Gossip in the stairwell

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Gossip in the stairwell is a swank in four acts by Jens Exler . The world premiere took place on April 24, 1960 at the Niederdeutsche Bühne Flensburg under the Low German original title Sluderkraam in't stairs .

Since the 1960s, the play became known throughout Germany through TV recordings of the productions at the Hamburg Ohnsorg Theater .

background

The plot of the play takes place in the stairwell of a tenement . The two apartments on the floor shown in the set are inhabited by Mr. Brummer and Mrs. Knoop. Each apartment also has a chamber that can be entered from the hallway and that offers space for sleeping. Through a neighborly dispute between Mr. Brummer and Mrs. Knoop about these two chambers and the resulting wild, outrageous speculations by another tenant in the house, Mrs. Boldt, a lot of "Sluderee" (from Low German sludern : gossip, to be talkative) and strange misunderstandings arise .

The author of the play, Jens Exler, explained the success of the play at the time when asked : “I had to deal with tenants every day, because I worked for Wohnungsbau Flensburg from 1945 to 1976 , and of course I saw a lot there and in the play processed. ” When asked whether Flensburg tenants recognized themselves in the play, he said: “ Where are you thinking? Nobody recognized themselves. Everyone I had thought of while writing the piece was firmly convinced that only the others could be like that ... "

The well-known version of the Hamburg Ohnsorg Theater was premiered on January 1, 1962 under the slightly modified Low German title Sluderee op de Trepp . The play was first broadcast on February 18, 1962 from the Hamburg theater on German television in a High German version. The play achieved nationwide popularity in a live TV broadcast by ARD from the Ohnsorg Theater on New Year's Eve in 1966. Further TV productions followed in 1974 and 2016.

The third TV version from the Ohnsorg Theater from September 14, 1974 is no longer available in the NDR archive. In 2010 the NDR produced a sequel with three parts in cooperation with the Ohnsorg Theater for television . The play continues to be played at times by the Ohnsorg Theater. But other stages are still performing the piece these days. The Flensburg Low German Stage, where the play once premiered, still plays the play every now and then.

people

  • Ewald Brummer (Uncle Ewald / Mr. Brummer) : Retired tax inspector. Slightly choleric, but with a soft core. Chairman of the rabbit breeding association "Cymbria".
  • Hanne Knoop : Kind hearted, but by no means silly widow who works as a cleaning lady for Mr. Seefeldt. Mr Brummer's neighbor on one of the upper floors of the apartment building.
  • Meta Boldt : Resident from one of the lower floors. Gossipy; overhears the other tenants and incites them against each other for their own benefit.
  • Dieter Brummer : Young master mechanic, nephew of Ewald Brummer. Left home after an argument, now looking for a place to stay.
  • Heike Seefeldt : Also left home after an argument. Lives illegally to sublet with Ms. Knoop, who cleans in Heike's father's garage.
  • Bernhard Tramsen : butcher master , owner of the tenement house. Badly requested repairs. Is married, but chases after the single tenants.
  • Mr. Seefeldt : owner of a car repair shop, father of Heike Seefeldt, employer of Mrs. Knoop. Almost loses his daughter to neglect.

The participants in the television broadcasts from the Ohnsorg Theater were:

role 1962 and 1966 1974 1996 2016
Ewald Brummer Henry Vahl Heini Kaufeld Jens Scheiblich Horst Arenthold
Hanne Knoop Erna Raupach-Petersen Hilde Sicks Wiebke Weggemann Sandra Keck
Meta Boldt Heidi cable Heidi cable Heidi Mahler Heidi Mahler
Dieter Brummer Edgar Bessen Jürgen Pooch Oskar Ketelhut Evangelos Sargantzo
Heike Seefeldt Gisela Wessel Herma Koehn Beate Kiupel Eileen Weidel
Bernhard Tramsen Ernst Grabbe Werner Riepel Günther Kornas Wolfgang Sommer
Mr. Seefeld Heinz Lanker Heinz Lanker Jürgen Lederer Dieter Schmitt
Staging: Hans Mahler Karl-Otto Ragotzky Michael Koch Michael Koch
TV direction: Alfred Johst Alfred Johst Klaus Bertram

