Eine Fahrt ins Blaue. Deutschsprachiges Theater und Kabarett im australischen Exil und Nach-Exil (1933–1988) (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Eine Fahrt ins Blaue. Deutschsprachiges Theater und Kabarett im australischen Exil und Nach-Exil (1933–1988) Ulrike Garde Birgit Lang. Eine Fahrt ins Blaue. Deutschsprachiges Theater und Kabarett im australischen Exil und Nach-Exil (1933–1988). Berlin: Weidler, 2006. 346 pp. € 49. ISBN 3-89693-459-7. This book is the first full study of the theatre and cabaret performed by German-speaking refugees, most of them of Jewish background, who came to Australia before or during the Second World War. The focus is on those exiles in Melbourne and Sydney who organized themselves into several groups to stage performances predominantly in the German language. Accordingly, it offers a comprehensive account of the Kleines Wiener Theater, Kammerspiele Sydney, Theaterfreunde, Kleines Theater, Papricabaret, Showmen, Deutsche Volks- und Bauernbühne, and the Continental Players, including their smaller splinter groups. Through the study of their theatrical performances, Lang gives us a detailed account of the process of acculturation for these emigrants who predominantly fled Austria in fear of the National Socialist regime. She bases her analysis on theories taken from gender and migration studies. Thus the artistic developments are contextualized in the various phases of cultural transition, which are set against the background of individual biographies as well as Australia’s cultural and socio-political history. In this context, the theatre represents the space where cultural identities are negotiated both on and off the stage. The study covers the period from 1933 until 1988, and its structure reflects the cultural transition that took place during this time. Lang’s analysis begins with the early performances that reinforced the “community of destiny” of the exiles, reflecting at the same time their efforts to cope with the unfamiliar environment. This phase was also characterized by attempts to preserve their cultural heritage with Vienna as a focal point. In the following chapters, the study traces how the respective developments of performance content and choice of plays are interwoven with the members of the groups creating and re-creating their identities. This includes subsequent performances “between the [Australian and Austrian] cultures,” the separation into subgroups, and the final transformation into minority theatre(s) in the “postexile” phase. In this last phase [End Page 296] the emigrants began to feel part of a Jewish or German/Austrian community. Through all these phases, the Bunte Abende provided a stage for representations of internalized and constructed cultural differences such as language, humour, food, gender roles, and comparisons of cultural activities. The book’s chronological structure emphasizes the concepts of transition and journey that are aptly suggested by its title. It was taken from the 1952 Bunter Abend, one of the many loosely arranged plays in the cabaret tradition, which was performed by the Kleines Wiener Theater. However, the book title’s connotations exceed this one meaning: on the one hand it refers to the transient cultural identities “on the move,” on the other hand it evokes the refugees’ journey into the unknown characterized by the uncertainty of ever returning to the Vienna of the second republic with its cultural institutions such as the Burgtheater. At the same time, Lang also uncovers the bilingual word-play in the title, which is the first of many detailed analyses in the book. These analyses are based on a range of material that Lang has meticulously gathered from private and public collections. The material cited and discussed also includes a great number of scripts for the Bunte Abende, which provide her with ample material for her study. It offers a comprehensive account including detailed descriptions of the theatres’ most significant productions, their aims and developments, and it cites relevant material. References to studies about other German-speaking “exile theatres” provide a broader context for Lang’s Australian case studies. She does not include performances at Australian universities, which also represented a cultural centre for refugees of a similar background. This is understandable given the wealth of material already covered. The book represents a useful resource offering a wealth of information for scholars as well as for the interested general public. Access to this cultural phenomenon is facilitated by the two appendices containing comprehensive information about performances and biographical information on those involved...