translated and summarized by: Liz Wollner-Grandville,
120710: Wendelin Pressl – Revue Successful theatre with digestion
Wendelin Pressl – Revue
Successful theatre with digestion
Vienna is a city in which many things feel at home. One could also say that Vienna is a city with a lively digestion, because in the evenings the traces left behind by the horse carriages are washed from the streets. Many of those who are not in Vienna want to be here.
Nonetheless, Vienna is a city that had to digest a lot, and it is a city in which one could breed black corneal to withstand the hot soot emerging from exhaust pipes even when wearing flip-flops. Too much traffic leads to congestion and flatulence. Squares could actually allow us to have a clear view of the sky, despite the numerous multi-storied houses. But busses, taxis, trucks, motorbikes, and private cars are frequently forced to use underground passages - beneath the sky above these house-free squares. It is admirable that the colour of the sky is still blue when the sun shines. One of those squares, which functioned more like an intestinal loop for traffic than for a walk, was the Fritz-Grünbaum-Platz in Vienna’s Mariahilf district, located between the bomb shelter, the Apollo Cinema and Windmühlgasse near Gumpendorferstrasse. Fritz Grünbaum was a successful comedian, actor and master of ceremonies until the honour of his freedom was taken in 1938 as well as that of a decent funeral; he was murdered in 1941 in Dachau.
Since April 15 a temporary installation has been set up at the Fritz-Grünbaum Platz, forming an integrated stand with stairs and transforming the square into a stage. The difference in levels between the Schadekgasse and the square filled with trees in front of the bomb shelter is doubled up with Wendelin Pressl’s “Revue” and simultaneously levelled out with the upper ranks. The connection between the playful character of revue usually accompanied by music and the looking-back to Fritz Grünbaum’s history appears genuinely sensitive and without any cliché. The staircase is open for everyone and has turned into a public piece of furniture - its character reminding of the first theatres in the first cities. Theater offers the experience of a stage in a magical space, which in turn enables the expansion of awareness.
By Gesche Heumann
Fritz-Grünbaum-Platz 1060 Vienna
Until October 15, 2010
120710
Wien Museum Karlsplatz
1040 Wien, Karlsplatz
Tel: +43 1 5058747-0, Fax: +43 1 5058747-7201
Email:
http://www.wienmuseum.at
Öffnungszeiten: Di-So 10.00-18.00 Uhr
Wien Museum Karlsplatz
1040 Wien, Karlsplatz
Tel: +43 1 5058747-0, Fax: +43 1 5058747-7201
Email:
http://www.wienmuseum.at
Öffnungszeiten: Di-So 10.00-18.00 Uhr