Les Séquestrés d'Altona

  • 2013/2014 Season
  • [New Translation]
    Performed in Japanese
  • THE PIT

February-March, 2014

  For the third installment of our "Try∙Angle" series, director Uemura Satoshi (of Bungaku-za) will take on Jean-Paul Sartre's Les Séquestrés d'Altona (The Condemned of Altona), in a new translation by Iwakiri Shoichiro.
  Les Séquestrés d'Altona was published in 1959 and premiered in Paris that same year. The play is Sartre's last, and is commonly cited as one of his best three, alongside Huis-clos (No Exit) and Le Diable et le Bon Dieu (The Devil and the Good Lord). It was written during the days of the Algerian War of Independence (a.k.a. the Algerian War), as a way of calling attention to the torture being committed against Algerians by French troops and their supporters; the setting, however, has been switched to World War II. The play relates the story of Franz, a young man who went off to fight in the war and came back with deep emotional scars; upon returning, he retreated inside his house and has not left for 13 years. Through Franz, Sartre explores not only the themes of war and responsibility; he also paints a portrait of the sense of despair and hopelessness felt by those who find themselves trapped with no way out.

SYNOPSIS

  Germany, 1959. The play opens at the home of the president of a shipyard. The man (addressed as Father throughout the play) has learned he is dying of throat cancer and has been given six months to live. He calls a family meeting to decide a successor. In attendance are son Werner (a lawyer), his wife Johanna, and daughter Leni. Father decides that Werner will take over the company and live there in the house; Werner's wife Johanna is opposed. One thing weighs heavily on all those present: the matter of eldest son Franz, who still lives in the house.
  Franz was officially reported dead 13 years earlier, but in fact he has been holed up in an upstairs room. While serving in World War II, Franz was unable to stop his men from torturing prisoners, and the experience left him with deep emotional wounds. Since the war ended, Franz has stayed on the second floor of the house, battling his demons in solitude, with Leni looking after him. Father loves Franz; his last wishes are to see his son and for Werner and his wife to take care of Franz. Persuaded by Johanna, Franz agrees to see his father after 13 years. But just what will be the fate of the family?

Index
Related Information