden of German history, inheritance disputes, and a purely profit-driven view of art.