Stefan Zweig's "drama curse" and the tragic fate of three theatre legends
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Stefan Zweig's works are often associated with fascinating stories of the theatre - but unfortunately also with an apparent curse from which some of the most talented actors of their time had to suffer - Adalbert Matkowsky, Josef Kainz and Alexander Moissi, all of whom had a deep connection to Zweig's dramas and died in tragic circumstances.
Adalbert Matkowsky: Berlin's Royal Prussian Court Actor
Adalbert Matkowsky, celebrated as one of the most important interpreters of Shakespeare, delighted audiences in Berlin, St. Petersburg and New York. His important position in the theatre was confirmed by his recognition as a "Royal Prussian Court Actor". He was to play Achill in Stefan Zweig's play "Thersites" and had already successfully completed most rehearsals. But he died of a heart attack in 1909 - just 8 days before the performance.
Josef Kainz: A talented performer with a tragic end
Josef Kainz, an outstanding actor in Viennese theatre, was known for his lively performances. He had approached Stefan Zweig directly as he was on tour with two one-act plays and needed a third one-act play. Stefan Zweig wrote the one-act play "Der verwandelte Komödiant" (The transformed comedian) for him and waited for Kainz to return. Unfortunately, Josef Kainz had returned seriously ill and was immediately hospitalised. He died of bowel cancer a few weeks later - the second in a series of tragic events in Zweig's theatre circles.
Alexander Moissi: The world-famous star
Alexander Moissi, an Austrian actor with Albanian-Italian roots, enjoyed a career between 1910 and 1930 that made him the most famous actor in German-speaking and international theatre.
Gradually, Stefan Zweig developed a kind of superstition, which is why he refused on a flimsy pretext when Alexander Moissi asked him to reserve the leading role for him in Stefan Zweig's play "The Lamb of the Poor" in 1931. In 1935, however, Moissi informed him that the Italian writer Luigi Pirandello had written a play for Moissi and that Pirandello wanted Stefan Zweig to translate the play. So, Stefan Zweig translated the play, but rehearsals had to be postponed because Alexander Moissi fell ill with a severe flu. He died of pneumonia just a few days later.
Stefan Zweig himself dealt with these events in his autobiography "The World of Yesterday" with mixed feelings - the awareness of the immeasurable loss of these outstanding talents, coupled with an oppressive feeling that working with him was associated with fatal consequences for some of the greatest talents of his time.
