Eight Women

About this event

A crackling fireplace, Christmas atmosphere, and a body with a knife in its back – so begins this classic French crime comedy. Seven women gather in a snowbound villa, and an eighth appears unexpectedly, right after the master of the house is found murdered. Trapped by the snow and cut off from the outside world, it soon dawns on the group that one of them must be the killer – and every single one has a solid motive. Robert Thomas’s 1961 play dissects bourgeois 1950s society with light irony, setting the women loose in a gripping contest of accusations, lies, and startling revelations. Sharp dialogue, amateur sleuthing under the Christmas tree, and live stage music – composed by Franz Wittenbrink – take turns driving the evening forward. The cast, featuring Carmen Maus, Rosa Homburg, and Andrea Fellermann, handles timing and comedy with finesse. Susanne Anders directs and choreographs. The result is an entertaining blend of whodunit, farce, and psychological study – and a nod to François Ozon’s celebrated film adaptation that brought the play to a wide audience.