26. 07. 10. - 15:00

Half a million tune in for 'Jedermann'

Up to half a million tuned in for ORF’s broadcast of this year’s "Jedermann" premiere at the Salzburg Festival (Salzburger Festspiele) last night (Sun).

National broadcaster ORF said today its time-lapsed screening of the performance of Hugo von Hoffmansthal’s play was watched by an average 387,000 viewers, with viewer figures peaking at around 500,000.

The company said the programme – broadcast on channel ORF 2 – reached a market share of 25 per cent.

ORF’s programme executive Wolfgang Lorenz claimed the figures proved Austrians considered the station as a "reliable partner for high-culture programmes".

The Salzburg Festival is one of the country’s most important summer events. It includes a wide range of theatre, opera and classical music performances. Several top celebrities are expected to attend this year’s edition which will run until 30 August.

The performances of "Jedermann" are considered as each festival’s highlight despite most critics’ dismissal of the play as little sophisticated and too simple.

All eyes were on Nicholas Ofczarek who succeeded Burgtheater colleague Peter Simonischek as the play’s main character. Simonischek played the leading role in the famous piece since 2002 – longer than any other actor before in the festival’s history.

Award-winning actress Birgit Minichmayr stars as the "Buhlschaft", the leading female character of the play, this year.

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