Max Reinhardt (1873-1943), one of the major theatre figures of the
twentieth century, was among the first to establish the importance of
the director in modern theatre. His fame outside Germany rests somewhat
unfairly on his distorted image as producer of giant, Gothic spectacles
staged in vast auditoria or cathedral squares. In this book Professor
Styan is concerned to illustrate Reinhardt's astonishing versatility as
director of more than six hundred productions, which together cover
almost all the dramatic genres and all the major theatrical movements of
the time. Professor Styan explains Reinhardt's place in the history of
Austrian and German culture and world theatrical movements. Using
contemporary reviews and the Regiebuch, or director's promptbook, he
describes in detail the organization, performance and impact of some of
the director's major productions: his symbolist interpretation of Ghosts
and Salome; the expressionist experiment with plays by Wedekind,
Strindberg, Sorge and Buchner; the Shakespeare sequence, including the
classic A Midsummer Night's Dream; productions of Greek tragedy, Goethe,
and the baroque spectacles such as Everyman, which together cover almost
all the dramatic genres and all the major theatrical movements of the
time. Professor Styan explains Reinhardt's place in the history of
Austrian and German culture and world theatrical movements. Using
contemporary reviews and the Regiebuch, or director's promptbook, he
describes in detail the organization, performance and impact of some of
the director's major productions: his symbolist interpretation of Ghosts
and Salome; the expressionist experiment with plays by Wedekind,
Strindberg, Sorge and Buchner; the Shakespeare sequence, including the
classic A Midsummer Night's Dream; productions of Greek tragedy, Goethe,
and the baroque spectacles such as Everyman.
