Austro-British Society Tyrol

Wednesday ,Nov 23rd 2011

a performance of

with Vienna’s English Theatre
in Congress Innsbruck

Pitching in with Rhythmic Verve…

Vienna’s English Theatre’s production of Pitch Black is enthralling. With telling rhythmic changes (up-tempo dramatic events with lyrical interludes), this is a vibrant production.

Based on Shakespeare’s Othello, the play is cleverly set today, focussing on the fortunes of England’s national football team. With Donatello Moor as a the newly appointed England manager (half-Italian and black), with a forthcoming European game against Turkey, the team undergoes an upheaval: the experienced Jago, former team-mate of Donatello at Man United, is overlooked as captain in favour of young Michael Cassio. This spells trouble. To get his own back on Moor, Jago starts plotting to undermine him. The pitch is prepared for a revenge tragedy.

Jago plants the seeds of jealousy in Moor: newly married to Mona, an up and coming star of the catwalks, almost half his age – and white, Moor is seditiously persuaded by Jago that Mona is already unfaithful to him. The tragedy runs its course….

Jago - friendly (on the surface), insinuating, ingratiating – has a field day. Moor oscillates between a noble presence and animal outbursts. Mona is no naive bimbo – she ‘could be a diplomat, or a politician’. Sadly, she is not ‘one step ahead’; in fact, she loses out big time. Cassio is the stooge, who realizes all too late…

This production is slick, elegant and nicely stylized: the dancing in the night club, the action replays of the head-butt incident in the Turkey game, with the referee’s well-held freeze-frame effect (echoes of Zidane on Materazzi?). It’s played with rhythmic verve, significant pauses and subtle poise.

This vibrant performance was followed by a 45-minute question-and-answer session with the actors still on stage. Enthralling stuff!

Well worth seeing!
Andrew Milne-Skinner, Nov 23 2011

The Austro-British Society in Birgitz

Before experiencing the culinary delights of the Austro-British Barbecue in Hazel and Elmar Zeiner’s garden, we first of all enjoyed some local culture. Meeting at the church in Birgitz,

we looked at the gravestone of the photographic artist Heinrich Kühn and his British companion Mary Warner. Kühn, whose photographs resemble impressionist paintings, is regarded as one of the forefathers of fine art photography and Mary Warner, Kühn’s companion and children’s nanny, features in many of his compositions. We then went on to view Kühn’s villa, overlooking the ancient Birga Settlement, where he lived with Mary Warner and his four children from 1921 to his death in 1944.
Having satisfied our cultural appetite, we continued on to the Zeiner garden where we were

warmly welcomed by Hazel and Elmar. While we enjoyed coffee and a wonderful choice of

cakes Elmar busied himself with the barbecue grill, and soon the delicious aroma of sizzling

sausages (provided by the Austro-British Society) was drifting through the air. An appetizing

range of salads and sandwiches provided something for everyone’s taste to which Yasmin’s spicy lamb pasty made a tasty addition. Thirst was quenched with a choice of beer, wine or

elderberry juice and soon the conversation flowed. Finally we found room for a portion of our very own personalized Austro-British Tiramisu (courtesy of Isabella).
We thank Hazel and Elmar for their hospitality and for their efforts in making this event so successful. Thanks also go to all society members who provided food and drinks. A wonderful afternoon was had by all and we look forward to many more Austro-British Barbecues.

It takes an expert to immediately identify a strong link between the English writer D. H. Lawrence and the Tyrol – or Lake Garda

, for that matter. The Austro-British Society is fortunate in having just such an expert in the person of Andrew Milne-Skinner.
When D. H. Lawrence eloped with Frieda Weekley
(née von Richthofen) in the spring of 1912, they eventually went to a small hamlet to the south of Munich. From there, they went to Italy – first taking the train to Jenbach, and then travelling up the Zillertal to Mayrhofen on the light railway. They crossed the Pfitscher Joch on their way to Sterzing. This part of their journey was explored by members of the Austro-British Society in June 2009.

From Sterzing, their

plan was to walk over the Jaufenpass and down to Meran. Unfortunately, however, they got lost and only just made it to a Schutzhaus below the pass. The next day, they continued the journey. To their dismay, however, they found that they had walked down to Sterzing again.

Not surprisingly, they had enough of walking and took the train to Trento. But once they had arrived there, Frieda broke down – she sat at the foot of Dante’s memorial and wept. The state of the public conveniences, it seems, was the straw that broke the camel’s backIAnd that’s where the AustroBrits picked up the thread on their trip on the weekend of 2 and 3 July 2011 (at the monument in Trento, that is, not so much in the public conveniences). On the way down, Andrew had given us an excellent introduction, and so we did feel indeed as if we were actually travelling in Lawrence’s footsteps.

