Goldberg Variations (play)

Goldberg Variations
The author and director of the premiere in the 1980s
Written byGeorge Tabori
Characters
  • Mr. Jay
  • Goldberg
  • others
Date premiered22 June 1991 (1991-06-22)
Place premieredAkademietheater, Vienna
Original languageEnglish

Goldberg Variations is a play by George Tabori which was first performed in 1991 in German as Die Goldberg-Variationen in Vienna's Akademietheater. The title alludes to Bach's Goldberg Variations, which is also used as background music.[1] The play is set in Jerusalem and presents a disastrous rehearsal of a theatrical production based on the Old and New Testaments, directed by Mr. Jay, a god-like figure. His assistant is Goldberg, a Jew who has escaped from the Nazis. Plot points include Creation, the fall of man, the binding of Isaac, the golden calf, and the Crucifixion, all presented with a satirical combination of seriousness and farce.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hadomi was invoked but never defined (see the help page).