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The Battle of Two Men in the Vast City of Chicago

A play written as a boxing match; each scene is a new round. The setting is Chicago in the second decade of the twentieth century. The rich lumber merchant Shlink attempts to buy assistant librarian Garga’s opinion of a particular book. Garga’s refusal provokes Schlink into a contest where both men lose the basis of their existence. Shlink ensures that Garga is dismissed and forces both his lover and his sister into prostitution. However, in order to have an opponent who is his social equal, he then leaves him his lumber business, which Garga deliberately ruins through fraud. While Garga is sent to prison for this, Shlink provides for his family. Upon his release Garga falsely accuses the Malayan Shlink of rape and he is then hounded by a racist mob. Shlink and Garga escape together on Lake Michigan, where Shlink confesses his love for Garga...

Brecht was never so close to expressionism as with this early play, demonstratively abandoning any psychological motivation and finding inspiration instead in the sport of boxing. The original production in Munich in 1923 provoked Nazi disturbances in the audience and racist reviews. With his production of the „Jungle“ in Linz, leading international director Matthias Langhoff realises a long-held wish. After many years of directing theatre only in French, he will create a new production in the German language once again.


WHAT // Theatre
WHEN // Premiere 5th December 09
WHERE // Landestheater Linz

DIRECTION // Matthias Langhoff
SET AND COSTUMES // Catherine Rankl
MusiC // Fuckhead
Cast includes Stefan Matousch (Shlink) and Konstantin Bühler (Garga)