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Meanwhile society at large, haunted by inflation, goes reeling towards Fascism. This energetic, hugely entertaining epic premiered in Berlin in 1931 as Nazi forces were gaining in strength. Tales from the Vienna Woods, in this new version, was premiered at the National Theatre on the Olivier stage in October 2003.
About the author
Ödön von Horváth (1901-1938) was born in Fiume, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, of an aristocratic Hungarian-speaking family. His plays include: Italienische Nacht (Italian Night) 1931, Geschichten aus dem Wiener Wald (Tales from the Vienna Woods) 1931, Kasimir und Karoline (Casimir and Caroline) 1932, Figaro Lässt sich Schieden (Figaro Gets a Divorce) 1937, Don Juan Kommt aus dem Krieg (Don Juan Comes Back from the War), produced 1952. Horváth's plays were banned when the Nazis came to power, then neglected in Germany until the 1950s.David Harrower's plays include Knives in Hens, Kill the Old, Torture Their Young, Dark Earth (Traverse Theatre), Presence (Royal Court) The Chrysalids (NT Connections), Blackbird (Edinburgh International Festival; West End), A Slow Air (Tron Theatre, Glasgow), The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, adapted from the novel by Muriel Spark, (Donmar). Adaptations include Büchner's Woyzeck (Edinburgh Lyceum), Chekhov's Ivanov and Horváth's Tales from the Vienna Woods (National Theatre), Schiller's Mary Stuart (National Theatre of Scotland), and Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author, Brecht's The Good Soul of Szechuan and Gogol's The Government Inspector (Young Vic). Film credits: Una; Outlaw King.
Summary
Meanwhile society at large, haunted by inflation, goes reeling towards Fascism. This energetic, hugely entertaining epic premièred in Berlin in 1931 as Nazi forces were gaining in strength. Tales from the Vienna Woods, in this new version, was premièred at the National Theatre on the Olivier stage in October 2003.
Foreword
Tales from the Vienna Woods by Odon von Horvath is here re-imagined by David Harrower, in an energetic and hugely entertaining epic - set against the backdrop of the Vienna Woods - of a society haunted by inflation and reeling towards Fascism.
