Showing results for "Frank Wedekind" in Drama & Plays

Step into the world of Pandoras Box, a groundbreaking play by German dramatist Frank Wedekind that first captivated audiences in 1904. This gripping piece is the second part of his renowned Lulu plays, with the first being Earth Spirit from 1895. Together, they explore a society torn apart by the insatiable cravings of lust and greed. The play inspired G. W. Pabsts 1929 silent film adaptation and laid the foundation for Alban Bergs opera Lulu, which premiered posthumously in 1937. Originally conceived as a five-act drama subtitled A Monster Tragedy, Wedekind later divided it into two plays, ...

Earth Spirit (1895) (Erdgeist) is a captivating play by German playwright Frank Wedekind. It serves as the first part of his renowned Lulu duo, with the second installment being Pandoras Box (1904). Both works lay bare a society torn apart by the relentless forces of lust and greed. Wedekinds narrative not only inspired the silent film Pandoras Box (1929), featuring the iconic Louise Brooks, but also influenced Alban Bergs opera Lulu, which premiered posthumously in 1935. The titular earth spirit, Lulu, is portrayed as a woman created to stir up great disaster, embodying pure sexuality that ...

The Awakening of Spring marks the debut of German playwright Frank Wedekind and stands as a pivotal piece in the evolution of modern theatre. This powerful drama delves into the sexually repressive culture of fin de siècle Germany, vividly bringing to life the erotic fantasies that such oppression fosters. Due to its provocative content, the play has faced numerous bans throughout history, adding to its notoriety and significance. (Summary by Wikipedia and wildemoose)

Frank Wedekind (1864-1918) was the most controversial dramatist of his age. Most of his work focuses on the ubiquity and inevitably corrupting influence of sexual attraction. His most famous plays are the two that depict the rise, fall, and eventual gruesome death of the vampish Lulu, who, in Wedekind’s presentation, became a ghastly parody of Goethe’s “Eternal Feminine”. The first of the plays is Earth Spirit, in which Lulu marries and survives three husbands, only to face prosecution for the shooting of the third.

On the day of his departure to sing Tristan in Brussels, the celebrated tenor Gerardo receives three unwelcome visitors. Despite their persistent attentions, he manages to honor his singing contract, but at an unexpected personal cost.

Der renommierte Gesangslehrer Josef unterhält ein Liebesverhältnis mit seiner Schülerin Klara. Als seine Frau Else davon Wind bekommt ist das nicht weiter tragisch - als weitaus desaströser für alle Beteiligten erscheint die Veröffentlichung dieses Verhältnisses durch den arroganten Revolverjournalisten Lindekuh. Der einzige ehrliche Mensch weit und breit ist Klara, doch ihr wird unter brutalen Bedingungen vermittelt, dass die Fassade der Wirklichkeit wichtiger ist als die Wirklichkeit. Klaras Kopf kann die Realität nicht mehr verarbeiten - doch zerbricht sie daran?

Spring Awakening (German: Frühlings Erwachen) was the first major play by Frank Wedekind. It was written in the early 1890s but, due to opposition from censorship authorities, was not presented on stage until 1906. The play explores two contentious themes: the development of adolescent sexuality and the repressive nature of the German education system.

This play forms part of a tetralogy which focuses on one of Wedekind's obsessive themes: the destructive interplay between primal sexual urges and social convention. Each play revolves around a powerful young female character, who has the power to control and captivate men, but who in turn is destroyed by the exercise of that power. In Castle Wetterstein, that role is represented by Effie, the young daughter of a bourgeois widow, who is being courted by the man who killed her late husband in a duel.

This play forms part of a tetralogy which focuses on one of Wedekind's obsessive themes: the destructive interplay between primal sexual urges and social convention. Each play revolves around a powerful young female character, who has the power to control and captivate men, but who in turn is destroyed by the exercise of that power. In this play, the dominant female is Fräulein Elfriede von Malchus, an idealistic crusader who visits a brothel operated by the cynical impresario Casti-Piani in order to rescue a young woman who has fallen into his clutches.