Der Liebling

Mothers/daughters/sisters/bosses/friends/rivals/knights

We find ourselves at the corporate headquarters of a tampon manufacturer. Here, five women and one man are fighting for their livelihoods. At the centre are Franka König and Bettina von Fürstenberg. They were friends in their youth; now they are rivals.

As CEOs of the feminine hygiene product manufacturers Never and Immer, the two women will stop at nothing in their battle for innovation and market share. Franka König is under increasing pressure: she fired her Happiness Manager Luna after injuring her with a sword. The incident was caught on video, and Franka is now facing criminal charges. Bettina von Fürstenberg sees this as her chance to launch a hostile takeover. To get hold of the video, she sends Luna’s sister Mary to Never as an intern. Mary quickly gains the CEO’s trust and begins climbing the corporate ladder. Meanwhile, Franka’s son Karsten, who has spent his entire life fighting for the approval of his successful mother, sees the crisis as his opportunity: he wants to become the next CEO of Never. And Bettina’s daughter Rebekka, who has become famous on Instagram as a tradwife, is locked in an ongoing conflict with her mother...

In this fast-paced plot in three acts, the (feminist) sparks fly. The author, Svenja Viola Bungarten – well-versed in all the discursive currents of the present day – has written a comedy that explores questions of female solidarity and patriarchal behaviour, of career and power, motherhood and being a daughter, of friendship and rivalry. For times in which an ultra-conservative image of women is experiencing an alarming revival.

Tina Lanik’s artistic signature is characterised by contemporary drama, socio-political themes and precise psychological studies of relationships, with a particular interest in female perspectives and feminist narratives. In keeping with this, she has been campaigning for over two decades for the equality and visibility of female directors, against the gender pay gap and for a better work-life balance between family and theatre.