Von Morgens bis Mitternachts

Von Morgens bis Mitternachts I"From morning to midnight") is a German play by Georg Kaiser (1878–1945)[1].

The original text

An expressionist play written in 1912 that charts the life of a cashier who steals money from the bank and flees to Berlin. The un-named protagonist's bid to escape his middle-class daily life is ultimately frustrated. In the end, disillusioned and pursued by the police, he takes his own life.

It is a popular piece and is among the most frequently performed German Expressionist works.

Though the play was initially banned for reasons which were not entirely clear, it was eventually produced by the Austrian Max Reinhardt in 1917.

Translations and adaptations

It has been translated into English in a number of versions, usually called From Morn to Midnight (e.g. The Theatre Guild Version by Ashley Dukes, 1922)[2] or From Morning to Midnight.

Translated into Afrikaans as Van Dagbreek tot Middernag and adapted for radio by Lourens Fourie.

Adapted as a 1920 German silent expressionist film, directed by Karlheinz Martin.[3]