The heart eater

The new shopping center on the edge of the small town is a matter close to the mayor's heart. It is not only intended to pump fresh life into the region and bring an economic upturn, but also to become a meeting place. But the temple of consumption is built on swampy ground and even before the opening ceremony, the first cracks appear in the concrete. The muffled bog water is pushing its way to the surface. And then, one after the other, two women's bodies are found on the site with a swampy hole in their chests instead of a heart. The mayor sees his prestigious property at risk and tasks the security guard with disposing of the dead bodies and carrying out an undercover investigation.

Ferdinand Schmalz, the shooting star of new drama born in Austria in 1985, was inspired by a terrible series of murders in Styria at the end of the 18th century for his play, which premiered in 2015. The result is a contemporary folk play between crime thriller and dark comedy that tells of love and loneliness in heartless times with a dazzlingly subtle love of language.