Salzburg Festival: 800th performance of “Jedermann”

Salzburg. The Salzburg Festival wouldn't be the Salzburg Festival without "Jedermann" by festival co-founder Hugo von Hofmannsthal (1874–1929). The tragedy is usually performed in the square in front of the mighty twin-towered façade of the Baroque cathedral, "in bad weather in the Great Festival Hall," as the program booklet puts it.

On Sunday, the play “Everyman - The Play of the Rich Man’s Death” will be performed for the 800th time as part of the Salzburg Festival.

Already 800 or only 800 performances in the past 105 years? That probably depends on your perspective. There are only a few performances each year (usually only six in the summer, but in 2025 there will be 16, eleven of which are at 9 p.m. and five at 5 p.m.), which is why it took a while to reach the 800th performance.

The picture combo shows rehearsal photos from the Salzburg Festival of various actors in the roles of "Jedermann" and "Buhlschaft" from Hugo von Hofmansthal's drama "Jedermann" (top left) 1963 - Walter Reyer (2nd from right); 1999 - Ulrich Tukur and Dörte Lyssewski; (bottom left) 2007 - Peter Simonischek and Marie Bäumer; 2011 - Nicholas Ofczarek and Birgit Minichmayr.

Source: K.Techt;B.Gindl;G.Rauchwetter/dp

In any case, more time has passed than, for example, with the ARD “Tatort”, where the 800th episode was due after just over 40 years and now, after almost 55 years, 1,306 episodes have already been broadcast.

Okay, that's television and something completely different, but in terms of cast, "Tatort" is certainly comparable to Salzburg's "Jedermann." Traditionally, the most popular stage artists in the German-speaking world perform here.

Since 1920, there have been a total of 20 Everymen. Big names have taken on the title role, including Attila Hörbiger, Maximilian Schell, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Ulrich Tukur, Tobias Moretti, and Lars Eidinger.

The current Everyman is the Austrian actor Philipp Hochmair (51), whom television viewers know from the ORF/ARD series “Blind ermittelt” or from the satirical upscale district series “Vorstadtweiber”.

In the play, a very wealthy man – what one might call today a super-rich man – is torn from his self-satisfied celebratory mood and reminded of his impending end.

While Salzburg audiences are generally enthusiastic, many theater critics consider the open-air spectacle to be trivial folklore. Opinions on this long-running event have been divided for decades.

Even at its premiere in Berlin in 1911, directed by the legendary Max Reinhardt (1873-1943), this tragedy and its verses were very out of date. Late medieval mystery plays served as its model.

In any case, in German-speaking countries, it's considered a great honor for actors and actresses to be cast in this role. Even supporting roles are striking and allow for virtuoso performances, such as Everyman's Mother or Fat and Thin Cousin.

The role of the Paramour, Everyman's lover, may only have around 30 lines (including "Don't go for green boys, you're my paramour and dear man"), but it generates considerable visibility in the theater world. It also repeatedly sparks debates about the current ideal of female beauty.

Many popular film and television actresses have already shown their talent, including Nadja Tiller, Sophie Rois and Veronica Ferres, and in the last ten years, Stefanie Reinsperger, Caroline Peters and Verena Altenberger.

The current paramour is the Swiss actress Deleila Piasko (34), who TV viewers know from the ARD miniseries “Die Zweiflers” or from the ZDF series “Der Schatten”, which dealt with the psychological phenomenon of gaslighting.

While in 105 years there were only 20 Everymen, there were almost 40 different line-ups of the Buhlschaften.

Senta Berger, Sunnyi Melles, and Birgit Minichmayr, for example, have gone down in history as particularly impressive. Piasko is also a stroke of luck in the current production by Canadian director Robert Carsen (71).

Philipp Hochmair, who stepped in for the ill Tobias Moretti in 2018 and was celebrated, is also a perfect fit. He has been skillfully performing “Jedermann” as a one-man play and apocalyptic spoken word concert for more than ten years (“Jedermann Reloaded”).

Hardly anyone can deliver the almost embarrassing, highly pathetic verses so convincingly that they still manage to move the listener. Only Will Quadflieg, Curd Jürgens, Gert Voss, and Peter Simonischek were as charismatic as Hochmair.

The youngest Jedermann ever—then 39 years old—was Nicholas Ofczarek from 2010 to 2012. His successor was Cornelius Obonya, who took over for 54 performances, 62 years after his grandfather Attila Hörbiger last performed Jedermann. His aunt Christiane Hörbiger often played the Paramour, and his grandmother Paula Wessely often played "Faith."

Abstract concepts such as "faith," but also "death," "devil," "mammon," and "works" (good deeds) appear as personifications in "Everyman." Death bursts into Everyman's life as a stage character, seeking to lead him before the Creator God. Neither his faithful servant nor his friends nor his money will accompany him to the tomb.

Only faith and his works (good works are a very weak element on the stage for this rich man) bring Everyman to show repentance, to confess himself as a Christian and to go to the grave converted.

In the end, the devil is disappointed because he didn't get Everyman: "The world is stupid, mean, and evil - And violence always takes precedence over law - If someone is honest, faithful, and wise - He is mastered by deceit and deceit."

RND/dpa