THEATERTAG: Die gefesselte Phantasie

In a society that is mainly preoccupied with news of crises and dealing with problems, Ferdinand Raimund’s magical play Die gefesselte Phantasie offers an escape to a fantastical world. Herbert Fritsch’s vibrant production celebrates playful, red-blooded expression in a radical way, thereby raising questions that are very appropriate for Theatre Day: How can theatre create an alternate world in which giddy laughter is possible? Is mindless fun allowed in theatre today, and at what point does it stop being fun and turn into a provocation? Or is laughter something that doesn’t so much distract from the seriousness of the situation, but rather sharpens our focus on it?

To reflect on these questions, the RED NOSES association and the Burgtheater will host an audience discussion following a special performance of Die gefesselte Phantasie.

One-time special price incl. discussion €6.00

Audience discussion with Martin Kotal (artistic director at RED NOSES), Gunther Eckes, Sebastian Wendelin & Andreas Karlaganis (dramaturgy)

Moderation: Eva Konzett, FALTER

In cooperation with the RED NOSES association & FALTER

About the production:

Imagine a beautiful, peaceful floral island where every inhabitant is a poet. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. In Ferdinand Raimund’s magical play DIE GEFESSELTE PHANTASIE, which premiered at the Theater in der Leopoldstadt in 1828, two wicked sisters arrive to disrupt the peace. An oracle tells the queen that, to banish them from the island, she would need to marry a partner worthy of her. The strong-willed queen, for her part, has sworn an oath to only ever marry a poet. When she tries to resolve the conflict amicably, the wicked sisters lay the island to waste and all the courtiers flee. The queen announces that she will marry the man who writes her the most beautiful poem. But the sisters thwart her plan by taking all imagination captive so that no one is able to write poems anymore. From this point onwards, the grotesque and fantastical play takes a bizarre turn.

Herbert Fritsch, specialist for comedies and author of funny whimsical plays, will free the imagination. In recent years he directed THE IMAGINARY INVALID and THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, among other productions, at the Burgtheater. This is Fritsch’s first magical play by Ferdinand Raimund. Raimund himself took to the stage for the world premiere, playing Nachtigall, the harpist. It cannot be ruled out that Fritsch might do the same.