From Trento, our coach took us to Lake Garda via Arco and Riva. Way back in 1912, in the absence of a road, Frieda and D. H. took the boat from Riva down to Gargnano on the western shore – as a matter of fact, they had to cross the border between the Habsburg Empire as it was then and Italy. In Gargnano, they stayed at the Hotel Al Cervo right on the little harbour and then took lodgings in the Villa Igea for the winter months, just a short distance down the road.

The AustroBrits followed a slightly different route. We went to Gargnano by bus and then took a leisurely walk around the village. We had a look at the church of San Francesco which had impressed D. H. Lawrence when he stumbled upon it.

Then Andrew took us to the Villa Igea, which we found with the help of Sandra’s map reading as well as local knowledge tapped by Andrew’s command of Italian.

Next stop was the church of San Tomaso above the village, which features prominently in Lawrence’s book of essays, Twilight in Italy. Andrew read out the relevant passage – quite

an experience, sitting on a stone wall under an olive tree and looking down on the reddish-brown rooftops of the village and the blue lake beyond.

We concluded our walk by taking a well-deserved drink outside the Hotel Al Cervo. Andrew, to his enormous pleasure, found a newspaper clipping in the guest book of the hotel – well, not exactly about D. H. Lawrence, it has to be said, but about the shooting of a film about Lawrence.

We spent the night at a pleasant hotel in Salo, further down the coast. An evening sauntering along the shore and taking dinner al fresco – it felt like the Mediterranean, and very much like a holiday!

Next morning, it was the Vittoriale in Gardone Riviera – no connection with D. H. Lawrence or Frieda there, rather the villa which Italian writer and war hero Gabriele d’Annunzio (1863–1938) had built for himself, and as an artistic-cum-political statement at the same time.

Thence – to paradise. Or rather, to the restaurant Paradiso high above the lake.

In this case, there was another Lawrence connection, as the pair decided in the spring of 1913 to move to the little farmhouse of San Gaudenzio half-way up on the rocky slope to escape the heat down below. One can only marvel at their luck in being offered such a location. When we were there, it was a perfect day – clear skies, hot sunshine, the lake twinkling in the midday light, populated only by a few sailing boats and surfers. In a way, it did feel as if the scene were not quite of this world. This did not stop us, of course, from enjoying our meal.

The next leg of our trip was quite literally on the lake. From Gargnano, we took the fast boat to Malcesine and another one from there, via Limone to Riva, thus partly re-tracing the route D. H. Lawrence and Frieda took, but in the opposite direction. A short stop in Riva, just time to have a last drink at the harbour, and then back to the cloud-covered, fresh and non too inviting Alps in the north.

It was an excellent weekend – perfectly organized (thanks to Isabella and Herbert!), intellectually stimulating and rewarding (thanks to Andrew!), and very pleasant company indeed (thanks to everybody else). Looking forward to the next one!
Heinz Payr

Saturday, May 21th 2011
EXCURSION to VILLA FALKENHORST
THÜRINGEN, VORARLBERG

It’s Saturday May 21st and the first photo shows the Austro-British Society getting ready to set off on their annual excursion with a now traditional glass of prosecco.

As can be seen from Andrew’s poster and travelling library, we were following haunts of the Scottish Travel author Norman Douglas.By opening a textile factory John Douglas, Norman’s grandfather, had brought employment to Thüringen in Vorarlberg. Villa Falkenhorst in Thüringen, Norman’s childhood home, was our goal. Andrew was whetting our appetite with readings and stories about Norman during the journey bu,t before reaching Villa Falkenhorst, a break was taken for coffee and necessities at an unusual venue: supporting Tyrol before crossing the Arlberg Pass, we stopped at the cafe in MPreis in St. Jakob am Arlberg.

On arrival at Villa Falkenhorst, promptly at 11am, we were received by the manager Mr. Winsauer and Dr. Meusburger of the Norman Douglas research centre. In the grounds of the villa Dr. Meusburger spent a good hour of his time talking to us about Norman’s life and work.

It was fascinating listening to him. How enthralled we were can easily be seen on our faces. For his kindness, a bottle of special Tiroler Schnaps from Axams was presented to Dr. Meusburger. To our great surprise he, himself, gave Andrew a book of Norman Douglas photographs. What Andrew and Horst are doing with the book I am really not certain.

