In anderen Sprachen – Seite 5 – Die Auswärtige Presse e.V.

„Big Boys“ – the new play at the English Theatre of Hamburg

By Uta Buhr

„BIG BOYS“ – THE NEW PLAY AT THE ENGLISH THEATRE OF HAMBURG, WRITTEN BY RICH ORLOFF

Did you ever hear of Rich Orloff? If not, it is high time to learn a good many things about this gifted playwright who likes to compose over-the-top comic fables as to what men value and desire. In fact, “Big Boys”, a screwball comedy which premiered in 1997 in the United States, became very quickly a great success nationwide. The subject of the play is as old as mankind itself: greed and man’s desire to dominate over other people. The relationship between a self-satisfied, bully, amoral and – of course – very successful boss and his new insecure, highly moral and unhappy assistant-to-be is dealt with in detail in this hilarious two-character comedy. Continue reading „„Big Boys“ – the new play at the English Theatre of Hamburg“

Magic of the Paint-Brush

By Wöhlke/ Witka und Dr. László Kova

„Magic of the Paint-Brush“ Fine Art Exhibition of Witka and Dr. László Kova

It is something special when a married couple is doing the same by profession. About 30 years ago they met accidently in Hamburg/Germany: She came from Masuria/Poland and he had migrated from Budapest/Hungary. Both of them love the nature. With paint-brushes and palettes they travel the world and capture their impressions in colors. Galleries in Europe, the USA and Australia exhibit their works of art frequently.

She, Witka Kova, prefers water colors, he, Dr. László Kova, mostly works with oil on canvas. In Continue reading „Magic of the Paint-Brush“

The Importance of Being Earnest

By Uta Buhr

A sensational brand-new production of Oscar Wilde’s comedy “The Importance of Being Earnest” at the English Theatre of Hamburg

What about the saying that names mean nothing? To Gwendolen Fairfax and Cecily Cardew the name Ernest means everything! Both posh young ladies feel that they can only love and marry a man by the name of Ernest because in their opinion this name promises a pure and serious character. Believe it or not, but the whole plot of Oscar Wilde’s “fanciful absurd comedy” is build around this rather common name. Two young gentlemen – Algernon (nickname Algy) and Jack – also belonging to the British upper class, fall in love with Gwendolen and Cecily and insist on their being baptised Ernest in order to please the ladies. It goes without saying that this little white lie, as they may call it, entails great trouble. Continue reading „The Importance of Being Earnest“

Touch And Go – The new play at the English Theatre of Hamburg

By Uta Buhr

This hilarious comedy by the British playwright Derek Benfield is just the ideal entertainment on a grey November evening and certainly the right thing for Christmas or New Year’s Eve.

The fan club of the small but very nice stage will greatly enjoy this play which the author chose to dub “farce” instead of comedy. And a farce it is in fact since the plot is so commonplace and yet extremely funny. In the proper sense of the word touch and go is an aeronautic term, meaning the start of a plane. However, in the figurative sense it means risky or uncertain. That’s it: two couples, a fake Red Cross Nurse and coq au vin all combine to a really risky adventure! Continue reading „Touch And Go – The new play at the English Theatre of Hamburg“

„Reasons to be Pretty“ by Neil Labute

by Uta Buhr

The new Play at the English Theatre of Hamburg

Name one human being that does not want to be beautiful or at least good looking! But how does one describe beauty, and how important is it in everyday life? Neil Labute’s play “Reasons to be Pretty” – by the way the first one to be staged on Broadway – is all about physical attraction and how people deal with it. The plot centres around four young working class friends and lovers who become increasingly dissatisfied with their dull lives and each other. “Reasons to be Pretty” is the last – and weakest – installment of a trilogy that focuses on modern man’s obsession with physical Continue reading „„Reasons to be Pretty“ by Neil Labute“

