About the work
Theaterg’schichten (in full "...durch Liebe, Intrigue, Geld und Dummheit") is a farce with songs in two acts by Johann Nestroy, premiered on 1 February 1854 as a benefit performance for the author at the Carltheater. The play is a costume-change farce that gives its cast ample opportunity for frequent role and costume changes while poking fun at theatrical life itself.
Plot
Young Mathias Damisch wants to become an actor against the wishes of his fiancée Philippine and her father Stößl, and joins a touring troupe, where he falls for the actress Rosaura. Mistaken identities and romantic entanglements land him in a lunatic asylum, before he abandons his theatrical dreams, agrees to become a pharmacist, and returns to Philippine.
Cultural significance
Critical response was mixed: Der Humorist found the play barely worth noticing, while Der Wanderer praised Nestroy's humour and the Wiener Zeitung predicted a resounding success. Frequently performed at first, including a guest production in Berlin in its premiere year, the farce fell into relative obscurity by the late 19th century.