Three Women Examined in Theresia Walser’s Beloved Comedy “I Am Like You, I Love Apples”

The German-language comedy “Ich bin wie ihr, ich liebe Äpfel” (I Am Like You, I Love Apples) by Theresia Walser is set to be performed at Schauspiel Frankfurt, continuing its presence on German stages years after its premiere. The play, which centers on the wives of three dictators gathering for a press conference about a documentary on their lives, uses satire to explore themes of power, denial, and political complicity through the lens of these women’s willful ignorance of their husbands’ atrocities.

First premiering on January 12, 2013, at the Nationaltheater Mannheim under director Burkhard C. Kosminski, the work has since seen multiple international productions. According to Rowohlt Theater Verlag, which holds the foreign rights, the play has been translated into English, French, Greek, Icelandic, Italian, and Norwegian, with premieres across Europe including Avlaia in Thessaloniki (2016), Theatre Reykjavik (2017), and Teatro Paolo Grassi in Milan (2015).

The narrative unfolds as the three women — Margot, Imelda, and Leila — discuss their lives with casual detachment, referencing historical events such as parties at Stalin’s residence, Mao Zedong kissing hands, and gifts from Fidel Castro as if recounting friendly neighborhood encounters. Even assassinations and revolutions are described as “necessary evils,” highlighting their refusal to acknowledge the human cost of their husbands’ regimes. Despite the passage of time and the deaths or trials of their spouses — Margot’s and Imelda’s husbands deceased, Leila’s husband facing trial before a Dutch court for crimes against humanity — they insist their life stories are too grand for a conventional film, demanding instead an operatic format.

A pivotal figure in the drama is the interpreter, whose initially neutral role evolves into active manipulation as he deliberately mistranslates the women’s statements, thereby influencing the unfolding drama and exposing the fragility of communication in politically charged contexts. This dynamic transforms the play into a parable about how language can be weaponized and how complicity is maintained through willful misunderstanding.

The upcoming performance at Schauspiel Frankfurt adds to the play’s ongoing relevance in contemporary theater, particularly as discussions around historical accountability, the role of spouses in authoritarian regimes, and the ethics of representation continue to resonate. Theresia Walser, daughter of renowned German writer Martin Walser, draws on real historical figures to craft a work that critiques not only the dictators themselves but also the systems of enablement and silence that surround them.