An evening full of surprises: Emperor Joseph and the train attendant daughter in the TAM

An evening full of surprises: Emperor Joseph and the train attendant daughter in the TAM

On October 18 at 7:30 p.m., the TAM will present a special scenic reading: "Emperor Joseph and the Bahn keeper daughter" by Fritz von Herzmanovsky-Orlando. This piece, which plays long before the railway, is a literary highlight that is both humorous and weird and offers numerous bizarre characters.

The plot of the piece is about Emperor Josef II, who travels incognito into a remote region. Here he meets an idiosyncratic group of poachers, provincial heroines, boiling steam locomotives and a constantly lustful emperor. Despite the chaotic event, the story develops in such a way that everything ends well.

representation and accompaniment

The 22 unconventional characters are masterfully embodied by Bernd Remsing. He switches at lightning speed between the roles of Emperor Joseph, the train attendant Noberl, Wilderer Teuxelsieder Franz and the widow Leopoldine Gackermaier. These transformations are lively accompanied by the performances of the spontaneous composer Gabriele Stöger, who plays on her "left -handed violin" and uses other noise apparatus.

After successful appearances in Vienna, the duo is now on the way to the province, where the piece has its origin. The Austrian province and remote areas of the Danube monarchy are a backdrop for the surrealistic and anarchist elements of the work. Herzmanovsky-Orlando's play has connections to the avant-garde both in terms of content and formally and influenced later writers such as Konrad Bayer and H.C. Artmann.

The line -up is impressive: Bernd Remsing, born in 1972, has completed an apprenticeship in acting and directing as well as studying German studies and history. He lives and works in Vienna, where he realizes readings, museum tours and his own direction projects. Gabriele Stöger, who was born in Waidhofen/Thaya, leads her knowledge as Dr. phil. in various ways in theater and political science, including through the establishment of the “living textile museum of Groß-Siegharts” and her freelance work as a cultural mediator and moderator.