''Der grüne Kakadu'' is a

one act A one-act play is a play that has only one act, as distinct from plays that occur over several acts. One-act plays may consist of one or more scenes. The 20-40 minute play has emerged as a popular subgenre of the one-act play, especially in writi ...

grotesque Since at least the 18th century (in French and German as well as English), grotesque has come to be used as a general adjective for the strange, mysterious, magnificent, fantastic, hideous, ugly, incongruous, unpleasant, or disgusting, and thus ...

Arthur Schnitzler Arthur Schnitzler (15 May 1862 – 21 October 1931) was an Austrian author and dramatist. Biography Arthur Schnitzler was born at Praterstrasse 16, Leopoldstadt, Vienna, capital of the Austrian Empire (as of 1867, part of the dual monarchy ...

. It was written in 1898 and premiered on 1 March 1899, together with his plays '' Paracelsus'' and '' Die Gefährtin'', at the Vienna Burgtheater. The play thematises the indistinguishability of truth and lies, of appearance and reality.

Characters

* Emile Duke of Cadignan * François Viscount de Nogeant * Albin Chevalier de la Tremouille * The Marquis of Lansac * Séverine, his wife * Rollin, poet * Prospère, host, former theatre director * His troupe: Henri, Balthasar, Guillaume, Scaevola, Jules, Etienne, Maurice, Georgette, Michette, Flipotte * Léocadie, actress, Henri's wife * Grasset, philosopher * Lebrêt, tailor * Grain, a thug * The Commissary * Noblemen, actors, actresses * Burghers and burgesses Fotothek df pk 0000005 006 Szenenbilder

Plot

Paris 1789: Prospère, a former theatre director, runs a dive called "The Green Cockatoo". Many unsuccessful actors, Prospère's former employees, are regulars. But the tavern is also frequented by aristocrats. They hope to get the pleasant thrill of being among real street hustlers and other riffraff. So the actors play criminals. They brag to each other about their violent deeds. On 14 July, the day the French Revolution broke out, the real turmoil of the street now enters the scene. Reality and play intermingle, and for the noble spectators as well as for the actors it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish roles from real people and play from truth.

Adaptations

* ''Der grüne Kakadu'', an opera by composer

Richard Mohaupt Richard Mohaupt (14 September 1904 – 3 July 1957) was a German composer and Kapellmeister. Life Richard Mohaupt was born in Breslau, where he studied music. After his studies he worked as a répétiteur and music director in Breslau, Aach ...

which premiered on 16 September 1958. * ''Der grüne Kakadu'', a 1963 film by Austrian director

Michael Kehlmann Michael Kehlmann (21 September 1927 – 1 December 2005) was an Austrian television film director and theatre director, screenwriter and actor. During 1951–1953, Kehlmann was the manager of the "Kleines Theater im Konzerthaus", Vienna. He was awa ...

.Der grüne Kakadu
on IMDb

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grune Kakadu #Der Austrian literature Plays by Arthur Schnitzler 1899 in theatre Plays set in France