Hall-on-Danube
Monday, May 18th, 2009
British dramatists are not exactly fêted in the German-speaking theatre at the moment. A notable exception is the way the Volkstheater Vienna accompanied the German première of Lee Hall’s “The Pitmen Painters” with a whole series of events. Not only did they bring over the team of the successful original production at Live Theatre Newcastle. The Guardian commented sadly that Max Roberts therefore didn’t direct Alan Plater’s “Looking for Buddy”: “Eight weeks’ rehearsal and a flight home every weekend: an offer he couldn’t refuse, and one British theatre couldn’t make.” The Volkstheater also had their star actress Maria Bill appearing as Spoonface Steinberg and commissioned German versions of the two one-acters “Wittgenstein-on-Tyne” (particularly appropriate in Vienna) and “Two’s Company” for a rehearsed reading to show the breadth of Hall’s writing. Their Pitmen Painters-package further included a much-publicised exhibition curated by William Feaver from his own collection of works by the Ashington Group, Feaver of course being the author of the book Hall’s play is based upon. Its opening at the Kunsthalle’s “project space Karlsplatz” proved a packed occasion under the patronage of the British ambassador.
Press coverage in Austria was extensive but the highest praise for the Volkstheater crew around head of dramaturgy Susanne Abbrederis appeared in the prestigious Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: “In Ashington being a miner as well as an artist was no contradiction and a proof of human dignity. The same applies to the production and the exhibition in Vienna.” The Volkstheater got a strong left-wing history of its own which the current artistic director Michael Schottenberg tries to continue. It probably was no coincidence that the best performance in the show comes from Erwin Ebenbauer as the bossy trade union official. As the actor is the theatre’s own union representative he earned a number of knowing laughs at the first night.
“The Pitmen Painters” can be seen on the main stage of the huge Volkstheater (where not many new plays are scheduled) until the end of the season and will be taken up again in the autumn. They’re well worth a visit, and art-wise no other German-speaking city, not even Berlin, can compete with Vienna anyway. The marvellous new museum quarter is just around the corner of the theatre and the Kunsthistorisches Museum across the road. Nearby, too, is the trendy Spittelberg area where loads of pubs and restaurants wait for those exhausted by so much culture on so few square feet (I particularly recommend the Siebensternbräu). Vienna is not known as a centre of coal-mining but it did Lee Hall and the Ashington Group proud.