Edgar Bessen, who played the nephew of Ewald Brummer in the first Hamburg production, i.e. the role of Dieter Brummer, was also Henry Vahl's nephew in real life, who, as already mentioned, played the uncle.

action

1st act

Disturbed by noise, Mr. Brummer confronts his neighbor Mrs. Knoop loudly. It's not just about the loud music, but also about the fact that, contrary to the rules in the rental agreement, Ms. Knoop has recently been accommodating a subtenant in her room. The two go apart again, irreconciled. Ms. Boldt appears shortly afterwards. She overheard the argument and is dying to find out more. In doing so, she uses all kinds of tricks to find out about Mr. Brummer and Mrs. Knoop. Ms. Knoop is already familiar with Ms. Boldt's gossip and does not piss her off, but the innocent Mr. Brummer gives her exactly the sensations she craves. Then she storms off to inform the house owner, Mr. Tramsen, of everything. She runs into Dieter Brummer's arms, who moved out of his parents' house after an argument and is now looking for shelter with his uncle Ewald. Meanwhile, the landlord Mr. Tramsen, alarmed by Mrs. Boldt, turns up, who confronts Mrs. Knoop about the subtenant. But she is not deterred, whereupon Mr. Tramsen decides to terminate her lease. After another argument between Ewald Brummer and Mrs. Knoop, Dieter Brummer understands that his uncle, as a correct official a. D. It is impossible to accommodate a subtenant himself, and Dieter realizes that he has to look for a new place to stay. But then he meets Mrs. Knoop's lodger, who turns out to be the pretty Heike Seefeldt, who ran away from home herself. Dieter immediately decides to stay with his uncle despite all the adverse circumstances. A little later, when Mr. Tramsen, who was further incited by Mrs. Boldt, wants to hand over the termination of the rental contract to Mrs. Knoop, Heike Seefeldt opens the door for him, who manages to talk Tramsen out of the termination with her charm. When Ms. Boldt found out, she predicted stormy times for the house.

2nd act

On the morning of New Year's Eve, Ms. Boldt continues to weave her web of lies. So she pretends to have taken over the stairs week for Mr. Brummer, although Mrs. Knoop did the cleaning herself. And also the fresh Berliners that Mrs. Knoop secretly puts in front of Mr. Brummer's door, Mrs. Boldt pretends to be hers. Meanwhile, Heike Seefeldt is weaving her own threads to restore peace at home. So she accepts invitations from Mr. Brummer and Mr. Tramsen to the New Year's Eve ball of the rabbit breeding club Cymbria, but gives away the tickets to Ms. Knoop and Ms. Boldt. Heike accepts Dieter's invitation for herself. A little later, a man appears in the house who turns out to be Heike's father. He found out that Heike was staying with Mrs. Knoop. He quits Frau Knoop's job as his cleaning lady and tries to get Heike to return home. She refuses - even when her father points out her family responsibilities. Ms. Boldt, who was listening again, completely misunderstood this part and is now spreading the rumor that Heike is the lover of the stranger and has a child with him. When Ms. Boldt wanted to listen to Heike about it, Heike took the chance and claims that the man was a detective who was investigating a complaint for gossip and defamation. But Ms. Boldt's shock about this is short-lived - in the end she boasted again that she had nothing to do with all the "sludgy" in the house.

