The Visit

The Visit opens on a small, dismal town as they prepare for the arrival of a mysterious millionairess, a former inhabitant whom they desperately hope will save their dying community. When she arrives, cloaked in grandeur, and offers to share her wealth, the townspeople are ecstatic. That is, until they learn the condition of her generosity: the town must murder one of their own. Written by celebrated German-language dramatist Friedrich Dürrenmatt and translated by Maurice Valency, The Visit is a grotesque and twisted tragicomedy investigating the power of greed and desperation. As the town gradually transforms, the play asks: How quickly will people and institutions reshape their morality for their own benefit, and at what cost?