We were very happy to have been able to have time at the villa but we also gained the impression that the villa was just as pleased to receive us. Before looking around the inside of this lovely house, we were able to help ourselves from a table of drinks, savouries and small cakes, so thoughtfully provided for us.

Our next pictures show us listening, this time to Andrew, at Blumenegg. If we look tired it may have been because it was after lunch or because of the efforts Andrew, Dieter and Hildegard had gone to in finding the path.

I myself was as taken by the “botanical narrative” of this delightful venue, as Norman Douglas was.

From the grounds of the villa we were able to look down towards Bludesch where young Norman had walked all the way to school with his brother. The school was easily found. Besides, we had a photo to help us. Andrew is shown in exactly the same spot as Norman in the picture in Dr. Meusburger’s book.

Even the drainpipe is the same! In the writings of Norman Douglas we also hear about the old church of St. Nikolaus in Bludesch. That, too, we found and what a little jewel it was, with its walls still covered in the remains of 14th century frescos of the Last Judgement.

Again we were in luck. An 83-year-old man from a few houses away had just been filling the box at the church with leaflets about this 900-year-old building. He said that, if we’ve got 5 minutes, he’d tell us about the church. It was a very long 5 minutes for us, sitting on hard benches while he stood and talked, but worth it as he told us more than just about the church. By then the rain had started and it was time to leave Vorarlberg, with our minds full of very interesting memories. A last stop to reminisce over the day was made for coffee, in Langen am Arlberg and then, tired but happy, we returned to Innsbruck. Even the travelling library slept on the way home!

Hazel Zeiner
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Thuseday, Mar 1st 2011
SHROVE OR PANCAKE TUESDAY

FOR CERTAIN REASONS IT WAS HELD A WEEK BEFORE THE ACTUAL DATE

The Austro-British Society’s first Shrove/Pancake Tuesday was a great success and such a lot of fun was had by everybody

We feel sure that it will become a regular event on our programme. Most of the pictures speak for themselves!

Erica giving the batter a final stir and Andrew some advice before Lynne and Hazel start to cook the first of many pancakes

An Austro-British Christmas 2010

I’ve never enjoyed myself at a Christmas Party so much for years! I enjoyed myself tremendously!
Well, what was it that brought forth such comments?

Was it that “brilliant” performance of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” by the group of well known actors? Or was it the beautiful Christmas tree with those typical electric lights—no candles, and the Christmas cards around the room?

Or maybe it was the food with a Christmas cake taking the place of honour? This cake had been kindly made for the society, by Sandra-Milne Skinner, from a traditional old English recipe.

Or could it finally have been the party games? We now know that there is no “Fasching” in Britain. To make up for this lack of fun, party games and a quiz are a must at any Christmas party. Pass the Parcel will have been quite a lot of work to prepare, but everybody was exhausted by the end of the game. Among such merriment, the “man with the hat and gloves” and the lady ballet dancer brought tears to our eyes.

Saturday, June 26th 2010
Following in Ernest Hemingway's footsteps
The young man and the mountains

On a perfect summer Saturday a group of Austrobrits set out to investigate Ernest Hemingway’s Silvretta connection. Hazel Zeiner, who had organised the trip, offered prosecco and orange juice to start the day and Andrew Milne-Skinner threw his extensive collection of background material into the fray, distributing extracts from several works of Hemingway that relate to his stays in the Silvretta area and challenging us all to answer a 16-question quiz.

We approached the Silvretta through the Paznaun, stopping off for lunch at the Hotel Rössl in Galtür where Hemingway had downed many a glass of red wine. Galtür also features in his story An Alpine Idyll, a highly misleading title for a tale of the brutal pragmatism of a high mountain peasant, who even found a practical use for the frozen corpse of his wife.
As we rode up to the Silvretta reservoir in the comfortable coach we were at leisure to imagine Hemingway covering the same distance (and altitude differential) on his skis with seal skins attached to the underside. The Madlenerhaus, then of course just by a stream and not below the big dam, was his favourite base for exploring the mountains in the vicinity
.

Most of the time Hemingway must have reached it from the Vorarlberg side, starting off in Schruns on a sleigh but covering most of the way on foot. He spent two whole winters in the mid-1920s in Schruns.

The Hotel Taube, where the Hemingway family stayed, still exists today and the son of Hemingway’s host proudly showed us the guest book with the original signature and some photographs. Today it sounds like a luxury holiday, but at the time, accommodation with full board in Schruns was so cheap that the Hemingways could afford it simply by subletting their Paris flat.

