Josefstadt premiere
The eternal philistine and his enigmatic teachings
Max Frisch's work of genius "Biedermann and the Arsonists" can certainly be enjoyed in a solid performance at the Theater an der Josefstadt.
The thought that the work of Swiss writer Max Frisch, who died in 1991, will not be in the public domain until 2061 is incredibly comforting: It is only 70 years after the creator's death that directors are allowed to be so free to inflict vulgarities on literary texts as they see fit. We still have this legal situation to thank for usable Brecht productions until 2026. And Frisch's classic "Biedermann und die Brandstifter" (1958) also benefits greatly if it is played from the page in peace. As is currently happening at "Josefstadt".
The "didactic play without a lesson", as Frisch called it with an ironic reference to Brecht, is extremely intricate: a philistine tolerates two homeless people taking up residence in his attic out of cowardice and a desire to harmonize in order to burn down his house. History can be burdened with all the political truths and banalities in the world. Preferably that we stagger into disaster with our eyes wide open out of cowardice. But it can also be taken literally in a beguilingly incorrect way: Never give shelter to a non-sedentary, otherwise he will burn down your place. Literarily, the text is in good shape. The somewhat labored epilogue from the contemporary phenomena of existentialism and the absurd is brilliantly compensated for by the magnificent Greek choruses of the firemen. Stefanie Mohr's production allows the audience to think for themselves, and the result is solid theater in the best sense of the word. No Kickl masks for the arsonists, no non-binary salon dirndl for the Biedermann - how relaxing! Markus Bluhm leaves no groveling reflex unused in the title role, Joseph Robert Bartl, Katharina Klar, Dominic Oley and Alexandra Krismer delight at the head of an impeccable ensemble, in that order.
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