Jedermann, how time passes!

Coveted and venerated: Jedermann and his Paramour

Being fortunate enough to perform as Jedermann or Paramour once in your life – a dream held by many actors. Shining in one of the lead roles such as Jedermann is one of the greatest honors an actor in the German-speaking world can enjoy. Since the premiere in August 1920, 16 actors in total have each breathed new life into the Salzburg Jedermann. Likewise, the figure of Paramour has been raised to illustrious mythological status. She speaks but 30 sentences during the performance. And yet, barely any other role during the Festival evokes such great media interest as Jedermann’s female companion. 

The first Jedermann pairing was a married couple 

The role began in 1920 with Austrian actor Alexander Moissi. A famous media personality of that time, he brought much sought-after attention to the Salzburg Festival extending far beyond the country’s borders. At his side and thus the first Paramour of the Salzburg Festival: Johanna Terwin, German actress and wife of Alexander Moissi. A small detail that added an amusing note to this portrayal of the Jedermann couple. 

Beautiful record-setting Paramours

Max Reinhardt is reputed to have once said that the best Jedermann was: Attila Hörbiger, father of actress Christiane Hörbiger, standing on the famous stage an astonishing 50 times. Supported in his laudable efforts by Dagmar Servaes who, in her turn, portrayed Paramour in 99 performances. It was the sensual Senta Berger who took her seat at the Jedermann dinner party – with just a short hiatus – from 1974 to 1982. This “Sophia Loren of the Vienna suburbs” remains to this day one of Austria’s most beloved Paramours, further captivating the public with a medieval-style dress – featuring a plunging neckline accented by a belted waist. 

Of Oscar winners and actors with a love for Jedermann

From 1974, acting icon Curd Jürgens danced across the stage with Senta Berger, while Oscar prizewinner Maximilian Schell took over the reins in 1978. It was of him that Festival President Helga Rabl-Stadler once said: “He was one of the most convincing and best portrayers of this role.” Also celebrated by critics and the public was Klaus Maria Brandauer between 1983 and 1989. That said, the longest-serving Jedermann was: Peter Simonischek, this native of Graz “treading the boards” in that role for a grand total of 91 times. In his farewell speech to the Jedermann ensemble, Simonischek revealed that he had already fallen in love with Jedermann when he was just eight years old. 

Multifaceted and colorful: the various manifestations of Paramour   

Since we bring up the topic of love: When, in 2002, Veronica Ferres alit from a hay wagon in a dress of pink taffeta with silver lace, she embodied passion and eroticism unlike any other Paramour before her. This “blonde full-blooded woman” was the ultimate Paramour for many, a perfect personification of Baroque sensuality with her feminine curves. In 2009, Sophie von Kessel was the first to sport a dress in a color different to the red and pink nuances which had been typical until then: In this particular year, Paramour was clad in a very stylish royal blue. In 2013, Brigitte Hobmeier was the first Paramour to ride in on a bicycle, pedaling into the arms of Jedermann Cornelius Obonya wearing a floral dress in red and orange.

Paramour in pants and the year of two Jedermanns 

Six years later, Valery Tscheplanowa was the first Paramour to step out on the Jedermann stage in pants. The media furor was immense – never before had a Paramour worn trousers! In a glittering semi-transparent onesie, in 2019 she turned the head of Jedermann Tobias Moretti, a man who now occupies a special place in the heart of Salzburgers: Tobias Moretti has performed as the famous bon vivant since 2017. Though in 2018, illness compelled him to miss five performances, for which Viennese actor Philipp Hochmair successfully stood in – a first in the long history of the Festival! So, as you can see, much has happened in the last 100 years. We wait with bated breath to see what colorful Jedermann couples the next century will bring!

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