Unexpected
| Data | |
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| Title: | Unexpected |
| Genus: | Farce with singing in three acts |
| Original language: | German |
| Author: | Johann Nestroy |
| Literary source: | Boquillon à la recherche d'un père by Jean-François Bayard |
| Music: | Adolf Müller senior |
| Publishing year: | 1845 |
| Premiere: | April 23, 1845 |
| Place of premiere: | Theater an der Wien , Vienna |
| Place and time of the action: | The action takes place in a big city |
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Unexpected is a farce with singing in three acts by Johann Nestroy . The play was premiered on April 23, 1845 in the Theater an der Wien in support of the families in Bohemia most in need of immediate help due to Wassernoth .
content
While the painter Arnold fell in love with Gabriele, Walzl's wife, while painting portraits, Herr von Ledig is a die-hard bachelor. Arnold's plea for marriage does not impress him either.
- “Love is beautiful, you can stop loving when you are no longer happy, but with marriage! the consciousness: You must now be married all the time, that alone kills one. " (First act, second scene)
But suddenly a child is deposited in his apartment and even a nanny steps in. The search for the mother remains in vain for the time being.
An illegible business card causes even more confusion, because it does not come from the child's mother, but from Gabriele. This worries about Arnold, who wants to duel because of her. Walzl's jealousy can only be partially calmed. In the meantime, Marie, who had brought the foundling, has turned up at Single, but immediately escapes. When single searches all too directly for his mother in a straw hat factory, the angry workers want to beat him up.
- " No, I asked very politely: 'My dearest mothers-to-be, please tell me, which of them is the mama of the kindly intended child for me?'" (Third act, fifth scene)
Finally it turns out that single had a love affair with marriage in Tulpingen - now he believes that he is the father himself. In truth, it is the child of his nephew Berg that the mother Therese, who believed she had abandoned, wanted Marie to look after her. Herr von Ledig puts nephews and grandchildren as heirs in his will and the "unexpected" phrases come to a happy end.
- Walzl: "Ah, that's unexpected"!
- Everyone: "Truly unexpected!" (Third act, sixteenth scene)
Factory history
On March 28 and 29, 1845, the Vltava and Elbe flooded their banks and caused severe damage in Bohemia , especially in Prague and the surrounding area. Director Carl Carl took the opportunity to present himself as a benefactor and to announce a benefit performance for the flood victims on April 8th, for which Johann Nestroy would write a new play. In addition, he donated a sum of 1000 guilders as an advance to the support committee in Prague (an additional 2000 guilders were added after accounting for the first performance). However, it took until April 23rd before the new work was ready for the stage. The decoration was still being worked on until the last moment. At the premiere, under the leadership of Emperor Ferdinand I , the imperial mother Maria Theresa and Archduke Franz, who later became Emperor Franz Joseph I , and other family members appeared.
This was the last premiere performance of a Nestroy play in the Theater an der Wien , as director Carl had to give up this house, but at the same time moved to the theater in the Leopoldstadt , where the performance was then unexpectedly continued.
The material comes from the French comédie-vaudeville Boquillon à la recherche d'un père by Jean-François Bayard , which was premiered on January 15, 1845 at the Parisian Théâtre des Variétés . This short span between the Paris and Vienna performances also shows the time pressure Nestroy was under. Nevertheless, there is some preliminary work that shows that Nestroy had worked intensively on the template.
Johann Nestroy played Herr von Ledig, Wenzel Scholz played Herr von Walzl, Alois Grois played Falk's fashion merchant.
A handwritten manuscript by Nestroy for this piece has not been preserved, only a sheet with notes as preliminary work is in the possession of the manuscript collection of the Vienna Library in the City Hall . A theater manuscript by another hand with the working title Inexplicable is in the Berlin State Archives , with reference to the license to perform for the Berlin State Theater on September 5, 1881. A personal score by Adolph Müller is kept in the music collection of the Vienna Library in the City Hall. After a letter from Nestroy on April 25, 1845, he acquired the right of ownership of the score for the farce .
Contemporary receptions
A first review of the premiere could be read on April 25 in the magazine Der Humorist :
- The audience deservedly rewarded this praiseworthy act of humanity by repeatedly calling out Mr. Director, [...] Also Mr. Nestroy was called repeatedly during and at the end of the play. […] The performance was honored by the presence of Sr. Majesty the Emperor and some members of the Supreme Court; the majesties were received with jubilation.
