Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-07-14
BY JAY CARMODY
Drama Critic Of The Star

Friedrich Durrenmatt per-
haps could write as dramat-
ically in an attic In Paris or
a garnet in London.
Actually, he writes from
neither, but rather from an
aerie In Switzerland. Some
how 1t is more congenial to
think of this as the ideal Dur
renmatt workshop location,
one which gives him a cool,
detached, unobstructed view
Of human folly and frallty
which seem at their height In
the summer Of 1868.
Mr.. Durrenmatt, In case
you have not quite identified
him, Is the author Of Olney
summer theater's current at
traction, "The Visit" Among
contemporary playwrights, it
Is his great distinction to be
exquiSitely rational and more
exciting than any one, or all,
Of his angry, panicky, semi
coherent fellow dramatists.
"The Visit" is not a new
play to the Washington au-
dience. As many Of its menu
bers as could crowd into the
National saw 1t a couple of
seasons back with the Lunts.
1t was a Lunts play then,
however, and one Of their
best in years.
Now, It's Durrenmatt's
In the Olney version, it Is
q Durrenmatt play and q
wondrous thing this Is too.
The absorbing aspect Of
Olney's visit" is that it pro-
vides a dramatic and concise
answer to the question: How
did man get into the mess
he is in?
The poor devil, Durrenmatt
says. is too morally frail, too
indifferent, too self-deceiv-
ing, too irresponsible. IN
counted voices have made the
same accusation but few with
the singing emphasis Dur
renmatt manages.
In THE VISIT" he is q man
with a story to tellAso well
that it will not soon be for
gotten. 1t Is Incredibly inn
agined, bizarre, macabre and
amusing. II the sensitive
theatergoer also finds it las
cerating, he yet may be left
with the balm that this is no
more than those around him
- in the theater or In life
deserve. He doesn't have to
ask himself, Who, me?" and
perhaps he had better not
ask.
A town named Guellen,
"somwhere In Europe" is the
setting of Durrenmatt's play.
It remembers better days and
its history-minded recall a
night long ago when Goethe
slept there. What is about to
happen to 1t, however, viii
give it the memory that viii
obliterate all others.
This begins with the ar
rival Of a long-absent no
body, a girl who left the
town In shreds and shame
and returns as one of the
richest and most infamous
women in the world. Her
name is Claire zachanassian,
whose wealth and capricious
generosity are well known to
Guellenites who expect the
combination to put the town
back on its economic feet.
Dramatically, Claire has
come home with Just this in
tention, to make Guellen rich
beyond its widest dreams,
but in return for q favor. The
latter is that Guellen shall
kill and give Claire the corpse
Of its most beloved citizen,
Anton Schill. This, she asks
as recompense for the love
she once gave to Schill, who
betrayed 1t and, with the
connivance Of righteous Guel-
lenites, drove her as q figure
Of shame from the town.
For this belated justice,
Claire Is willing to pay bill
lion marks If the town is
willing to declare that 1t was
Anton, not she, who bore the
original guilt.
It is a dramatic lot Of
human nature to which Dur
renmatt holds up his play
xxyV-iol1t'u mirror. IN tha three