To the Gallows with the Henks!

About this event

Imagine a delightfully odd aristocratic family gathering at a gloomy mansion to settle an inheritance – and stumbling into a series of murders where everyone’s fair game. “To the Gallows with the Henks!” is a comedy-thriller by British playwright Norman Robbins that dishes out over-the-top characters, wicked one-liners, and a generous splash of poisoned sherry for a truly merry black-humour evening. Lawyer Mortimer Crayle has summoned the five surviving Henks, but it soon transpires that the family has a 400-year tradition of eliminating anyone they dislike. Before long, eight individuals meet highly creative ends, and even innocent bystanders get swept up in the gleeful chaos. Directed by Carmen Maus, the Bockenheimer Theaterensemble infuses the Kulturhaus Frankfurt stage with palpable joy in the riproaring absurdity. The play thrives on larger-than-life personas and a fast-paced plot that never pretends to be serious – it’s pure, unadulterated fun in the vein of a comic whodunit dinner party with guests who are totally unhinged. The murder count rises briskly but stays squarely in the realm of the ridiculous, never gory or genuinely menacing. If you’re after a light, entertaining night out full of English-style humour and local amateur theatre charm, this hits the spot. The performance runs about two hours (including an interval) and is suitable for teens and adults. It's performed in German, so some language skills are helpful. Come with friends, on a date, or solo – and prepare to laugh at a wonderfully dysfunctional family that turns inheritance into a lethal farce.