Ötven éve szól magyarul az ige Hamburgban

Von Ferenc Horvath

Ötven éve szól magyarul az ige Hamburgban, a Szt. Bernard templomban

1962 márciusában került Hamburg poppenbütteli plébánosi székébe a Magyarországon született Czodor István Atya. Ő honosította meg még ugyanabban az évben a német mellett a rendszeres magyar nyelvű katolikus szentmiséket a város északi csücskében. Ezeket azóta is minden hónap első vasárnapján ünnepli meg Hamburg és környékének magyarsága immár ötven éve, Czodor Atya nyugdíjba vonulása után jelenlegi új lelkipásztorával, Rasztovac Pál Atyával. Continue reading „Ötven éve szól magyarul az ige Hamburgban“

„Moon over the Brewery“

By Uta Buhr

„Moon over the Brewery“ by Bruce Graham – the new play at the English Theatre of Hamburg

The fabulous world that teenager Amanda Waslyk has built around her dull existence can by no means compete with that of Amélie, alias Audrey Toutou. Do you remember that gorgeous French film, showing those hot spots and old quarters around Montmartre? In order to cope with her loneliness in Beertown, a dirty coal town in Pennsylvania, thirteen year old Amanda invents Randolph, a smart and handsome Continue reading „„Moon over the Brewery““

“The Comedy of Errors“ by William Shakespeare

Uta Buhr

The new Play at the English Theatre of Hamburg

Did you know that William Shakespeare, Britain’s greatest playwright ever, wrote one of the first “Sitcoms?” If you do not like this rather trivial modern word, just call it a farce. It is true that Shakespeare’s shortest and perhaps earliest comedy is based on the oeuvre by the well-known Roman citizen and comic playwright Plautus who lived around 250 B.C. The plot is quite intricate since two sets of identical twins are involved in the play, both being accidentally separated by birth on a boat totally damaged during a heavy storm in the Mediterranean Sea. Years Continue reading „“The Comedy of Errors“ by William Shakespeare“

Nekrolog – Papa

Von Dr. Ferenc Horvath

Tegnap hajnalban végleg elaludt. Fájdalmak nélkül, összekuporodva, mint egy kisgyerek.
Talán kedvenc ételével, a halászlével, vagy kedvenc italával, a Colával álmodta magát a másvilágra. A repülőn ülve, lehet épp lelke mellett suhanva el most rá gondolok. Emlékek özöne tódul ilyenkor fel.
Az első futball labda, mellyel a Népligetben gyakoroltunk. Fejelő bajnokság, tollas. Közös játék a László korház pályáján idegenek ellen. Tanító magyarázatok történelemből, földrajzból. Együtt végzett munkák, kerítésfestés. Meccs a régi Fradi pályán Alberttal, Branikoviccsal, Varga Zolival. Egyetemi dolgozataim dorgáló helyesírás javítása. Egy hatalmas, de sajnos gyakran gyakorlatban használhatatlan lexikális tudás. TV vetélkedők. Continue reading „Nekrolog – Papa“

A QUARTET IN TROUBLE: “FUNNY ABOUT LOVE “

THE NEW PLAY AT THE ENGLISH THEATRE OF HAMURG

By Uta Buhr

Hilarious! The new comedy by the famous British playwright Terence Frisby is heart-warming and thus just the right thing for a dark and rainy day in the dead of winter. In the very beginning nothing seems to be funny for middle-aged Rosie Boston who has just learned about her husband’s infidelity. Piers Boston, a 53 year old business-man has madly fallen in love with his young and pretty secretary Larissa. He is planning to begin a new life with her in the couple’s posh London apartment overlooking the River Thames. Selfish as Piers is, he does not even seem to expect any objections from his wife either to share her home with Larissa or to move out for good. While Rosie is brooding over her problem, help comes from young Darren Tucker who insists on talking to her. Continue reading „A QUARTET IN TROUBLE: “FUNNY ABOUT LOVE ““

The English Theatre of Hamburg: „The Fox“

By Uta Buhr

THE ENGLISH THEATRE OF HAMBURG CELEBRATES ITS 35TH ANNIVERSARY

BEWARE OF FOXES, LADIES – “THE FOX”, THE NEW PLAY BASED ON A NOVELLA BY D. H. LAWRENCE

What an error to believe that their life in the English countryside on their own farm would turn out to be easy going and even idyllic! Nellie March and Jill Banford, two young ladies and life-long friends, are totally frustrated. The villagers are gossiping about the women’s unconventional relationship and feel that their lifestyle is not acceptable to decent people. The play is set in the dead of winter in 1918, right after the First World War. The two girls’ farm is in a bad state, they are having trouble with their crops and their hens won’t lay. And to crown it all, a fox living in the nearby woods has been pillaging their henhouse.

