At the time of the queen mother (Zu der Zeit der Königinmutter)

Translated from French by Katharina Meyer and Lena Müller

The regulars at the New Jersey Bar are long past their prime. In this barroom, located somewhere in the world, they tell stories from the time of the Queen Mother. Back then, beer flowed plentifully, nights never ended, and the women who could have it all shone with beauty. Addressing the newcomer who enters the bar, these stranded marginalised figures tell stories about never-ending intoxication, drunkenness, vomit and the jasmine scent of the queens. They have not been waiting for this stranger, but maybe their fading memories become enlivened by his presence. For, as it says in the play, "Words have no value unless brought into a state of existence."

At the Time of the Queen Mother is the first play written in German by Fiston Mwanza Mujila. He makes it sound musical. Sensual, unrestrained and rousing, he tells the story of a place on the margins of space and time.