Press Release: Deborah Levy’s Absurdist Play Explores Contemporary Anxieties
Deborah Levy, a celebrated author known for her Booker nominations, returns to the stage with her latest play, "50 Minutes," following a 25-year hiatus from scriptwriting. The inspiration came from a striking cartoon depicting a Freud-like figure and a rabbit engaged in therapy, leading Levy to explore themes of contemporary anxiety through absurdism.
Premiering at Theater Neumarkt in Zurich, where it enjoyed a sold-out run, the play delves into anxiety, panic, and taboo subjects using metaphorical dialogue. Levy’s choice to include a rabbit allows for humor amid heavy themes, capturing the audience’s imagination with a mix of "vaudeville and David Lynch."
The drama features a professor and a rabbit who discuss the weighty matters of fear and aggression within a therapeutic hour. The rabbit poignantly remarks, "A fox can kill four generations of my family, but he cannot kill my desire to be free." This dialogue reflects a collective unease resonating globally, particularly in light of ongoing conflicts like those in Gaza and Ukraine.
Levy described the experience of witnessing her work live with an audience as exhilarating and nerve-wracking. The production incorporates music and dance, echoing stylings from European avant-garde theatre, complete with layered sets and surreal visual elements.
Tine Milz, Theater Neumarkt’s outgoing co-artistic director, commissioned the work to address the prevailing sense of panic and numbness in contemporary society. "50 Minutes" aims to engage with difficult subjects, promoting dialogue amidst a climate of growing division and censorship.
The play is set to tour across Europe, reflecting the urgent need for theater to interrogate and bridge complex societal issues, drawing audiences into a dialogue that is "painfully real and subversively absurd."
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