Ironically it was in Schruns that Hemingway reworked his novel Fiesta, not an obvious association with a Vorarlberg winter.
References to those winters can be found in several of his works. His autobiographical texts contain some boastful claims to high-speed descents from glaciers and extreme situations the author found himself in.
The Austrobrits may not have believed all tales of frozen limbs but agreed with Hemingway’s praise of the local food. We missed out on the Kirsch that Hemingway seems to have been rather partial to, but on the main square of Schruns a deserted market stall still advertised the concoction today.

On the way home several ideas were aired on possible themes for future excursions. We’ll keep you posted!

On Thursday 25 March we were treated to a fascinating and quite astonishing concept: a survey of British popular music over the ages, ranging from the 12th century melodies of Saint Godric of Finchale to modern classics by the Beatles and Jethro Tull. But this was not only a survey, as songs from different periods were juxtaposed for contrast, with 16th/17th century songs of John Dowland, for example, running directly into modern classics by rock band "Yes". This was a potpourri of music written in the English language (not only modern English, but Middle English as well!), by and large written in England by English musicians (Händel was English, of course!). Both this innovate mix and the talented and accomplished presentation by Kristina Cosumano (Vocals) and Hanno Winder (Guitar) were savoured by the audience.

The first half of the concert made it all the way from Medieval music of St. Godric and the traditional Middle English piece "Sumer is icumen in", via the music of Dowland, Yes, and Henry Purcell, to an overview of music by the Beatles. The last of these was wonderfully done. Rather than only playing a few well-known Lennon/McCartney songs, they really surveyed all 4 Beatles - playing George Harrison's "Beware of Darkness" and Ringo Starr's "Octopus' Garden". The second half then began with “Jerusalem” - the hymn now so deeply rooted in English popular culture (the previous time I had heard it played was at Twickenham) - and proceeded through the music of Peter Gabriel, John Duarte, Benjamin Britten, and Ralph Vaughan Williams. The concert then finished with the music of Ian Scott Anderson (Jethro Tull), interspersed with Händel's Harmonious Blacksmith and more Dowland.

I left the concert admiring not just the impressive musical performance by Kristina Cosumano and Hanno Winder, as they worked through such a wide range of musical styles (and genres!), but perhaps even more so, the fascinating idea creating such an enjoyable potpourri. It was like watching a cultural history of Britain captured in popular music.

A good time seems to have been had by all... some 59 people!
Apart from a series of readings, also with music versions of several Burns' songs, the haggis was piped in and the 5 pipers then offered an intercultural medley!
Our thanks to Erica, Isabella and Herbert for their great efforts in organizing the event.
The next Burns Night will be in two years time....

How about having a fine chat with Oscar Wilde?
Or getting drunk side by side with Lord Byron?
What is impossible in normal life becomes reality in a convincingly enacted play by the talented author James Huntrods.

An excessive annual party is just about to take place at Westminster Abbey where all the famous writers are buried, when a young and obviously deranged female poet called Jane enters the scene. Stubbornly denying that she is dead, she tries to figure out what has really happened to her and why she has ended up over here. A range of flashbacks enables her to rebuild her own memory and, in further consequence, to remain commemorated in Poets’ Corner.

In collaboration with a group of promising young actors from the student company Tea for Ten, James Huntrods wrote “Poets’ Corner” – an enjoyable stage play, packed with irony and dark humour, as well as light-hearted jokes and disguised jokes.
It provides an extraordinary entertainment to the audience. But putting all amusement aside, director and writer incorporated one wonderful aspect;

With so many praiseworthy achievements, the overall synthesis of all the positive aspects is credited to the director Tom Birch who worked closely together with James Huntrods.
Not least it is their merit that the performance was very well-received.
The acting was outstanding excellent and a welcome spectacle.
Ingeniously created characters combined with future excellent actors – the perfect ingredients for a happy performance.
The cast includes Jimmy Walters in the role of educated and mannerly Oscar Wilde, Tom Holloway, playing the supercilious and wine-loving Lord Byron, Rachel Ashwanden representing the young and eager poet Jane Gathering, Rory James Greenfield in the role of the funny Middle-English speaking William Blake, Benji Huntrods, playing the vigorous Charles Dickens, Robert Weedall as “very tired of marriage” Geoffrey Chaucer and finally Janes’ slimy husband Will Marsh (Reuben) and Fenella Dawnay as his affair (Evelyn).
The Stage Manager, who is highly competent in designing flexible stage-scenery, is Emma Black and the Production Manager is Louise Buckton, who had previously worked for The Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh.