While Nellie and Jill are sitting by the fireplace in their cosy cottage, seeking for a solution to make ends meet, footsteps can be heard in the courtyard. A knock at the door, and in comes a young attractive man, clad in a soldier’s uniform. He introduces himself as Henry Grenfel and pretends that he has just returned from his camp in Canada. He knows the farm, since he used to live here with his grandfather, the former owner of the estate. The intruder offers his services in exchange for food and shelter. Further he promises to kill the fox and assist the two ladies in running the farm. While Jill falls for his charms and invites him to stay, Nellie wants Henry to leave immediately. In the end, she gives in to Jill’s wish, and Henry becomes a member of the household. This ménage à trois, however, very soon proves to be a disaster. Continue reading „The English Theatre of Hamburg: „The Fox““

Por qué a mí?

de José Napoleón Mariona

Por favor, leanlo en Hispanovision, también.

Frente al primer diagnóstico viene casi siempre la arrogancia de reclamar a que el cáncer le pueda sobrevenir a cualquier otra persona, menos a mí mismo.

Los sobrevivientes de cáncer le diríamos a nuestras amigas y amigos: ¿Y por qué no a mí?

Tengo la intención de rebajar el sentimiento de culpa entre todo paciente de cáncer, en cuanto a la ubicación del error de vida que lo llevó al cáncer.

Para muchos de nosotros, no nos hubiese servido de mucho ponernos de cabeza, ya que genéticamente somos parte de una etnia que tiene mayor inclinación al cáncer. Frente a eso no hay remedio y tan sólo queda practicar la detección precoz. Mientras más temprano, será mejor. Pero para otros, las influencias del entorno han desatado el cáncer. Continue reading „Por qué a mí?“

A Ghost(Writer) for Rose

„ROSE’S DILEMMA“ AT THE ENGLISH THEATRE OF HAMBURG

From Uta Buhr

Did Neil Simon really write this play? Up to now we only knew the very worldly and sunny side of his character. However, in his latest Broadway hit the “grand seigneur” of comedy surprises us with kind of a mystery play dealing with love and loyalty that outwit death. Amazing! Just think of witty plays such as “Barefoot in the Park”, starring Jane Fonda and Robert Redford, elegant “California Suite”, or the enchanting musical “Sweet Charity” with Shirley McLaine in the leading part – only to name a few comedies out of the author’s rich work. It seems as if Neil Simon, born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1927 has reached the age of wisdom. Let us hope that America’s most popular writer of comedy will continue to cheer us up with some new most entertaining plays in the future.

Continue reading „A Ghost(Writer) for Rose“

The English Theatre of Hamburg: Mrs Warren`s Profession

Von Uta Buhr

AN OLD NEW PLAY OR A NEW OLD PLAY AT THE ENGLISH THEATRE OF HAMBURG: GEORGE BERNHARD SHAW’S “MRS WARREN’S PROFESSION

“What a scandal – how shocking indeed!” This might have been the mildest criticism with regard to George Bernhard Shaw’s play about prostitution in Queen Victoria’s puritanical Great Britain at the beginning of the 20^th century. As it is, the play “Mrs Warren’s Profession”, written by the author in 1894, was staged in 1902 when the virtuous ruler – Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India – had already been dead for a year. However, her high moral standards were still alive at all levels of society. What a cheek of a playwright – an Irishman at that – to stir up the hornet’s nest of dirt and prostitution which virtually did by no means exist at that time in the country. How daring! Anyway, under the severe theatre censorship of Her Majesty’s Lord Chamberlain the play was forbidden after its first performance. Later, when rules were a bit relaxed, Mrs Kitty Warren’s life as a “madam” of a string of brothels on the Continent became a great box-office success not only in Britain. Continue reading „The English Theatre of Hamburg: Mrs Warren`s Profession“

