Emilia Galotti A tragedy in five acts

The prince of Guastalla is in love with a commoner, Emilia the daughter of Colonel Galotti. When he hears of Emilia's imminent marriage to Count Appiani, he orders Marinelli, his chamberlain, to prevent the wedding at all costs. After a first unsuccessful attempt, Marinelli causes the couple to be attacked by bandits on their way to the ceremony. Count Appiani is shot and Emilia taken to the prince's palace. Colonel Galotti's suspicions as to the person truly responsible become ever stronger and are confirmed by Countess Orsina, the prince's former mistress. Fearing she might succumb to the prince's attentions, Emilia determines to kill herself - "the true violence is seduction". In the end the father kills his daughter with the Countess Orsina's dagger.

"Each word from the year 1772 cuts sharply into a scene set in the present day, as cleanly as an oiled razorblade. The play has not been updated or deconstructed. On the contrary, it itself constructs a sense of the now, which this production first discovers, then carries to extremes, playing it out in a comical and tragically grotesque fashion. The theatre has not seen anything like it for ages. Even just watching it, one is almost overwhelmed by the sheer joy of witnessing what has been achieved. Anyone really wanting to know what the theatre is still capable of should go and see it." (F.A.Z.)