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Easter in the theater: Kehlmann's satirical look at Corona is coming!
On October 31, 2025, Daniel Kehlmann's play “Easter” will premiere at the Theater in der Josefstadt and will address the corona pandemic.
Easter in the theater: Kehlmann's satirical look at Corona is coming!
On October 31st, the Theater in der Josefstadt will celebrate a special event with Daniel Kehlmann's new play “Easter”. The world premiere of the work, which was commissioned for the theater, will take place in time for Halloween. In his piece, Kehlmann addresses life during the corona pandemic and deals with the absurdities and challenges that society was confronted with. meinkreis.at reports that the author uses irony and black humor to look back from the perspective of the first lockdown.
In two parts, the piece paints a picture of the special circumstances of a state of emergency. The first part deals with short sketches that shed light on the absurdities and difficulties of everyday life during the pandemic. Illustrations such as a toilet paper roll, which symbolizes the first lockdown, or the confusion surrounding exit restrictions find their place in it. The scenes are as colorfully mixed as people's memories of this challenging time: from a couple documenting the absence of a neighbor to a Federal Chancellor in cycling shorts discussing border closures. falter.at emphasizes that humorous moments are not neglected, such as the chaos of a small child disrupting an important Zoom meeting.
A look at the challenges
The second part introduces a frustrated actor in quarantine, stuck in a small hotel room and struggling with isolation and his career. He doesn't have a working internet connection and can only concentrate on his thoughts and memories, which lead him to Goethe's “Elective Affinities”. As Die Presse explains, the dialogues between the actor and his imaginary visitors represent a kind of absurd theater.
The piece “Easter” is described as a satirical look at the reality experienced, with Easter functioning in the piece as a symbol of the end of the lockdown. Critics take a differentiated approach and believe that “Easter” deals with the absurdities of the pandemic, but does not reach the depth of a classic Corona drama. The production, led by director Stephanie Mohr, is considered entertaining, but with a wink at the social challenges brought about by the pandemic.
Overall, with “Easter”, the Theater in der Josefstadt invites you to reflect on the changes in our coexistence that the pandemic has brought about. Tickets are available from just 18 euros and can be purchased on the theater's website www.josefstadt.org. This performance promises not only entertainment, but also an opportunity to reflect on the difficult times that lie behind us.