Max Reinhardt: From Bourgeois Theater to Metropolitan Culture

Max Reinhardt was one of the formative directors of modern theater. Starting as an actor, it soon became clear that he wanted more. His vision of a theater "that returns joy to the people" was vast and expansive: It included intimate theatrical arrangement as well as mass production in the circus arena. Reinhardt's aesthetics were not restricted to a single program but indulged in a playful eclecticism. Thus, his career as a director that lasted for almost 40 years comprises a broad variety of artists of various genres as well as many different styles.

At the same time, Reinhardt soon longed for an international range: guest performances throughout Europe and to the US soon made him into a global star – and even a brand. He represents a metropolitan culture that roots in the late nineteenth century but comes to an end when Fasicsm in Europe ended any hopes for an international culture. As a Jew, Reinhardt himself had to flee the Nazis but when he eventually arrived in the US, he could not follow up with his earlier successes. Marx provides a broad panorama of Reinhardt's work, portraying not only his work method and some of his best known productions, but also the cultural conditions of his visionary enterprise.