Having said all this, the play is really worth seeing and extremely entertaining.
You would be a twat to miss it.

Excursion on Saturday 20th June
Following the “TRACKS” of D.H.Lawrence’s “ESCAPADES” in the Zillertal

Idea and Readings by Andrew Milne-Skinner Planning and Organization by Hazel Zeiner With the Union Jack to guide them, the group of Austro-Brits. made their way to Platform 4 on Innsbruck’s station for the start of the excursion: this year by trains and buses. The highlight being the reserved carriage on the nostalgic steam train of the Zillertalbahn, which slowly made its way to Mayrhofen through the “waving crowds” as it passed them by. Sadly low clouds spoilt the views, but not the spirit of the group, who by now were getting their first taste of postcards, photos and of some of what D. H. Lawrence had been writing in the Zillertal nearly 100 years ago. A very warm welcome, by the manager himself was waiting at the Gasthof zur Brücke. Here Lawrence had spent 3 weeks with Frieda Weekley, with whom he had eloped, in what was then a farmhouse. During lunch, which was ready for us on arrival, we heard about the bridge and stream around “Brücke” and of the many flowers around Mayrhofen, from a letter written from there by Lawrence. Towards the end of this excellent lunch it became a rush as the journey had to continue by bus which, as we were told, would not wait long. Had it been realized how long the ticket purchasing would have taken there would have been time to finish deserts and the last drop of wine. As no one did miss the bus, the Austro- Brits were able to continue their climb to the Schlegeisstausee—actually the 25km were done on foot by Lawrence and his Frieda—passing more Alpine meadows, flowers and wayside crosses as seen by that romantic pair. Up at this height of over 1,800m a few drops of rain and a bitterly cold wind did not deter the walk among Alpine orchids and roses to the Dominikushütte for coffee and a warm-up whilst eager to hear more. More we did because it was such a creative period of Lawrence’s life. From here the author continued over Pfitscherjoch and on to Sterzing with his writings with him. The Austro-Brits, however, retraced their steps and, with one last look at the nostalgic steam train at Mayrhofen Station, boarded the modern diesel for home.

May 13th 2009
Love, Sex and Marriage in Medieval Britain
A fascinating talk by Leona Cordery

I was so glad that nobody had been sitting on the chair in front of me that evening because I was leaning over it for more. Hearing the “things” that took place in medieval days and, with D.H. Lawrence joining us on our trip to the Zillertal, I did begin to wonder what the Society was coming to. Talk of Free Masons—the stone masons on those days were very free it seemed. Free to carve figures on our Gothic cathedrals of Men and Women exposing or even touching their genitals. People thought that these were the dark ages, but then 19th.century and much of 20th.century Britain seemed to have been much darker, or shall we say less enlightened? Sex seemed to have been just a “normal thing” for mankind as it was for the animal world until later the church / clergy started to wish to curb man’s desires, despite their own hypocritical behaviour. I myself am still disgusted when I think of how learned men thought---in a certain way many still do—of women as 2nd.class beings. The origin of all evil—going back to the serpent / devil and the apple. Much of this seems also to date from the fact that even the most learned of men could not understand a woman—how her body worked, her monthly cycle, bearing and giving birth to children. All very mysterious. People did marry. It seems not only once and that on a grand scale and with the blessing of the church. And Virgins ? What were they ? They were strong women who could stand on their own two feet. Not at all what present-day virginity has come to mean.

A moving talk by Hazel Zeiner and a novel way to show us Human Rights Violations or Man’s inhumanity to Man, which are often so close at hand. She started the talk by lighting the “Candle”. Hazel, who’s lived and worked in central and south America as well as in Europe, followed her own life for us alongside Amnesty International since its foundation by the London lawyer Peter Benenson. Growing up near the “greatest city on earth”—Liverpool, at the time of the Beatles, who cared that this city had also got rich on slavery? Or that British children still started school at the tender age of 5 because 6 year-olds used to work down the coalmines? Living and working in Switzerland in 1970, it was a shock for her to realize that some of her Swiss colleagues were only then getting the chance to vote for the first time. When in Austria in 1974 she needed her husband’s signature to put her son into her passport after him not needing hers, she felt that it was time to start doing something about such “things”. And here Hazel brought us some success stories of Amnesty International. Two poignant stories being of: an Egyptian family man working in Saudi Arabia. Her group “got him free”—he was no longer awaiting the death penalty, but was able to go home after some 500 lashes of the whip. This punishment, sadly almost crippled him. And a young Tibetan nun who also came “free” after spending so much of her life in prison for wanting “Freedom for Tibet”. Towards the end of the talk we were reminded again of the lack of religious freedom in many countries: the surprising example of the former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, who only became a member of the Roman Catholic faith when he was no longer Prime Minister. The law in Britain only permits a Roman Catholic to be a Member of Parliament but still not to be the British Prime Minister. Lighting a candle in St Martin-in-the Fields Church, in 1981, to mark the 20th anniversary of Amnesty, Peter Benenson said, "I have lit this candle, in the words of Shakespeare, 'against oblivion' - so that the forgotten prisoners should always be remembered. We work in Amnesty against oblivion."

