Cordoba is a one-man play by Rupert Henning and Florian Scheuba (two big names of the Austrian comedy scene), starring Cornelius Obonya. It’s currently in the Viennese Rabenhof Theater. [Sorry for the shoddy linkage, but most inormation is in German anyway and on the flash-site of the Rabenhof Theater and therefore unlinkable.]

Plot:
1989. An East-German family makes their way across the green border between Austria and Hungary. They’re hoping for a better life in Austria. Instead what they get are misunderstandings, cultural differences and continuous mention of football in general and Cordoba in particular.
Spanning two generations, we see the fate of the German immigrants in Austria and are treated to a satire about the Austrian-German relationship as much as the relationship Austria has with immigrants in general.

Cordoba is absolutely awesome. Obonya, who plays all the roles (and gives each character a different dialect) delivers a mind-blowing performance and the writing is spot on, entertaining as much as giving food for thought.
[And don’t worry, if you aren’t Austrian and still don’t know why this play is called Cordoba. I’ll explain after the break.]

In 1978, the football world championship took place in Cordoba, Spain. And Austria beat then-champion Germany 3:2 in their match. This victory is still spoken off – in Austria. Here, if you mention the word “Cordoba”, 90% of people will think first of football, then the city. This is the original reaction to that final goal, making it 3:2, instead of 2:2. [Even if you don’t understand what he’s saying, listen.

In short, in Austria, it’s revered as the event of the century, nay, the millenium, how small, weak Austria beat the great, strong Germany.
In Germany, nobody remembers.

And that basically sums up the relationship between Austria and Germany: Austria continuously trying to impress/distance itself from Germany, Germany patting Austria on the head like a bigger sibling and being a little condescending. That’s why the play’s name is Cordoba.

Anyway, back to the play itself. Here’s the official trailer. [It’s in German but you might hear the differences between the different dialects Obonya takes on, if you’re so inclined.]

As I said before, Obonya left me absolutely breathless with his performance. Each different character is immediately recognisable, not only through their dialects but also through their posture and, well, acting. Obonya has no problem whatsoever switching between East-German (Sächsisch), West-German (Ruhrpott), Viennese (“higher class”), Viennese (“lower class”), Bavarian, etc etc., and within seconds, too! It is amazing and probably would be worth a theatre visit on its own. [Oh and btw., compared to other dialects, Viennese is damn sexy. Just wanted to point that out.]

Fortunately, it’s not the only thing that the play has going for itself. Scheuba and Henning make a good writing team. They’re funny, concise and even while you’re laughing about a joke, the truth starts sinking in: I shouldn’t be laughing about this because it. is. so. true. I should be exasperated. But only after I’m done laughing.

What I’m trying to say is, they cut to the heart of the matter and then they stay there, and make you laugh and squirm at the same time.

Summarising: If you’re anywhere near Vienna in September (since all other showings are sold out), are Austrian and/or German, then you definitely should get tickets. Totally and completely worth it, especially since the tickets are cheap.