© Joseph Strauch
Victor's Life
(Helges Leben)
6F / 5M / smaller cast possible
In the year 2004, animals have seized power from humans. For their entertainment, they can order ‘ordinary human lives’ via Pay-per-View to watch at home. Tonight, Helge’s life is on the programme. They watch his biography as if in jump cuts. Helge’s failure is not due to tragic strokes of fate, but because of something shockingly banal: his lack of courage to make decisions, his unkindness and dullness.
«A nasty, hilarious little fable in which social critique, cynicism, trendy jargon, and fake innocence parade garishly before us.» (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)
World premiere
21.10.2000 Schauspielhaus Bochum (Director: Niklaus Helbling)
Translations
Bulgarian (Translator: Gergana Dimitrova)
Czech: Helguv Zivot (Translator: Tereza Šimunková)
English: Victor’s Life
English language premiere September 2003, Arcola Theatre, London (Translator: Penny Black, Director: Tassos Stevens)
Finnish: Helgen elämä
Finnish premiere Drama Corner, Helsinki 2002 (Translator: Jukka-Pekka Pajunen)
French: La vie de Martin (Translator: Pascal Paul-Harang
Hungarian: Helge élete
Hungarian premiere 20. Dezember 2004, Barká Theater, Budapest (Translator: Mária Mayer-Szílagyi)
Polish: Zycie Helgego
Polish premiere 12.12.2014 Teatr Capitol, Wrocław (Translator: Karolina Bikont)
Romanian: Viata lui Helge
Romanian premiere Januar 2004, Teatrul ACT, Bukarest (Translator: Victor Scoradet)
Serbian: Pijdin zivot (Translator: Milenko Goranovic)
Spanish: La Vida de Helge
Spanish premiere 22./23.03.2012, GI Mexiko (Translator: Claudia Baricco)
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