The setting: a port city somewhere in Europe. Two illegal immigrants, Elisio and Fadoul, watch a woman walk into the sea. Fearing capture, they fail to act and the woman drowns. Wracked by guilt, Elisio can’t sleep at night. Meanwhile, Fadoul finds a bag full of cash… Absolute is a young blind woman who dances and strips for sighted men. Mrs. Hadenough seeks out families who have lost loved ones through violent crimes. Like a guilt junkie, she begs their forgiveness for acts she never committed. Franz has found a job for life: preparing the bodies of the deceased at an undertaker’s. His wife Rosa is dying to have a baby. Rosa’s mother, Mrs. Sugar, is a diabetic who celebrates her serial amputations. She moves in with the young couple and expects them to care for her like a child. Ella, an aging philosopher, has burned almost all her books and no longer believes in anything.
Dea Loher’s 'Innocence' comprises a wide spectrum of characters and stories from the fringes of society. Desperately funny and macabre, this groundbreaking play is clear-cut, uncompromising and lovingly crafted. 'Innocence' marks the first time Michael Thalheimer has staged a play by Dea Loher. He brings a fresh approach to this work by one of the most important German dramatists of her generation.