Zur schönen Aussicht (Hotel Bellevue)

A group of people are living in a run-down hotel. In addition to the hotel’s manager, Strasser, who has resigned his officer’s commission, these are Max the waiter, Karl the chauffeur, and Baroness Ada Freifrau von Stetten. With the exception of the Baroness, all of them are bankrupt and haven’t been paying for their rooms for some time now. In fact, the hotel’s manager, staff, and guests all get by with a variety of illegal schemes. This lazy and lethargic group is thrown into turmoil when Christine suddenly arrives without warning. She is looking for Strasser, who is her ex-lover and the father of her child. The men in the hotel take Strasser’s side against Christine and only stop scheming against the young mother when they find out that she is actually a wealthy woman due to an unexpected inheritance. They then begin to compete for Christine’s affection in an absurd power struggle.    

This comedy from 1926, in which everyone only looks after themselves, is a satire about a society that is heading toward its downfall in a time marked by ever-growing economic conflicts. Questions  about God and money, as well as an eerie longing for the (re)emergence of a nationalist German society, make this play more relevant than ever today.