The brilliant fireworks

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The brilliant fireworks is a play by Karl Valentin in two acts. It has been performed in different versions since 1926; Furthermore, part of the second act was published several times as a record. Valentin also wrote a film script for the play, which, however, was never realized.

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The shorter first act essentially consists of the conversation between the soldier Karl and the nanny Liesl. Karl searches and asks laboriously for the way to Rosenau, a restaurant on Schleißheimer Strasse in the north of Munich's Maxvorstadt , where a large fireworks display is to take place in the evening. The mutual advances of the two are restricted by the child Liesl has with her in the pram and by Karl's clumsy handling of it. In the end, however, they agree to visit the fireworks together.

In the second act, the preparations for the fireworks in the Rosenau beer garden are underway. Four soldiers appear, one after the other, who sit down in the beer garden and tell the host their opposing views on how the weather will develop in the evening. Depending on whether they predict rain or drought, the host lets the fireworks break off the preparation for the fireworks or start again. Finally it is decided that the fireworks should take place in any case. Now Karl and Liesl also appear. Because he casually uses the word “rain”, Karl gets into a harmless argument with the landlord. There are still some delays - at first the fireworks can't find a match, then it's not dark enough - until the fireworks finally burn down. After the spectacle with amazement and applause, the guests leave the stage. Karl once again provokes the host's displeasure when he suggests the possibility that it might rain during the next fireworks display.

Different versions

There are two alternative versions of the second act. The old 2nd part v. Rosenau was probably played at the first performance of the piece, which is indicated by the handwritten addition "Schauspielhaus". It is not Karl and Liesl who appear, but a 5th soldier who also unintentionally starts talking about the rain and therefore clashes with the host. The part with the missing matches takes up a bit more space (there's only one in the box, and the wind blows that out). At the end, a constable appears who sends the defaulting fireworks guests home.

Since July 1932 the new version of Act II of Rosenau was played. Already at the beginning of the act, the whole company is gathered in the pub garden, except for Karl and Liesl, which tightens the plot a bit. From the decision of the landlord to let the fireworks take place in any case and the arrival of Charles, the previous version is linked. In the typescript of the new version, two of the actors are mentioned by name, “Soldat Thomas” (1st soldier) and “Herr Gebert” (3rd soldier). It is assumed that the cuts in this version are related to the death of Georg Rückert, who had previously played host.

Language and style

The speaking parts are written in Bavarian . The piece contains the word games typical of Valentin, which often result from too literal understanding of what has been said: “ Fireworks : […] Now it is still broad daylight and I need a deep dark night. - Karl : Burn it down in the cellar, it's dark there. - Fireworkers : In the basement, nonsense. Have you ever seen fireworks in the basement? - Karl : I do. In Augustiner Keller has often been a firework. - Fireworks : Yes, in the Augustinerkeller, but not in the Augustinerkeller-Keller, so I need a pitch-dark, pitch-black night. - Karl : It's pretty dark now. (Drinks from the beer.) - Fireworkers : That doesn't do me any good. I can't quite burn down my fireworks, I have to burn it down completely. "

Performances

The play was premiered on May 5, 1926 in the Kammerspiele in the Schauspielhaus , the "newer" version, ie the one in which Karl and Liesl also appear in the second act, for the first time on May 16, 1931 in the Munich Coliseum . In total, the piece came to 256 performances, as can be seen from the performance statistics of Josef Rankl (there the piece operates under the title Sonntag in der Rosenau ).

Issues and comments

  • Karl Valentin: Brilliant fireworks. Drawings by Karl Arnold. Hugendubel, Munich 1938.
  • Karl Valentin: The confirmation. Volume 5. Pieces. Ed. by Manfred Faust and Stefan Henze in collaboration with Andreas Hohenadl. Piper, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-492-05045-6 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Karl Valentin: The Confirmation. Ed. by Manfred Faust and Stefan Henze. Munich 2007, p. 410.
  2. ^ Karl Valentin: The Confirmation. Ed. by Manfred Faust and Stefan Henze. Munich 2007, p. 415 ff.
  3. ^ Karl Valentin: The Confirmation. Ed. by Manfred Faust and Stefan Henze. Munich 2007, p. 421 f.
  4. ↑ 2nd act. Karl Valentin: The Confirmation. Ed. by Manfred Faust and Stefan Henze. Munich 2007, p. 163.
  5. ^ Karl Valentin: The Confirmation. Ed. by Manfred Faust and Stefan Henze. Munich 2007, p. 410.
  6. ^ Karl Valentin: The Confirmation. Ed. by Manfred Faust and Stefan Henze. Munich 2007, p. 536.