94. “The Legacy”

Play in three acts by Arthur Schnitzler
Performance at the Deutsches Theater, Berlin

So far I have always had to compare Schnitzler's dramatic achievements with women who, because of the gracefulness of their outward appearance and the tastefulness of their toilette, do not allow us to wonder whether their soul is also important or not. "The Legacy", however, challenges this question. Schnitzler's talent and his style do not seem to be sufficient for a problem as important as the one dealt with here. His brisk dramatic power of representation is obviously only in its element when it concerns the small circles drawn by life. "The Legacy", which Hugo Losatti leaves to his family after being mortally wounded by a fall from a horse, revolutionizes the souls of a number of people. Schnitzler is not enough of a psychologist to portray this revolution of the soul convincingly and profoundly. We don't see inside the characters, so we don't really want to understand what they say and do. The legacy is Hugo Losatti's lover and his child. He expresses his last wish that his family should take the two beings, whom he loved more than anything else, into their home. The father, a half-mad professor of economics, knows nothing about such a wish. But as he is a good fellow and an incredible weakling, it is not difficult for him to accept the "legacy" after all. The mother is immediately inclined to do so when the son tells her his secret. However, we gain no idea of her character traits. We are therefore indifferent as to how she behaves. We do get to know the sister Franziska better, and it therefore makes some impression that she wholeheartedly says "yes" to her brother's wish and that she even loves her beloved deeply. But it seems to me that here we have before us a character of the staid Birch-Pfeiffer in a modern dress. Such characters can also be found in the realm of the "Gartenlaube". - Of course, the theatrical counterpart of this girl must not be missing. His name is Dr. Ferdinand Schmidt, he came from a poor background, was Hugo's tutor and, after becoming a doctor, is on friendly terms with Losattis. The contrast would not be expressed strongly enough if the unprejudiced, tender-hearted Franziska and the prejudiced, cheerful Schmidt did not fall in love with each other. So they do. Schmidt finds it unappealing from the outset to see how the Losattis "sully" their reputation by taking the "mistress" and the son's offspring into their home.

The plot is clear soon after the curtain rises. People like the Losattis have consciences, so they fulfill a child's wish. The illegitimately conceived boy is immediately introduced to us as a sick child. So he will soon die. So there will soon be an opportunity to chase the unwelcome mother out of the house. So the play will end with her committing suicide. The Losattis are faint-hearted people, so they need someone to talk them out of keeping the "legacy". That's what Dr. Schmidt is there for. His behavior opens Franziska's eyes and she rejects the crude man. While all this is going on according to plan, Emma Winter, the widow of Mrs. Losatti's brother, walks through the door every now and then and talks "beyond good and evil", like a real female trance. She even wants to take the unhappy lover of the deceased into the house, but is finally dissuaded by her daughter - so that the suicide is possible.

These are weighty concessions that Schnitzler makes today to the external art of scenery. The same Schnitzler in whom we have never noticed a lack of depth, as long as he only abandoned himself to his amiable nature.

This time the Deutsches Theater has shown what it can do, after making it clear to us in "Cyrano" what it cannot do. With the exception of Louise Dumont, who was not really up to the thankless female role of the star, the other actors gave perfect performances. Reicher, Rittner, Sauer and Winterstein deserve special mention.