3rd act

In the early hours of New Year's morning, Heike and Dieter return from the New Year's Eve ball. After they have flirted a little and want to retreat to their respective chambers, Heike realizes that her chamber key is kept by Uncle Ewald, who is still at the ball. The two decide that Heike sleeps in Dieter's room for one night while Dieter waits in the stairwell for Uncle Ewald's return, and then sleeps in Heike's room. Uncle Ewald and Mrs. Knoop soon return home in a very good mood. Any quarrel between the two is forgotten, and a tender friendship has even developed. After Dieter received the key and disappeared into Heike's chamber, Mrs. Knoop invites her neighbor for a cup of coffee. At the same time, Uncle Ewald makes a remark that reveals Ms. Boldt's lies of the last few days. Over coffee, Ms. Knoop wants Mr. Brummer to provide more information. After the apartment door has closed behind the two of them, Ms. Boldt appears, who has heard of the return home and, above all, of Mr Brummer's revealing remark. She sees her skins swim away and wants to listen to Mrs. Knoop's door so that she can save herself with the experience. But unexpectedly, Mr. Tramsen appears and Mrs. Boldt has to flee to the laundry floor. Assuming he is knocking on the right door, Tramsen wants to hook up with Heike. But Dieter reacts with presence of mind with a disguised voice and gets rid of trams. At that moment, Uncle Ewald wants to go over to his own apartment, and Mr. Tramsen also has to flee to the laundry floor. After quiet has returned to the hallway, Ms. Boldt and Mr. Tramsen confront each other. After Mr. Tramsen issued a clear warning not to gossip, Ms. Boldt once again draws her own conclusions and is indignant that the new year has started well.

4th act

Still incited by the events of the previous night, Ms. Boldt tries again to spy on her neighbors, but this time she bites heavily on granite at Ms. Knoop and Mr. Brummer's - the two put her in her place and threaten to report Ms. Boldt for defamation . Totally indignant, Mrs. Boldt wants to complain to Mr. Tramsen, but then Mr. Seefeldt appears again, whom Mrs. Boldt still takes for a detective, and she withdraws inconspicuously. Meanwhile, Mr. Seefeldt has to listen to a proper lecture from Mrs. Knoop because he has neglected his daughter so much, and he realizes his mistake. Then there is a great reconciliation between father and daughter, and Dieter gets a chance to take over the business from Mr. Seefeldt. Meanwhile, Ms. Boldt is still not ready to lay down her arms, but after everyone has finally come together, all of Ms. Boldt's misinterpretations and rumors are put into perspective. Frau Boldt stands clean and everyone toasts peace at home and a healthy new year.

Continuation: Gossip in the stairwell ... it goes on!

In 2010, NDR television and the Ohnsorg Theater continued the story of the popular classic "Gossip in the Staircase". Three episodes were produced, which were shown on TV at the end of 2010. Original backdrops and props were even picked out again. What was no longer found in the archive was recreated with great care and attention to detail. Prominent actors had small guest appearances. Each episode lasts about 45 minutes and the whole thing is similar to a comedy show.

  • The following titles of the sequel "Gossip in the stairwell ... it goes on!" Are:
    • (1/3) Ownership obligates
    • (2/3) Under power
    • (3/3) squatting

media

  • Gossip in the stairwell has been available on DVD (1966, b / w, 103 min., Specials: with a copy of the program from 1961/62) in the Ohnsorg Theater Collection since 2007
  • Gossip in the stairwell , audio version, unabridged original soundtrack of the TV performance from 1966. Hinstorff Verlag . Rostock 2008 ISBN 978-3-356-01276-7

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Small stage. Dates accessed: December 31, 2018
  2. ↑ Peter Schmachthagen: Speak Hamburgisch - Volume 2 , Hamburger Abendblatt Edition, Hamburg 2010, ISBN 978-3-939716-31-0
  3. ↑ Repeat tour. Ohnsorg Theater. Gossip in the stairwell ( Memento of the original from October 21, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ; accessed on: December 31, 2016 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.nordtour-gmbh.de
  4. ↑ Gerd Spiekermann : 100 years of Ohnsorg Theater , Die Hanse - Sabine Groenewold Verlage, Hamburg 2002, ISBN 3-434-52600-5
  5. ↑ a b Homepage of the NDR with details on the program, accessed on December 31, 2016
  6. ↑ Source: Request from NDR-Media's recording service on January 5, 2017
  7. ↑ See for example Nordwest-Zeitung : Premiere. Mighty steam in the rumor mill (article on an Oldenburg production) , from: October 23, 2018; accessed on: December 31, 2018 as well as Westfälische Nachrichten : Premiere, the second: “Gossip in the stairwell” at the open-air stage (Reckenfeld) , from: July 9, 2018; accessed on: December 31, 2018
  8. ↑ Cf. Sluderkraam in't Treppenhuus. Comedy by Jens Exler , accessed on: December 31, 2018