“He was a legend” whispers the Karl Farkas Plaque. It’s a small bronze tribute but its story is vast. This plaque commemorates Karl Farkas a Viennese actor and cabaret performer extraordinaire. He was born in Vienna in 1893. His life was an incredible adventure.
Farkas’s journey began with acting training at the Academy of Music and Performing Arts. World War I interrupted his studies. He served in the Austro-Hungarian army earning several decorations. After the war he launched his acting career in Czechoslovakia. The cabaret scene thrived after World War I. Vienna was a perfect place for this. Many talented Jewish artists including Karl Farkas found success. His work gained fame across Western Europe and even reached the USA. He contributed to Broadway musicals and plays.
His career took him to Linz where he worked in several theaters. He later became a stage director. In Vienna from 1920 to 1926 he was both actor and director at the Neue Wiener Buehne. Simultaneously he wrote scripts and was an emcee in Viennese cabarets. With Fritz Gruenbaum he pioneered the concept of a double emcee team. Farkas also created the Wiener Revue. From 1926 to 1931 he headed the Wiener Stadttheater. His success as a writer and actor grew. Theaters in Vienna and abroad invited him. He also wrote reviews and worked on movie scripts in Hollywood. He became head of the Revubuhne Casino. He and Gruenbaum toured extensively. They even performed in Prague in 1933. Farkas then managed the Viennese cabaret Simpl.
In 1938 the Nazis arrested him. After his release he escaped to France via Czechoslovakia. He ran the cabaret Imperatrice. With Oskar Karlweis he aimed to create a Viennese cabaret in Paris. He also performed in the Netherlands. The Societe des Autheurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques made him a member in 1939. In 1940 the French arrested him again. He was interned in the Gurs concentration camp. He finally reached the USA in 1941. In New York he tried to establish cabarets. He performed in many venues including the Majestic Theater. He did radio broadcasts too.
He wrote the book for the Broadway musical Marinka in 1945. In 1946 he wrote the lyrics and book for Yours Is My Heart. Cole Porter composed the music. The Shubert brothers produced it. Notable actors like Libby Holman Clifton Webb and Lupe Velez starred. He returned to Austria in 1946. He resumed his career in Vienna working in theater film radio television and cabaret. He wrote for the Wiener Kurier and other journals. From 1946 to 1971 he led the new Simpl.
Karl Farkas received many honors. He got the Goldenes Ehrenzeichen fur Verdienste um die Republik Osterreich in 1956. He received the Ehrenmedaille der Stadt Wien in Gold in 1963. He became a Professor in 1965. His works include Zuruck in Morgen Also sprach Farkas and Farkas entdeckt Amerika. He also wrote comedies and revues. This plaque stands as a testament to his enduring legacy. A legacy of laughter resilience and immense talent. So look closely and remember the remarkable Karl Farkas.