Contemporary social critique in modern performances of Johann Nestroy’s farces at Viennese theatres

Abstract

The Viennese theatre is inseparably linked with the person of Johann Nepomuk Nestroy. With satire and song, the playwright drew his audience’s attention to the darker sides of society and mocked the vices of the rich and powerful, who have always been particularly grateful victims of comedy. Although more than 160 years have passed since his death, the themes that Nestroy had once parodied in his time have not lost their importance. On the basis of some contemporary Nestroy performances at Viennese theatres, the article analyses the topicality of the social problems. The focus of the paper is on the texts adapted for the productions, and thus the extent of the various changes compared to the original works.