Scholz, Wenzel

(1787-1857)

   Actor. Scholz is best known for his work with Johann Nepomuk Nestroy at the Carl Theater in Vienna. His corpulence was one of his selling points as a performer, especially in combination with Nestroy's lean angularity. In many of the comedies Nestroy wrote for himself and Scholz, there is a scene of comic byplay that emphasized their physical differences but often resulted in a kind of mutual discovery, allowing the two to proceed through various plays as devoted friends, comic antagonists, or victims of a shared fate. In some ways they were precursors to the dual acts of English vaudeville or the more well-known likes of Laurel and Hardy in American short films. Scholz began his career at the Burgtheater and later worked in many of the same pathetic regional theaters as did Nestroy—a fact that cemented their relationship and doubtlessly delighted them during the years of their most fruitful collaborations at the Carl. Their collaboration began with Nestroy's first hit in Vienna, Der böse Geist Lumpazivagabundus (The Evil Spirit Lumpazivagabundus) in 1833.