Ferdinand
Raimund abandoned his apprenticeship in a bakery to become
an actor. His carreer had a rocky start with him working for
various travelling theatres throughout Hungary until he was
able to secure a position at famous 'Theater an der Wien'.
Raimund was a charismatic actor, even though he would
have preferred to star in tragedies rather than in burlesques
and comedies.
3 of his 8 plays are known and ocassionally staged today:
'Der Alpenkönig und der Menschenfeind' (The King of the
Alps and the Misanthrop), 'Das Mädchen aus der Feenwelt
oder Der Bauer als Millionär' (The girl from fairy land
or the farmer as millionaire) and 'Der Verschwender' (The
dissipator).
However, his plays are typical examples of romantic magical
comedies with fairy stories, moral allegories and deus-ex-machina
happy endings which are at odds with contemporary tastes.
