Play by Heinrich von Kleist
Westfälisches Landestheater

It is court day in the village of Huisum in the province of Utrecht. The whole village has gathered to follow the case of Mrs. Marthe Rull's broken jug. The accused is Ruprecht, the fiancé of her daughter Eve, who is said to have been with her at night. But he claims to have surprised a burglar who escaped by jumping out of the window and breaking the jug in the process.

Just that day, the village judge Adam arrives in the courtroom looking pretty battered. Not only does he have several wounds on his face, he is also limping badly. The suspicion soon grows that Ruprecht might be right in his statement, that the real culprit is sitting opposite him in court.

When it comes to saving his own skin, the village judge will use any means and any lie. Without scruples, he twists all the facts, declares to be true what cannot be true at all, constructs the most abstruse scenarios to save his position and his power.

Kleist's comedy about the twists and turns of Judge Adam has been considered German comedy par excellence for centuries. But in times of "alternative facts", "fake news" and unscrupulous battles for influence, power and interpretative sovereignty, completely new aspects come to the fore. Despite all the comedy, there are possible interpretations that lend the play a disturbing relevance today.