Jawohl, meine Herren! - Theater Akzent - Wien - 2027

Theater Akzent, Wien

Berlin in the Golden Twenties: The city is dancing. The Charleston, paso doble, and foxtrot define the spirit of an era caught between new beginnings and the brink of disaster. At the legendary Hotel Adlon, dance couples compete in contests to see who has the fastest feet, while ballrooms, revues, variety shows, and nightclubs shape the vibrant nightlife. Providing the musical soundtrack to this era at the Adlon is the Jewish violinist Marek Weber, whose orchestra fills the dance floor night after night with an unmistakable style and presents light music of the highest caliber. Yet behind the glamorous facade of the “Golden Twenties,” political upheavals are already looming. As early as 1917, Universum Film AG (UFA) was founded by order of the Supreme Army Command under General Ludendorff. Originally conceived as a tool for cinematic propaganda during World War I, it evolved after the war’s end into Europe’s most important film studio. With masterpieces such as “Dr. Mabuse,” “The Nibelungs,” “Faust,” and “Metropolis,” UFA set international standards. In 1929, “Melodie des Herzens” finally ushered in the era of sound film. UFA turned personalities such as Marlene Dietrich, Hans Albers, Heinz Rühmann, Zarah Leander, Lilian Harvey, Marika Rökk, and Renate Müller into unforgettable stars. Likewise, composers and lyricists such as Friedrich Hollaender, Werner Richard Heymann, Ralph Benatzky, Theo Mackeben, Michael Jary, Franz Grothe, Peter Kreuder, Lothar Brühne, and Bruno Balz shaped the sound of an era whose songs continue to resonate to this day. With their new concert program, Nina Proll, the Sinfonietta da Camera Salzburg, and conductor Peter WesenAuer explore this fascinating era—a blend of glamour, entertainment, and political co-optation. The result is far more than just a concert: Nina Proll recounts the moving life stories of those artists whose careers are inextricably linked to early Austrian-German sound films. She shows how differently Marlene Dietrich, Zarah Leander, Hans Albers, Heinz Rühmann, and many others reacted to National Socialism—ranging from emigration to conformity, opportunism, and personal resistance. The unforgettable melodies of this era come to life in symphonic arrangements and blend with the biographical narratives to create an evening that is as moving as it is thought-provoking. The result is a striking musical portrait of an era in which art and entertainment flourished in a unique way—while at the same time being increasingly co-opted by a totalitarian regime. “Yes, Gentlemen!” is a tribute to the great stars of early sound film and, at the same time, a poignant reminder that behind these unforgettable songs often lie moving, contradictory, and fateful life stories.