Weiherspiele 2022: Patience and perseverance have paid off

Created: 07/03/2022 15:56

By: Friedbert Holz

The pond games are colorful again this summer.

© Dziemballa

After a two-year break, there are pond games again in Markt Schwaben.

The premiere went well.

Markt Schwaben - The patience of both those active in the theater association and its many fans has paid off: finally, after a forced break of two years, everyone was able to get a taste of the theater air over the pond again - the predatory comedy "Das Wirtshaus im Eberwald" celebrated an extremely successful one there Premiere.

"You bring stage magic to the pond for four weeks every year," said Mayor Michael Stolze excitedly when he welcomed an almost full audience.

But not only the expectant theater fans beamed with him, the evening sun finally peeked over the trees, having won against the rain that had still dominated the day.

But now, finally, the first robbers came onto the magnificent and large wooden stage, created by carpenters from the neighborhood and in front of the wonderful scenery by Uwe Wilfert.

Peter (Christian Jäger) and Paul (director Ferdinand Maurer in a supporting role) are "only" robber's assistants.

But in addition to a lot of singing, they also feel a lot of hunger, so they steal their snack from the goldsmith journeymen Max (Michael Schweighart) and Felix (Finn Uetzmann) who are passing by.

Actually, they should, at the behest of their Austro-Hungarian captain Karl (Michael Siegert, he also created the stage design), wait for the carriage of Countess Franziska von Kellerberg (Sabine Bogenrieder).

Because the boss of the robbers, who "only steals from people who have also taken something from others",

wants to take the daughter of Count Heinrich von Kellerberg (Franz Hermannsgabner) hostage, her ransom is said to bring 20,000 marks.

She is traveling with her much older fiancé Baron von Sperling (member of the board Franz Stetter), but actually doesn't want to marry him at all.

A piece with a few twists

Also in the wake: Chaplain Benedikt (a great role for theater veteran Hermann Bogenrieder) and maid Katharina (Julia Geitner).

But then everything goes completely differently than expected: The brave journeyman Felix offers himself to the Countess in the inn in Eberwald to play hostage in her clothes and in her place.

Meanwhile, the noble daughter, disguised as a man, is to fetch the desired ransom from her father.

The trick works, Franziska can escape, but her stingy dad doesn't even think about ransoming her.

Instead, he sings, tormented, about "disdainful mammon" (which he himself lacks), dreams of his son-in-law's lots of money (but who is also clammy).

In general, there are a lot of dreamers on the scene: robber Rupert (Bernhard Kulzer) finally wants to eat well again, the resolute landlady Rosi (Christa Hermannsgabner) has fallen in love with the handsome robber captain, her daughter Camilla (Isabella Langmeier) makes journeyman Max beautiful eyes .

Finally, the light French girl Babette (Brigitte Knauer) floats provocatively across the stage: She has already slept her way through many robbers' tents and would like to start a new dance career at some point, "in my Moulin Rouge".

She becomes, quite by accident, the object of Chaplain Benedict's missionary efforts.

He has taken on the whore and wants to convert her.

In fact, Babette likes the priest's sin-confession-forgiveness concept quite well, only bitingly commented by robber-cook Alma (Anna Seiler, at 82 years old: still in top form): "The eternal cycle of Catholicism stops".

Countess Franziska, who doesn't want to be sold ("I'm not a circus horse after all"), meanwhile sings about her fate, brags, now in man's trousers, in front of the robber captain about a jeweler's robbery.

also read

Serious accident near Langwied: Four injured

Train conductor attacked - dispute over expired 9-euro ticket escalated

Ultimately, events take an unexpected course, albeit with a peaceful ending.

In fact, Ferdinand Maurer not only succeeded admirably in rewriting Wilhelm Hauff's original novella for today and in his home country, but also in giving it a lot of local color.

Together with Christian Jäger, he also created five wonderful, groovy songs whose melodies "ignite" immediately - quite a few in the audience let their legs tap the rhythm, some even began to sway.

And so a very unique, rousing atmosphere is quickly created, which is sure to inspire all other visitors as well.

When City Hall boss Stolze said on stage during the welcome that it was "a great feeling to be standing here", he could not have guessed that it was also a moving feeling for the crowd of visitors to sit here: to the new play of the theater association to see that will be played there until July 30th.

You can read more news from the Ebersberg region here.

By the way: everything from the region is also available in our regular Ebersberg newsletter