Theater happiness

A vacation for the heart in Vienna’s Josefstadt

Brilliant: the comedic ensemble

(Bild: Theater in der Josefstadt/Astrid Knie)

Carlo Goldoni's "Trilogy of the Summer Retreat", directed by Janusz Kica, succeeds at the Theater in der Josefstadt with an unleashed comedic ensemble. Highly recommended.

At the moment, no one in the capital's theater is imitating the elegant, unhysterical modernity of "Josefstadt", which is oriented towards the text and the actors, as cultivated by director Janusz Kica. In the midst of the compulsively rabid festival weeks, the audience's heart is granted a piece of summer freshness. Kicza (picture: Karin Fritz) uses darker colors than Giorgio Strehler's light-flooded wonder on an almost empty Burgtheater stage. But the principle is the same: all power to Goldoni's text, which charges the commedia dell'arte with psychology and strong female characters; and the actors, who shine at great heights.

People setting off on vacation, then consuming it, then returning from it. But the recreational value is low, because everyone carries their own baggage of unfulfillable longing, life failure and selfishness. Kica solves this brilliantly: The characters are choreographed through, furiously funny to the point of absurdity, but not remote-controlled buffoons, but people in distress.

Moments of summer freshness

(Bild: Theater in der Josefstadt/Astrid Knie)

By the end, all the illusions have been used up, and this very strong finale doesn't seem fully rehearsed. It would have been better if half an hour had been sacrificed beforehand. There is nothing more to say about this enjoyable evening. To name Claudius von Stolzmann, Juliette Larat, Paula Nocker, Katharina Klar, Larissa Fuchs and the Fellini-level Marcello de Nardo among the actors is to do injustice to nine others. One would wish this dilemma on other stages.