The paths that money carves out are inscrutable. For some, these paths climb steadily upwards; for others, they turn out to be a dead end or a trail heading towards precariousness. There seem to be no alternative routes. Money rules the world – and us, and our lives. That’s why Elfriede Jelinek, as both chronicler and Cassandra, doggedly follows its trail, sometimes even managing to stay a few decisive steps ahead.

Jelinek’s latest play, Unter Tieren (Among Animals), casts a wide net while aiming straight for the hidden depths of our deceitful and ideologically hollow society. Nothing is spared – from the Bible to ex-billionaire René Benko. The play tackles insatiable greed, slick-talking politicians and corporate bosses, pseudo-critiques of the system, and terms like social justice or equal opportunities, which nowadays seem little more than empty buzzwords. It examines how people can be bought, and ruthless, brazen acts of corruption. And, of course, an arms industry that can’t be brought down and wars that devour lives and money.

We live in an economic and financial world that, dysfunctional as it is, proves remarkably resilient – and is increasingly going to the dogs. Perhaps that’s why Elfriede Jelinek tells the never-ending story of Mammon from the perspective of animals. With growing incomprehension – but also with mounting sarcasm – bears, cows, pigs, pigeons, the Lamb of God and the ‘Für und Widder’ (think ‘pro and con[dor]’) squawk, moo, cluck and yap their way through the play, telling us about ‘notaries who notice nothing, auditors who audit sod-all, solicitors who only solicit trouble, bonds that refuse to budge, and loans with interest that have long lost interest’. Unter Tieren is a play about how we persistently work towards our own self-inflicted misery. We refuse to learn our lesson and, against our better judge­ment, barrel headlong into the apocalypse of capitalism. One thing is clear in Unter Tieren: the world is off its hinges, and the financial markets won’t save us.

Nobel laureate Elfriede Jelinek, who will celebrate her 80th birthday in 2026, shows once again with this play that she is the foremost German-language dramatist of our time. Her artistic and political radicalism has permanently revolutionized the theatre landscape. There are few directors with whom she has collaborated as consistently and successfully as Nicolas Stemann – so it’s only fitting that he is now in charge of the world premiere of Unter Tieren.

Thomas Jonigk
Translation: Sebastian Smallshaw