''Seven Doors'' () is a 1988 play by the German writer

Botho Strauß Botho Strauss (; written as Botho Strauß) (born 2 December 1944) is a German playwright, novelist, and essayist. Early life His father was a chemist. After finishing his secondary education, Strauss studied German, History of the Theatre a ...

. It consists of eleven darkly comedic sketches on the subject of social decline. The play premiered on 20 November 1988 at the

Stockholm City Theatre Stockholm City Theatre () is a live performance theatre located in Stockholm, Sweden. The theatre is situated near the Sergel fountain and the Stockholm City roundabout. Location It is located in one of Stockholm's most popular public buildi ...

Reception

Michael Billington of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' wrote in 2004, when the play was produced for the Minerva Theatre in

Chichester Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...

: "What makes one warm to Strauss is his ability to satirise his own bleak view of individual desperation and social decline. ... What unites these sketches is the idea that collectively we live on the brink of destruction while individually our lives are increasingly robbed of dignity. ... Even if you don't buy into Strauss's absurdist philosophy, there is a contrapuntal gaiety to his pessimism."

References

{{Botho Strauss 1988 plays German-language plays German black comedy plays German satirical plays Plays by Botho Strauss