History Theatre / TheVisit

* FairWeatherEx: When the billionaire Claire Zachanassian visits her impoverished hometown of Guellen after decades away, the locals try to ply her for money, deploying her old ex-boyfriend Alfred to woo her. [[spoiler:They've conveniently forgotten that she left in disgrace after he got her pregnant and disavowed her in court. She has not, but she plays along for a bit before beginning her revenge]].

* TookALevelInJerkass: Played with. Ill hasn't ''actually'' changed since the start of the play, but [[spoiler: people start vilifying him more and more so they can eventually justify his death for their money.]]
** To be fair, he did a very {{Jerkass}} thing in the past.

* RuleOfSymbolism: Claire's pet panther, the yellow shoes, Claire's prosthetic parts, the hotel's name, the teacher being the last sane man...

* RedRightHand: [[spoiler:Claire has a prosthetic hand and foot to represent her inhumanity]].

* OnlySaneMan: It dwindles down to the Doctor and the Schoolmaster, and then just the Schoolmaster, and then it's Ill.

* BatmanGambit: Claire knew the town needed her money [[spoiler: because she set it up that way herself.]]
* TheChessmaster: Claire. When asked to invest in the town's mill and mine, both of which could be extremely profitable if someone just used a little cash to open then [[spoiler: she reveals she bought them already. She's the one who closed them in the first place.]]

* TheNeedsOfTheMany: Used as justification later about taking Claire's deal. [[spoiler: to the point where the Mayor tells Ill to just kill himself so no citizen has to murder him.]]

* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: The towns people's stance, which starts to break down [[spoiler: and eventually stops.]]

The play takes place in the 1950's. The extremely impoverished town of Guellen prepares to welcome home Claire Zachanassian, quite possibly the richest woman in the world, who was born in the sleepy Guellen but moved abroad years before. They intend to woo her with fond memories (since the place wasn't such a sty back then) and have her ex-boyfriend, Alfred Ill, try to woo her into giving them $100,000. She offers '''one billion''', half to the town itself and half to be given out between the people... [[DealWithTheDevil if the villagers can set aside their morals for her.]]

* MoneyDearBoy: [[invoked]] Another major plot point. Guellen ''needs'' money...but what are they willing to do for it?

* SerialSpouse: Claire. She arrives to Geullen with her seventh husband, divorces him and marries a film star, then divorces him too, and prepares to marry a Nobel Prize-winner.

* UnluckyChildhoodFriend: Everyone sees Ill as this to the fabulously rich Claire, though they point out that if she'd married him she'd be as poor as the rest. [[spoiler: Except she wouldn't, since it was Ill refusing to take responsibility for impregnating her that set her on the road to her vast wealth...which ''she'' used to ruin Guellen.]]

* RedRightHand: [[spoiler:Claire has a prosthetic hand and foot to represent her inhumanity]]

** Also, Ill. He made Claire into an outcast. Also, the whole people in the villag, who also made her an outcast. Really, aside from Claire, what happens in this play couldn't have happened to nicer people.

** Also, Ill. He set Claire up to be a whore by having Koby and Loby lie about her. Also, the city, which made her an outcast. Really, aside from Claire, what happens in this play couldn't have happened to nicer people.

* TheBadGuyWins. It was inevitable by the end.

The play, together with ''The Music/PirateJenny'', additionally inspired ''{{Dogville}}''. It has nothing to do with the Creator/MNightShyamalan film [[Film/TheVisit of the same name.]] Nor to the [[VideoGame/TheVisit video game]].

The play, together with ''The Music/PirateJenny'', additionally inspired ''{{Dogville}}''. It has nothing to do with the Creator/MNightShyamalan film [[Film/TheVisit of the same name.]]

The play, together with ''The Music/PirateJenny'', additionally inspired ''{{Dogville}}''.

The play takes place in the 1950's. The extremely impoverished town of Guellen prepares to welcome home Claire Zachanassian, quite possibly the richest woman in the world, who was born in the sleepy Guellen but moved abroad years before. They intend to woo her with fond memories (since they place wasn't such a sty back then) and have her ex-boyfriend, Alfred Ill, try to woo her into giving them $100,000. She offers '''one billion''', half to the town itself and half to be given out between the people... [[DealWithTheDevil if the villagers can set aside their morals for her.]]

* {{Revenge}}: One of the major themes of the play. Claire wants revenge on [[spoiler: Ill because he refused to acknowledge that he impregnated her, which led to Claire being unable to keep her child and her having to resort to prostitution to survive.]]

* PragmaticAdaptation: A recent Dutch production team realized that the Netherlands doesn't have any mountain towns (due to there being no mountains in the whole country). The location was changed to a northern fishermen's island, with the train replaced by a boat and everyone doing northern accents. It worked beautifully.

* [[spoiler: TheBadGuyWins. It was inevitable by the end.]]

** TheCuckoolanderWasRight: But they say some disturbing things in the play that make perfect sense once you know everything...

* MoneyDearBoy: Another major plot point. Guellen ''needs'' money...but what are they willing to do for it?

** ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: The towns people's stance, which starts to break down [[spoiler: and eventually stops.]]

''TheVisit'' (original title: ''Der Besuch der alten Dame'', "The Visit Of The Old Lady") is a tragicomedy play by the Swiss dramatist Friedrich Dürrenmatt. Even though it has a simple (minimalist) structure, it's a complex psychological work with several twists, encompassing 3 acts.

''TheVisit'' (original title: ''Der Besuch der alten Dame'', "The Visit Of The Old Lady") is a tragicomedy play by the Swiss dramatist [[DasVersprechen Friedrich Dürrenmatt]]. Even though it has a simple (minimalist) structure, it's a complex psychological work with several twists, encompassing 3 acts.

There's also TheMusical version, which was first performed in Vienna in 2014. The play, together with ''The Music/PirateJenny'', additionally inspired ''{{Dogville}}''.