The Peak

Theatre : A 'Visit' to our hearts

By Christine Lee

The Visit, SFU School of Contemporary Arts’s 2008 mainstage production, plays at the SFU Theatre on March 4, 5, 7, and 8 at 8:00 p.m. It is also showing this Thursday at 12:30 p.m. as this week’s free Noon Show.

Written by Friedrich Dürrenmatt and directed by Penelope Stella, The Visit is a modern-day tragicomedy that explores issues of love, money, power, and justice.

The story is set in the poverty-striken town of Gullen as villagers anticipate the arrival of Claire, a now-fabulously wealthy woman who used to live there. Claire returns to Gullen with the intent of having revenge on Ill, the man who turned his back on her and denied being the father of her child many years ago. She offers to save the town, on the condition that they restore justice for the wrong done to her by killing Ill.

Initially, the townspeople are appalled at Claire’s request but Ill starts to notice changes in their behaviour. They start buying better food and almost everyone starts wearing new, identical shoes. As Ill realizes people are turning against him, he tries to escape but is discovered, and out of fear, he stays behind in a state of agony and despair.

The Visit is brilliant in its depiction of the subtle progression of the townspeoples’ attitudes, from initial appallment to eventually seeing Claire’s proposal as the only solution to their problems. It alludes to countries that start wars under the pretenses of justice and attempts to show how people can view this as normal and even inevitable.

The Visit also shows how ideas that constantly surround us can shape our view of the world in a way that is not as natural as we may think. As we consider the implications of living in a society whose underlying theme is the pursuit of capital and profit, are we like Gullen’s headmaster, holding reservations and yet acquiescing because we view the current situation as inevitable? What ideologies frame our view of the world and what have we, both individually and as a society, compromised because of it? The Visit is a thought-provoking play that encourages us to contemplate these critical questions.