Schiller’s 18th-century play is revamped with 21st-century variants on greed and power that translate superbly to financial sector machinations. Karl and Franz are brothers feuding for the love of their sister and their father – as well as the potential inheritance of a banking house. The bitingly cold winds of voracious neo-capitalism are appropriately rendered in elegant grey-beige demi-tones as integrity takes a backseat to financial Darwinism.
Die Räuber | Directed by Pol Cruchten, Frank Hoffmann (Germany, Belgium, Luxemburg 2015) with Eric Caravaca, Robinson Stévenin. Starts March 19
Originally published in issue #136, March 2015