Jedermann. Das Spiel vom Sterben des reichen Mannes (Everyman. The play of the rich man's death) is a play by the Austrian playwright Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is based on several medieval mystery plays, including the late 15th-century English morality playEveryman. It was first performed on 1 December 1911 in Berlin, directed by Max Reinhardt at the Circus Schumann. Since 1920, it has been performed regularly at the Salzburg Festival.
Plot
God sends Death (Tod) to summon the rich bon viveur Jedermann who is then abandoned by his friends, his wealth and his lover (Buhlschaft).
In 1917, an English language adaptation, The Play of Everyman, was performed at the Trinity Auditorium in Los Angeles and the Burbank Theater in Burbank, California, translated and adapted by George Sterling with "Richard" Ryszard Ordynski, music by Victor Schertzinger. The Sterling adaptation was performed again in 1936 at the Hollywood Bowl with music by Einar Nilson.
The play has been made into a film at least eight times, including in 1958,[5] 1961,[6] 1970,[7] 1983,[8] 2000,[9] 2004,[10] 2010,[11] and 2013.[12] The 1961 film Jedermann, directed by Max Reinhardt's son Gottfried Reinhardt and filmed at the Salzburg Festival, was submitted as the Austrian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 34th Academy Awards, but it was not selected as one of the five nominees in the category.[13]
See also
Jedermann (Sibelius), incidental music written by the composer for a production of the play in Finland in 1916.
Sechs Monologe aus Jedermann for baritone or alto and orchestra (1943–44), by Frank Martin
^Stevens, Martin (March 1973). "The Reshaping of Everyman: Hofmannsthal at Salzburg". The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory. 48 (2): 117–131. doi:10.1080/19306962.1973.11754990.