Two sisters meet after the death of their father. Apart from a difficult childhood, they seemingly have nothing in common. One left home early to seek her fortune in Australia, which she failed to do. The other stayed at home in the British provinces and took care of her father. Annabel (Gerit Kling), a seasoned businesswoman who fell in with an abusive husband, and Miriam (Mackie Heilmann), a perpetual "village maid" who was unable to have an intimate relationship due to caring for her ailing father. At least that's how Miriam sees it, stirring up old guilt in her older sister. When Alice Moody (Astrid Rashed), a supposed nurse, suddenly appears and tries to blackmail the sisters, the two so different women suddenly have to stick together. But the circumstances surrounding the death of the tyrannical head of the family are more complex than first impressions would suggest, and it soon becomes clear that none of the three protagonists is telling the whole truth.
Anxiety and its background are at the heart of this evening of theatre. Contrary to the usual crime thriller tradition, this psychological thriller is not about convicting a murderess, but about unmasking the false snake - and here Alan Ayckborn, Britain's most popular contemporary playwright, once again does a great job. He blurs the boundaries between drama and gothic novel: a dilapidated house with a run-down garden, a disused well shaft and an abandoned tennis court form the setting for a thriller with precise dialogue and deep abysses. Step by step it becomes more threatening, turns pitch black and creepy and grows into a psychologically complex character play - right up to the perfectly calculated conclusion.
The play has gripped and convinced Gerit Kling. The outstanding actress is known nationwide for her numerous roles in feature films and TV series - for example as the leading actress in the ARD telenovela Rote Rosen - and her many years of theatre work. This time she is not only coming to Langen as a performer, but with Falsche Schlange she is presenting the first play that she is staging herself and, on top of that, together with her colleagues Mackie Heilmann and Astrid Rashed, making it a lasting experience on stage. The press attests: sensationally successful!
Text source and further information about this event:
http://www.neue-stadthalle-langen.de/de/veranstaltung/event/131041,1018/falsche-schlange-14-11-2019.html
