On the border

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On the border is an absurd play by Hans Mühlethaler , which premiered on November 9, 1963 at the Schauspielhaus Zurich . Directed by Karl Suter , Fritz Butz was responsible for the stage design, and Rolf Langnese composed the music .

people

Kolak, mother, Fraulein, master chimney sweep, Schönmann, Frau Schönmann, border guards, travelers

The piece

The historical background of the piece is the Iron Curtain , the former border between the FRG and the GDR. The term is to be understood here metaphorically : as the boundary between reality and imagination, between life and death. Kolak, an unsuccessful pop singer, sets off on a journey. On the train he meets a woman who becomes his lover. The chimney sweep arrests him for smuggling. His lover leaves him, his mother looks for him, but she does not find him. In the end, the master chimney sweep captivates everyone. Only Kolak remains free because he is the only one who dares to cross the border.

The first version was published in 1964 in the illustrated bimonthly magazine for new poetry hortulus , edited by Hans Rudolf Hilty . A new version, revised by the author, was published by Books on Demand at the end of 2006.

Voices for the premiere

  • “As the interpreter of his play, Mühlethaler says that it is“ nothing more than a description of death ”. There is smuggling at the border - but only those who don't smuggle are caught. There is shooting at the border - if you want to cross, you perish, but if you want to save yourself and stay on this side, you get thick chains around your wrists instead of the coffee you order. ” Elisabeth Brock-Sulzer in Neue Zürcher Zeitung , November 11, 1963 evening.
  • “In Mühlethaler's inedible mixture of Kafka, Adamov and Ionesco, of anti-dramaturgy and the flowers of evil chaos that sprout in their own hortulus, there are talented passages. And more importantly: there is a consistent will to do theater in a different way than others. ” Werner Wollenberger in the Zürcher Woche , November 15, 1963.
  • “« On the border »is absurd theater with high intellectual and literary standards.” Manuel Gasser in Weltwoche , November 15, 1963.

Black on white

  • At the limit . Play, first printed in: Hortulus (Volume 67), St. Gallen 1964

Web links