In the criticism of the next day (No. 100, April 26, 1845, p. 398 f.), Nestroy criticized the magazine, which was always reserved, for not even attempting to give his muse a better, more moral direction , albeit the actor was praised. The angry Nestroy went on a summer tour and even after his return to Vienna did not say anything about himself for almost a year. This piece then became The Insignificant .
Adolf Bäuerle's Wiener Theaterzeitung (No. 99, April 25, 1845, p. 397 f.) Assessed the work positively, as it had pleasantly freed itself from the vaudevillistic slipperiness of the original and emphasized the success for Nestroy, the ensemble and director Carl. In contrast, the Viennese magazine for art, literature and fashion (No. 82, April 25, 1845, p. 327.) is also impressed by the original, which is one of the most successful, piquant and delightful farces ; Nestroy's editing is also described as very successful, rich in funny incursions and failures and good couplets :
- Burlesque proper has its greatest representative in Nestroy.
Further performances
The hiker called unexpectedly, already on 12 May 1845 a Cassastück the first order , which was confirmed by a large number of performances in Vienna and other cities.
During Nestroy's lifetime, these took place in Prague (1845, 1846, 1849), Brno (1845), Linz (1850), Berlin (1845, 1847), Munich (1845), Graz (1846), Leipzig (1848) and Lemberg (1850) ). Wenzel Scholz made a guest appearance with the piece in Hamburg in 1845.
A few months before his death (May 25, 1862), Nestroy played Herr von Ledig for the last time as a guest on February 6th in the Theater am Franz-Josef-Quai of his former stage colleague Carl Treumann , the well-known comedians Alois Grois and Wilhelm Knaack gave it Walzl and the Falk. This was also a benefit evening for the benefit of flood victims.
After Nestroy's death, the play was played many times, including in 1869 and 1881 with Karl Blasel as Herr von Ledig, in 1899 and 1911 with Willy Thaller and in 1925 with Ferdinand Maierhofer in the Akademietheater (Vienna) .
literature
- Helmut Ahrens : I'm not auctioning myself off to the laurel. Johann Nestroy, his life. Societäts-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1982, ISBN 3-7973-0389-0 , pp. 268-274.
- Fritz Brukner / Otto Rommel : Johann Nestroy, Complete Works. Historical-critical complete edition, thirteenth volume, published by Anton Schroll & Co., Vienna 1929; 1-92, 589-602.
- Jürgen Hein (Ed.): Johann Nestroy; Pieces 23 / I. In: Jürgen Hein / Johann Hüttner : Johann Nestroy, Complete Works, Historical-Critical Edition. Jugend und Volk, Vienna / Munich 1994, ISBN 3-224-16900-1 .
Web links
- Table of contents on www.nestroy.at/nestroy-stuecke/55 (accessed on March 8, 2014)
Individual evidence
- ↑ This means Vienna, as can be seen from the couplet texts
- ↑ Partikulier = wealthy rentier or privateer in the 19th century; Today in inland shipping, he is an independent ship owner who drives himself
- ↑ Nanny = nanny
- ^ Brukner / Rommel: Johann Nestroy, Complete Works. Pp. 12-13.
- ^ Brukner / Rommel: Johann Nestroy, Complete Works. P. 78.
- ^ Brukner / Rommel: Johann Nestroy, Complete Works. P. 91.
- ↑ Helmut Ahrens: I am not auctioning myself off to the laurel. Pp. 268-270.
- ↑ Facsimile of the entire text from the Magasin Théâtral, Paris, in Jürgen Hein: Johann Nestroy; Pieces 23 / I. Pp. 275-308.
- ^ Facsimile in Jürgen Hein: Johann Nestroy; Pieces 23 / I. Pp. 257-263.
- ↑ Manuscript collection of the Vienna library in the town hall, call number IN 33.349
- ↑ Landesarchiv Berlin, U 54.
- ↑ Music collection of the Vienna library in the town hall, MH 861.
- ↑ The Humorist, magazine for joke and seriousness, art, theater, sociability and custom , editor Moritz Gottlieb Saphir (from 1837 to 1862).
- ^ Jürgen Hein: Johann Nestroy; Pieces 23 / I. Pp. 149-150.
- ^ Jürgen Hein: Johann Nestroy; Pieces 23 / I. P. 153.