70. “Ledige Leute”

Moral comedy in three acts by Felix Dörmann
Performance by the Berlin Dramatic Society

When I walked through the streets of Vienna with Felix Dörmann eight years ago, I had the feeling that there is hardly anyone who uses a strong talent like his to fool the world, apart from this calculating eccentric. The man can do whatever he wants. And he never wants to be natural. As they say in Vienna, he couldn't care less about the audience. If he finds one that wants to see worn-out, overripe feelings portrayed, he writes worn-out, overripe feelings. He is vain and wants to be admired. He should write dramas, I thought even then. The "Hervorruf" tickles him. And no one who knows him better doubts that Dörmann can also write good plays if he wants to. He has now written plays. The Berlin Dramatische Gesellschaft even performed one today. The things that Dörmann describes are quite interesting for someone who wants to portray the mores of degenerate Viennese families today. But Dörmann has made a good play out of these things.

The performance showed that the Berliner Dramatische Gesellschaft has capable directors. Hopefully this winter it will also offer us dramatic performances that have a right to be considered by it other than the fact that their performance in theaters is forbidden by the police.