In a respectable middle-class family that has profited greatly from the war, a discussion takes place between father, mother, and daughter about the daughter Anna’s future husband. The indecisive Anna is still emotionally attached to her former lover but is now pregnant by the manufacturer Friedrich Murk, whom her parents consider a suitable candidate to take over the family business.

Anna’s former lover, Kragler — a war returnee long presumed missing and now visibly aged — appears on the evening of the engagement in a thick cloud of stage fog, emerging as a torn and conflicted figure.

An alcohol-fueled confrontation among the characters takes place in Café Vaterland. As in the original play, Kragler is disillusioned by what he finds and turns toward the revolutionaries. The following act continues the thread of social critique while also confronting the audience with questions of personal morality and individual responsibility.

Brechts texts have been expanded with writings by Şeyda Kurt, making clearer references to contemporary topics, wars and threats to freedom.

Felicitas Brucker’s production of Brecht’s Drums in the Night at Schauspielhaus Bochum creates a remarkable arc between historical fidelity and radical reinterpretation in the present day. The political messages of Brecht’s second play are successfully translated into a modern context and clearly relate to current times. Strong acting performances are supported by a modern stage design fitting for Brecht, along with lighting effects, video screens, and theatrical fog.