GÖTTER WIE DU UND ICH (GODS LIKE YOU AND ME ) – An Olympic Comedy by Beate Haeckl

Author

 

Deutscher Theaterverlag, 2006

 

The full‑cast play enjoys great popularity among school theatre groups and has been performed more than a hundred times since its publication. The various productions with pupils as well as adult amateur actors throughout the German‑speaking world have met with enthusiastic applause everywhere.

 

CONTENT

 

Since the sprawling Olympian clan is suffering a loss of popularity, the gods agree on an attempt to regain fame through television exposure. Zeus, however, runs into opposition at the broadcaster when he demands his own show, so the messenger god Hermes sets up a bet on Olympus and convinces the inexperienced documentary filmmaker Jenny to take on the mighty TV boss on behalf of the Greeks. Yet, carried away by Olympian vanity, quarrels, and intrigues, the gods nearly sabotage their self‑presentation.

 

The play is suited for pupils in Drama groups (upper secondary level) and was specifically conceived with many female roles in mind. On an elevated level, yet also with the tools of partly coarse comedy, it addresses well-known family conflicts and offers the chance to deal with them in a playful way. Each character undergoes a transformation as the action unfolds, and, seemingly by the way, the play also conveys much about Greek mythology.

REVIEWS (selection)