Something is rotten in the state of Württemberg. Well, not quite Württemberg, because the young Frederich Schiller didn’t quite dare to express directly his criticisms of his first patron, Karl Eugen, Duke of Württemberg. Instead, he set this searing attack on whoring, machinating despots in an unnamed, ‘fictional’ German principality.
The result is a drama of sweeping scope and universalist aspirations, but one that can’t hide the deeply personal anger of a young writer confronted with the world’s corruption. In Michael Grandage’s deftly handled production at the Donmar Warehouse, Luise Miller is gripping and beguiling, thanks to translator Mike Poulton’s mellow touch and an ensemble of consistently superb performances.
Much of the plot’s urgency rests on the performance of Ben Daniels as the Machiavellian Chancellor, leading statesman of the court, who discovers that his well-bred son Ferdinand has pledged himself to a musician’s daughter, Luise Miller.
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