Patrick Cargill

By Uta Buhr

„DON’T MISUNDERSTAND ME“ – THE NEW PLAY AT THE ENGLISH THEATRE OF HAMBURG

This hilarious play is a Christmas present for all spectators who appreciate the inborn British sense of humour. Britain boasts a great tradition in comedies. Just think of William Shakespeare, the world’s greatest dramatist ever, also known under the sobriquet “Swan of Stratford”, who not only wrote a number of tragedies, but also numerous, most entertaining comedies, such as “Twelfth Night”, “Winter’s Tale”, “The Merry Wives of Windsor” and, last but not least “The Comedy of Errors.” When referring to Patrick Cargill’s “Don’t misunderstand me”, the various errors and misunderstandings between Solinus, Luciana, Lucie, Angelo and the rest of the “set” ring a bell. You may argue that Shakespeare who died nearly four hundred years ago, wrote about his contemporaries’ problems, and that Cargill’s work (the author died in 1996, aged 77) has absolutely nothing to do with the plays that his famous colleague once wrote. However, this is a fatal error. Both comedies in question deal with one and the same subject – love. If you want to learn more about the errors and tribulations resulting from marital love and secret affairs, buy a ticket and abandon yourself to the pleasure of a most amusing evening at the TET.

Continue reading „Patrick Cargill“

Attention English Speakers

von Uta Buhr

The English Theatre of Hamburg is happy to announce its new play „Don’t misunderstand me“, written by the famous British actor and playwright Patrick Cargill. Premiere on Thursday 25 November, 2010, at 7.30 p.m. This light-hearted comedy about Charles, the nice middle-aged family man, who desperately tries to escape his short-lived affair with a young American girl, is most amusing. Perfect entertainment for the dead of winter!

We shall come back on the play after the premiere.

English Theatre of Hamburg:“This is how it goes“

Summary

THE NEW “POLITICALLY INCORRECT” PLAY AT THE ENGLISH THEATRE OF HAMBURG

Von Uta Buhr

Before you say anything about racism in today’s United States of America, think twice! This is the message of Neil Labute’s play “This is how it goes.” Most of us naïve Europeans were of the opinion that racial prejudice between black and white Americans had long been abolished. We even thought that the New World could teach Europeans a lesson concerning racial harmony. However, Neil Labute boldly opens up old wounds und shows us that crude racism still lingers below the surface of Afro-Americans and white Americans alike.

The plot is set in small town America and deals with the repercussions of an interracial love triangle. Cheerleader Belinda, a pretty middle-class blonde, meets Cody, the star of the high school track team, falls in love with him and marries the black athlete. After school Cody starts a remarkable career as a successful businessman while Belinda stays at home with their two kids. Her life as stay-at-home mom and the delicate balance of her marriage with an Afro-American is troubled when a former high school friend – simply called “the man” in the play – turns up in town and rents the small apartment over the couple’s garage. “The man” comes up with embarrassing questions about who Belinda and Cody want to be, who they are and what made them that way. It soon becomes obvious that “the man” is deeply attracted by Belinda. This worries Cody who threatens to throw “the man” out of his house. Continue reading „English Theatre of Hamburg:“This is how it goes““

Jó hírek – Magyar karmester sikere Hamburgban

Dr. Horváth Ferenc

Győriványi Ráth György a Magyar Állami Operaház korábbi főigazgatója öt éve dolgozik vendégkarmesterként Hamburgban a helyi Staatsoper megbízásából. Az itteni repertoárjában szereplő darabok sora igen hosszú, mely sor a Pikk Dámától indul, és a Jenufán, az Álarcosbálon, a Simone Boccanegrán, a Machbeten, a Bohéméleten, a Toscán keresztül, a Don Giovanniig ível.
Ezen öt év után kis számvetésre hívtuk őt az eltelt időszakról.
Ezt a rövid beszélgetést egy Don Giovanni előadás után folytattuk a hamburgi kikötő melletti szálloda 20. emeleti bárjában: Continue reading „Jó hírek – Magyar karmester sikere Hamburgban“