Listening Lounge: Pride and Prejudice in Paradise

Synopsis:

‘Married in Paradise’ is the thirtieth reality TV programme Liz has taken part in – but the first in which she’ll be getting married. Because anyone who doesn’t find a partner for life here in the idyllic beachfront villas in Thailand (and live on German television) is out. And Liz has to win the show. She needs the prize money.

For Darcy, on the other hand, reality TV is a completely new world. He comes from a well-educated, cosmopolitan background and is only here because he lost a bet.

In theory, Darcy would be a suitable candidate for Liz. But when she overhears him making fun of her ‘gutter hairstyle’ and her ‘working-class mouth’, she decides that, if in doubt, she’d rather leave the show as a loser. After all, you don’t have to settle down at any cost!

In this frame of mind, she also turns down the marriage proposal from contestant Collin, even though saying ‘I do’ would secure her victory. This makes a deep impression on Darcy. Yes, he has to admit to himself that it positively enchants him. Could Liz actually be the very woman his middle-class, boring life is missing? It’s just a pity that she now hates him with a passion. Or is there still time to turn things round?

The author:

Anna Basener writes radio plays, novels and screenplays. She has worked as a freelancer for NEON, was a business-punk columnist and, at times, a writer for Vice. Her literary debut, *Als die Omma den Huren noch Taubensuppe kochte* (‘When Granny Still Cooked Pigeon Soup for the Whores’), won the Putlitzer Prize in 2018, and her radio drama series *Die juten Sitten* (‘Good Manners’) shot to number one on the bestseller list overnight. When she’s had enough of literature for a while, she writes Western pulp novels and does stand-up comedy.

Live radio play:

If you close your eyes, you’ll hear a radio play – but if you open them, you’ll not only gain an insight into radio play production, but also experience a unique and special art form on stage. The voice actors, a sound effects artist and a sound designer let the audience share in the creation of a radio play.

About the Lauscherlounge:

Everything to do with the spoken word: The Lauscherlounge is a publishing house, a studio and a live events organiser. Founded in 2003 by Oliver Rohrbeck, the voice actor for ‘Die drei ???’, the Lauscherlounge has, to date, organised numerous live radio plays, readings and various ‘Die drei ???’ shows throughout Germany.

The Lauscherlounge’s creative team consists of professional writers, directors, technicians, musicians and sound effects artists. Through material written specifically for the radio drama medium – which moves and touches listeners through its sound – the Lauscherlounge has established itself as a leading force in the field of live radio drama throughout Germany.

IN GERMAN