Blue Skies

In the organizer's words:

by T. C. Boyle / translated by Dirk van Gunsteren / in a version by Christina Bellingen and Jan Bosse / directed by Jan Bosse / world premiere

"No one gets to the heart of humanity's talent for self-absorption like T. C. Boyle." Financial Times

This is what our future could look like: Mother Ottilie cooks only deep-fried grasshoppers and mealworm burgers with enthusiastic fervor for the sake of the environment, while her insectologist son is afflicted by a tick - with potentially fatal consequences - and her daughter passes the lonely days with her giant tiger python in the hope of finally getting some momentum in her career as an influencer. The fact that the overall climate-ecological situation is worsening inexorably doesn't stop her husband from always being a cheerful Bacardí brand ambassador and providing the whole country with parties where they can drink down the disaster with diligence. Of course, the python eventually leaves its terrarium...

And outside? Too much heat and too much water at the same time - everything is out of control. This social satire is abysmally witty, relentlessly funny and full of absurd events. There is only one conclusion: it can't be that bad! And if it did? You could laugh away the catastrophe, drink a glass of Californian wine, even if it already tastes of ashes, and do something... So that the tiger python doesn't... Well...

T.C. Boyle is the punk of American bestselling authors. Born in 1948 to Irish immigrants, he grew up in precarious circumstances, his parents were both alcoholics. After drug problems and neurotic excesses, T. C. Boyle found his fulfillment in literature. He has an excellent feel for the issues of the time - drugs, immigration, environmental pollution - and has received numerous awards for his novels (including "Water Music", "Light", "América").

Jan Bosse's productions (most recently "Network" and "King Lear") are characterized by powerful stage sets, expressive costumes, love of humanity, humour and anarchic playfulness.

Duration: 3:30h, one intermission
World premiere September 15, 2024, Thalia Theater

Holder of the performance rights of the German translation:
Rowohlt Theater Verlag, Hamburg. Using the book edition: T.C. Boyle, Blue Skies. Translated by Dirk van Gunsteren © 2023 Carl Hanser Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, Munich.