Johann Nepomuk Nestroy

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Nestroy, Johann Nepomuk (1801–62), Austrian actor and dramatist, who in his satiric comedies reflects the rising tide of liberalism and social discontent which was to result in the Revolution of 1848. The foundations of his success were laid in Vienna, his birthplace, where he first appeared in 1829. His gift for improvisation and his immense facility (he wrote at least 83 plays) soon made him a popular figure. His plots came from wherever he could find them, but he altered them so much that they were hardly recognizable. He excelled in parody, his main target being Wagner, and showed considerable courage in attacking social and political targets. He was the last outstanding exponent of Viennese popular theatre, which after him declined into operetta.

In 1826 he embarked on a long and fruitful partnership with the Austrian actor and impresario Karl Carl [ Karl Andreas von Bernbrunn] (1789–1854), who had adapted the comic persona Staberl and made it extremely popular in Germany. Returning to Vienna Carl managed the Theater an der Wien and the new theatre which in 1847 replaced the old Leopoldstädter Theater. He knew exactly what his audiences wanted and gave it to them, particularly the local farces, or Posse. In 1842 he scored a big success with Nestroy's adaptation of John Oxenford's farce A Day Well Spent as Einen Jux will er sich machen, later used by Thornton Wilder as the basis for his play The Merchant of Yonkers (1938), and by Tom Stoppard for his On the Razzle (National Theatre, 1981).

Johann Nepomuk Nestroy , 1802–62, Austrian dramatist and actor. A successful performer in comedies and operettas, he later proved himself a brilliant writer of farces and satires. He wrote over 60 plays, including Lumpacivagabundus (1833), a parody of Raimund's Verschwender ; On the Ground Floor and the First Story (1835), which uses a split stage to demonstrate class differences; and Freedom in Krahwinkel (1948), a political satire. His critical wit and flouting of Viennese censure kept him in constant conflict with authorities, and he was imprisoned more than once. Although his reputation has been revived, his popularity is restricted to the German-speaking world because of his dialect and the complexity of his wordplay.