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Abstract
Rolf Hochhuth's Wessis in Weimar is one of the surprisingly few accounts of German reunification on stage. First performed in 1993, the play depicts how life in the former GDR changed under the influence of newly established capitalist rule.
The article discusses the value of Hochhuth's political agenda as well as the aesthetic shortcomings and historical misappropriations of the play. In addition, it introduces the first production of Wessis in Weimar, staged at the Berlin Ensemble, which was heatedly debated by critics and theatre-goers alike. Casting aside the scenic realism desired by Hochhuth, the producer Einar Schleef deconstructed the narrative structure of the play, thereby radically altering its political potential. His version of Hochhuth's text has since become a classic example of so-called postdramatic theatre.