Schlötel or whatever
Schlötel or Was solls is a comedy in five acts by Christoph Hein , which premiered on September 25, 1974 at the Volksbühne Berlin with Michael Gwisdek in the title role under the direction of Manfred Karge and Matthias Langhoff . The German premiere took place on June 26, 1986 in Kassel (Director: Matthias Fontheim ). In the GDR the play was only performed again in the spring of 1989 in the Eduard-von-Winterstein-Theater in Annaberg-Buchholz .
The text was published in 1981 as part of the “Cromwell and other pieces” collection at Aufbau-Verlag Berlin. The book "Schlötel or Was solls - Pieces and Essays" was published in 1986 by Luchterhand Darmstadt.
The academic Schlötel wants to persuade the practitioners to adopt a more effective production strategy and fails across the board.
In 1994, Kiewitz declared the title of the comedy: In 1974, viewers from the GDR had two options. Either he is consumed with an ideal like Held Schlötel or he lets the real existing socialism shrug his shoulders - as a disenfranchised person, so to speak.
content
action
- 1
Professor Merzler has fun with his doctors on a Leipzig GST shooting range. During the exercises with the air rifle, it was decided that Comrade Bernd Schlötel - a talented, contradicting young graduate of the Institute of Sociology - should initially prove himself for a year in production in an unnamed Swedish combine . Then we will see.
Comrade Brigadier Kantwerk is not exactly enthusiastic in Schwedt when he is supposed to employ a university graduate. Especially since the Kantwerk Brigade is in a precarious position. People have to stroll around during working hours because the flow of material stalls. When material arrives, there will be overtime again.
The Schwedt party secretary Netzker does not welcome Schlötel with open arms. Although the newcomer's cadre file is clean, Netzker is against employing university graduates as unskilled workers in his company.
- 2
Netzker is looking for his son-in-law Kantwerk and finds the family man in the bed of the kitchen maid Kathrin. Netzker persuades Kantwerk to appeal for the introduction of property wages . Because the initiative has to come from below; from the ruling class .
Among colleagues, Schlötel is not considered a bad worker, but a muddlehead. Schlötel left his pregnant wife Irene in Leipzig. Kathrin and Schlötel fall in love. Schlötel supports the Kantwerk's appeal.
- 3
Irene complains of her suffering to the old caretaker Ringling at the university's sociology institute. In anticipation of her confinement, the woman longs for her husband Bernd Schlötel. Comrade Ringling demands from Professor Merzler that he immediately put an end to the postponement of the spirit of contradiction Schlötel; call him back. The professor is reluctant.
The Schwedt workers do not accept the object wage. Netzker gives in to the counter pressure; admits his mistake. Schlötel is convinced of the correctness of the property wages, but neither gets through with Netzker nor with the workers. After nine months in Schwedt, Schlötel was released without notice. He is prohibited from entering the factory. A party penalty threatens. Schlötel is beaten up on the street by several strangers in the evening. Irene is arriving. Schlötel is not going back to Leipzig.
- 4th
Irene is sitting alone with her newborn child in Leipzig. Professor Merzler, who turns out to be a follower of the Nazis who had been reeducated by the Russians , does not think of bringing Schlötel back. Because the professor wants to keep his post.
Although Schlötel is not allowed to enter his place of work, in Schwedt he continues to try to win over former work colleagues for the property wages. Kathrin doesn't want to know anything about her lover anymore. Schlötel accuses Netzker of being a saboteur .
- 5
In Leipzig, Irene falls in love with one of Merzler's doctors and applies for a divorce. Apparently Schlötel knows nothing about it. He drives from Schwedt to the Baltic Sea and kills himself in the water. By resolution of the district management , property wages are introduced in Netzker's sphere of influence. The public prosecutor disregards Netzker's indictment because the proceedings have become irrelevant.
Self-testimony
Performance of a fragment: In 1978, in an interview with the newspaper “ Theater der Zeit ” , Hein complained that “about a third of the text” had been removed before the Berlin premiere.
reception
The causes of Schlötel's suicide are sought and found.
Comments after stage performances
- Berlin premiere:
Schlötel actually fails because he wants to instruct the workers.
- Kassel premiere:
The "troublemaker" (from Volker Klotz : "Bürgerliches Lachtheater") Schlötel bounces off "the power of the collective".
Meetings
When investigating Schlötel's suicide, Janssen-Zimmermann came to the conclusion that the hero was going under because he did not see his inappropriate heroism. Comedy is getting closer to tragedy. Kiewitz calls Schlötel "a Kohlhaas of the mind" who - unwise as he is - reacts exclusively without measure. According to Kiewitz, the play is about the stumbling of GDR socialism when Netzker uses the term “people of non-resignable officials”. After this statement, Netzker made life difficult for all those who shamelessly longed for a good life.
Arnold gives five reviews.
literature
Text output
- Used edition
- "Schlötel or whatever. A comedy". S. 161–224 in: Christoph Hein: The knights of the round table and other pieces. 264 pages. Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin 1990 (1st edition), ISBN 3-351-01632-8
- expenditure
- Christoph Hein: Schlötel or whatever. Pieces and essays. 203 pages. Luchterhand Literaturverlag, Darmstadt 1986, ISBN 3472616709
Secondary literature
- Michael Töteberg : “The anarchist and the party secretary . The GDR theater criticism and its difficulties with Christoph Hein. "P. 36–43 in: in Heinz Ludwig Arnold (Ed.):" Text + criticism. Journal of Literature. Booklet 111. Christoph Hein. “Munich, July 1991, ISBN 3-88377-391-3
- Klaus Hammer (Ed.): “Chronicler without a message. Christoph Hein. A work book. Materials, information, bibliography. ”315 pages. Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin 1992, ISBN 3-351-02152-6
- Antje Janssen-Zimmermann: “ Subjective objectivity . Three theater texts by Christoph Heins - a trilogy of socialism ? ”In: ibid., Pp. 184–194
- Christl Kiewitz: “The silent scream. Crisis and criticism of the socialist intelligentsia in the work of Christoph Hein. ”308 pages. Stauffenburg Verlag, Tübingen 1995 (Diss. University of Augsburg 1994), ISBN 3-86057-137-0 (pp. 43–63)
annotation
- ↑ It could mean the Petrochemical Combine .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hammer, photo on p. 231 above
- ↑ Hammer, p. 263, entry 1974
- ↑ Hammer, p. 265, entry 1986
- ^ Töteberg, p. 37, 5. Zvo
- ↑ Kiewitz, p. 43, footnote 3
- ↑ Edition used, p. 205, 9. Zvu
- ↑ quoted in Hammer, p. 230, 15. Zvu after Andreas Roßmann in “ Germany Archive ” 1986, p. 1256
- ↑ quoted in Hammer, p. 231: Martin Linzer in "Theater der Zeit", issue 12, 1974
- ↑ quoted in Hammer, p. 232 above, after Andreas Roßmann in “Germany Archive” 1986, p. 1256
- ↑ Janssen-Zimmermann, p. 187
- ↑ Kiewitz, p. 56, 7. Zvo
- ↑ Kiewitz, p. 59 above
- ↑ Kiewitz, p. 47, 14th Zvu
- ↑ Edition used, p. 170, 6. Zvo
- ^ Arnold, p. 98, 1st column, above