RETURNING TO REIMS, based on the memoir of Didier Eribon, directed by Thomas Ostermeier, featuring Nina Hoss
WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE
A THINK TWICE DRAMA VIEW
As remarkable as RETURNING TO REIMS is for what it does, it is even more surprising for what it doesn’t.
RETURNING TO REIMS doesn’t entertain or pander to the consumer in us as commercial theatre does . . . Rather, it awakens our interest in our own lives.
It doesn’t attempt to transform its audience into a gratified mob satisfied that theatrical justice has been exacted . . . It appeals to each of us as individuals capable of taking actions beyond the stage that are divergent, positive, and necessary.
It doesn’t rely on standard plot progression and escalating conflict to hold our interest and to arrive at a payoff . . . It values discussion and agreement over conflict and story closure.
It doesn’t fall into a reassuring pattern of satire and vitriol against the present . . . It doesn’t vent at easy targets. It addresses the current state of global politics through reminding us of the recent past.
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