These five plays provide an excellent introduction to Kaiser's vision of
the regeneration of man, which he illustrated in his works by a total
paring down of detail, penetrating to the core of the matter and
revealing man's true potential.
In From Morning to Midnight the cashier, downtrodden victim of the
capitalist system, turns bank robber in order to test the power, freedom
and happiness that money can bring. His grand gesture of setting himself
and others free turns into an odyssey of disillusion and ends in his
violent death. The unique stage technique employed by Kaiser is as
challenging today as it was when the play was first performed. The
Burghers of Calais has always been considered Kaiser's greatest play and
the "classic" of Expressionist drama. In it, Kaiser exploits the
non-naturalistic technique of Expressionism. The play embraces vast
expansiveness and total concentration, stylized gesture and lengthy
monologues.