136. “The Nasty Lord”

Drama in three acts by Elsbeh Meyer-Förster
Performance by the Sezessions-Bühne, Berlin

With the third of its performances, the production of the three-act "drama" "Der gnädige Herr" by Elsbeth Meyer-Förster, the Sezessions-Bühne has presented its audience with a riddle that is not easy to solve. It is well known that the Marlitt of the past is scolded today, the Marlitt of today, who is undoubtedly Elsbeth Meyer-Förster, is praised with praise after praise. But the fact that such a fashionable judgment could have moved the directors of the Secession stage to incorporate an excessively childish work into their repertoire is painful, especially if - like me - one wants to be full of appreciation for the beautiful efforts of these directors.

The inspector of a Polish estate has grown old and would undoubtedly be dismissed if his older daughter did not allow herself to play "sixty-six" with the landowner. She has morals in her body and must be worked hard by her mother and her bridegroom in order to please the "gracious lord" and thus also her family and this bridegroom. For the fate of this groom also depends on his bride "playing sixty-six". He is a temporary teacher and can only hope for a permanent position if the lord of the manor favors him. The good teacher is not stupid. He wants to live, and why shouldn't he prefer a comfortable existence to a monopoly on his wife. So that a few episodes can be created, there is also a manor trainee who loves the teacher's bride, who hates the teacher's red tie - here it is not a symbol of a social-democratic attitude - and a backfish, a younger sister of the "sixty-six playing" bride, who runs after the men without ceasing. All of this is welded together in a rarely awkward way into a play that is performed quite moderately on the Secession stage.