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„ Ausschnitt aus: v 244, 6 Gerere
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The German Stage.
Does it Reflect the Morals of
the Country?
Within the last eight or ten years a
curious wave of modernism has engulfed
the German stage, and if, as one is led
to suppose, the drama of the day holds
the mirror up to nature and reflects to al
greater or less degree the average morals
of the day, then Germany must be indeed
in a parlous stäte.
As is generally known, many German
theatres enjoy a State subvention, and
are thereby enabled to offer a very varied
repertory of drama, comedy, and farce
acted by a stock company, alded now and
again by distinguished actors from other
towns, known as Cäste, or guests.
But it is not on these theatres that
the onus of demoralisation lies. They
play Schiller ("Die Räuber*), Goethe
(Faust'), Lessing (“ Nathan der Weise'),
Grillparzer, and other classics in steady
regularitv, eked out by occasional Suder¬
mann, Hauptmann, and Meyer Förster
(“ Alt-Heidelberg*'). Their work is sound
and innocuous.
It is the smaller and privatelv-owned
theatres that-do all the harm. The cities
mainly responsible are Berlin, Leipzig,
Munich, and Hamburg. In each of these
places there are two or three theatres
which thrive night by night, month by K
month, and year by year on the produc¬
tion of lewd, ill-written, unsavoury
pieces, appealing to the lowest intelli¬
gence, and having the same relation to
the real drama that the wretched, tor¬
tured" Art Nouveau' has to pure design.
Some Examples.
One of the plays which has been per¬
formed with great success in many
theatres is" Frühling’s Erwachen' (“ The
Awakening of Spring'), which is im¬
pudently termed“ Eine Kindertragödie?'
71A Children's Tragedy*). Anotherg
play," Musik, treats of prison, a com¬
placent wife, and a blackguard husband,
whois not found out, but is complimented
for his courage and devotion. The samer
author’s Erdgeist' (“ The Spirit of
Earth') is another example of lubricity,
and moral dirt. All three plays haver
been most successful.
A comedy," Zimmerherren? (“ Lod¬
gers?’), was forbidden by the police, butk
has been published and largely sold. Ther
play, Ledige Leute? (“ Single Folk?')
has the merit of being a clever picture of:
a certain section of Viennese fast life,
and although the subject would rightly
ensure its prohibition by our Censor, it 18
zn a certain sense a good play.
Arthur „Schnitzler is another play¬
wright wlomuch appreciated,
land some of his plays have their good
points." Anatol, for instance, is dis-