About the work
A farce with songs in three acts by Johann Nestroy, premiered on 16 December 1840 at the Theater an der Wien as a benefit performance for his longtime companion Marie Weiler; music by Adolf Müller.
Plot
Titus Feuerfuchs, a red-haired barber’s assistant mocked for his hair colour, is given a black wig by the hairdresser Marquis. Under a succession of wigs, he rises socially and is courted by several women — until his true hair colour is revealed. In the end he turns down the tempting prospects and chooses Salome, who liked him without disguise from the start.
Cultural significance
"Der Talisman" is regarded as Nestroy’s most frequently performed play — it had 112 performances at the Theater an der Wien alone by 1860 — and later inspired adaptations including Heinrich Sutermeister’s 1958 opera of the same name.