Mr. Biedermann and the Arsonists

The city is plagued by fires, and the homes of respectable middle-class citizens turn to ash. Businessman Mr. Biedermann wants peace – until the doorbell rings and a stranger appears asking for shelter. Biedermann lets him in not out of compassion, but out of a sense of duty as a respectable citizen. Soon more guests arrive, and the house becomes a whirlwind of grotesque situations.

Swiss playwright Max Frisch wrote the play "Mr. Biedermann and the Arsonists" inspired by his experiences of the communist coup in Czechoslovakia, which he witnessed during repeated visits to Prague in 1948. This is not a one-off play, but a grotesque, timeless satire criticizing bourgeois philistinism – and the questions it raises remain relevant: where is the line between solidarity and conformism? Who can you trust when the situation is ambiguous?

In the title role of Mr. Biedermann, long-time member of the HaDivadlo ensemble Jiří Miroslav Valůšek will perform.