Congratulations to Vienna’s English Theatre on their courageous choice of Virgins for this year’s senior school tour performances! This thought-provoking, compelling and outspoken play deals with real issues teenagers (and adults for that matter) have to face in day-to-day life. It challenges us, the audience, to really look closely at often underlying family conflicts and problems that arise while growing-up: hang-ups about sex, sexually transmitted infections and trust.
We experienced a highly competent cast turning the provocative text into a convincing, engaging and vibrant performance. Minimal stage props were used, but in a most effective way, above all a doll’s house that represented the family home. Little details like the mother lacing up the daughter’s neckline, only for the latter to immediately loosen it; Jack’s stripping off layers of clothes to the Arctic Monkey’s song “A Certain Romance” or the identity tag worn by the mother even at home, indicative of her role as a managing director both at work and at home, were immediately meaningful and added to the overall enthralling interpretation of John Retallack’s noteworthy drama. The production, fluid and free-wheeling, certainly captivated Thursday’s teenagers in Innsbruck.
In its directness and refreshing approach Virgins is a valuable educational play that deserves to be in Vienna’s English Theatre repertoire for years to come. In fact, we hope Vienna’s English Theatre will continue to offer such plays encouraging teachers and pupils to tackle such taboo topics!

What happens when a young and lively woman hairdresser with a strong tendency to swearing enrols in an Open University course to learn objective literary criticism? Will her "dead serious" determination be enough to carry her through? And what happens if her tutor, a literature professor in his early fifties, turns out to be a disillusioned alcoholic with no ideals left in his life? When will he lose his patience with his new and non-stop talking student?
This is the opening scene in the play "Educating Rita", written by Willy Russell in 1981 and performed in Innsbruck by the International Theatre of Vienna. The performance of Roxanne Carless as Rita is thoroughly convincing and especially entertaining. Jack Babb plays the role of Frank confidently, but does not exert such strong presence on stage. He clearly remains in the background, despite his ironic and funny remarks. In this way he succeeds in underlining the stark contrast between the two very different personalities of Frank and Rita.
The result is a highly enjoyable stage play including witty dialogue with deeper meaning. It gets us to remember our own experience with education, while it challenges rigid opinions and prejudices. Moreover, the topic couldn't be more relevant today as it deals with superficial consumerism, on the one hand, and the search for real happiness, on the other.

Nov 2008
Still crazy after all these years…. Educating Rita comes to Innsbruck

Crazy? No, but appealing certainly and pertinent any day. When the International Theatre of Vienna followed an invitation by the Austrobrits Tyrol to perform Willy Russel’s 1981 stage hit “Educating Rita” it quickly became clear that the play had lost none of its original attraction. To a large part this is due to the excellent timing and interplay of Roxanne Carless as Rita and Jack Babb as Frank. Roxanne Carless shoulders the bulk of the text with confidence and exactly the right amount of animation for each scene. Jack Babb retains a strong presence despite the jaded stance required of his character.

They are both greatly helped by the excellent script, which combines wit, sharp observation and literary insights with different social and intellectual registers as the play unfolds.

In this production Rita’s initial NW England accent is quite mild, which benefits an audience of mainly non-native speakers and which Roxanne Carless makes up for in body language. In 2008, the references to the trade unions sound a bit dated and what is left of the working class might not be as sanguine about money as Rita was in 1981. The search for a life beyond the quick fix of an evening in the pub or in front of the telly, however, is still on and the treacherous course between alienation and insight beautifully charted in Willy Russell’s play.

An Austro-British Christmas 2010

Saturday, June 26th 2010 Following in Ernest Hemingway's footsteps The young man and the mountains

Saturday, June 26th 2010
Following in Ernest Hemingway's footsteps
The young man and the mountains