Nestroy in 1847: Der Schützling and the Decline of Viennese Popular Theatre

Johann Nestroy's 1847 play 'Der Schutzling' was central to the debate concerning the decline of Viennese popular theater in the mid 1800s. His play did not conform to the traditional forms of humorous drama and so reflected a change in the theater that many saw as a decline. Nestroy's minimization of poor characters' roles was criticized because the poor are traditionally main comedic elements while some critics approved of his use of other classes for comedy. Similarly, critics did not approve of the amount of comedy in the play because it was less than in Nestroy's other works.