# Helmut Bez

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**Helmut Bez** (28 August 1930 – 7 August 2019)[1] was a German writer primarily known as a playwright (for theatre, radio, and television), librettist, and screenwriter.[2] He was born in [Sondershausen](/source/Sondershausen) and spent the first 40 years of his career in [East Germany](/source/East_Germany). In 1981, Hans Fabian wrote that his plays at the [Deutsches Theater](/source/Deutsches_Theater_(Berlin)) "rival the best of those performed in the West and give promise of a vigorous decade to come."[3]

## Life and career

Bez graduated from secondary school and later drama school in [Erfurt](/source/Erfurt) where he had been a boyhood friend of [Jürgen Degenhardt](/source/J%C3%BCrgen_Degenhardt). He and Degenhardt would later collaborate on numerous librettos for musical theatre and [operetta](/source/Operetta). When collaborating, Bez and Degenhardt sometimes wrote under the pseudonyms Alfred Berg (Bez) and Hans Hardt (Degenhardt).[4][5] Between 1952 and 1966, Bez worked as the resident dramatist at theatres in Heiligenstadt, Nordhausen, Erfurt, and Eisleben and at the [Metropol-Theater](/source/Komische_Oper_Berlin) in Berlin. Since 1966 he has worked as a freelance dramatist.[6]

In 1980 Bez, Degenhardt, and H. P. Hofmann published, *Musical: Geschichte und Werke*, a book on the history and performance of musical theatre in Germany.[7] To mark Bez's 75th birthday in August 2005, [MDR](/source/Mitteldeutscher_Rundfunk) re-broadcast his 1996 radio play *Tod in der Provinz*.[2]

## Works

### Musical theatre

Bez's librettos for musical theatre and operetta include:

- *Mein Freund Bunbury* (1964) with Jürgen Degenhardt. Composer: [Gerd Natschinski](/source/Gerd_Natschinski). Based on Oscar Wilde's play *[The Importance of Being Earnest](/source/The_Importance_of_Being_Earnest)*, this musical is still being performed in Germany in the 21st century.[8]
- *Terzett* (1974) with Jürgen Degenhardt. Composer: Gerd Natschinski[9]
- *Casanova* (1976) with Jürgen Degenhardt. Composer: Gerd Natschinski[9]

### Stage plays

- *Jutta oder Die Kinder von Damutz* (1978)
- *Warmer Regen* (1979)
- *Die verkehrte Welt* (1983)

and others[10].

### Radio plays

- *Zwiesprache halten* (1976, awarded)
- *Letzte Nachrichten* (1981)
- *Die Befreiung* (1983)
- *Das Reich von Geist und Seele* (1989)
- *Gentz* (1990)
- *Nützliche Erhebung* (1993)
- *Die Armee Wenck* (1995)
- *Tod in der Provinz* (1997)

### Television plays and movies

- *Wengler & Söhne* (1987, DEFA)
- *Späte Ankunft* (1988, TV)
- *Jutta oder Die Kinder von Damutz* (1995, TV)

### Novels

Numerous novels and stories.[10]

## References

1. [s.n.](/source/S.n.) (20 August 2019) ["Abschied von Helmut Bez"](https://henschel-schauspiel.de/de/meldung/2225). Henschel Schauspiel. Retrieved 21 August 2019 (in German)

1. [s.n.](/source/S.n.) (22 August 2005) ["Herzlichen Glückwunsch Helmut Bez!!!"](https://henschel-schauspiel.de/de/meldung/189). Henschel Schauspiel. Retrieved 29 March 2019 (in German)

1. Fabian, Hans J. (Autumn 1981) ["Recent East German Drama"](https://www.jstor.org/stable/40136296). *[World Literature Today](/source/World_Literature_Today)* Vol. 55, No. 4, p. 591. Retrieved 29 March 2019 (subscription required).

1. Karmeyer, Frank (7 August 2014). ["Liedtexter Jürgen Degenhardt erliegt seinem Krebsleiden"](https://erfurt.tlz.de/web/erfurt/startseite/detail/-/specific/Liedtexter-Juergen-Degenhardt-erliegt-seinem-Krebsleiden-585020387). *Thüringische Landezeitung*. Retrieved 29 March 2019 (in German)

1. Fechner, Dieter and Völkerling, Hedwig (2003) *Thüringer Autoren der Gegenwart: ein Lexikon*, p. 37. Quartus-Verlag. ISBN 3931505472 (in German)

1. [s.n.](/source/S.n.) (1982). ["Helmut Bez"](https://www.theaterderzeit.de/person/8854/). [Theater der Zeit](/source/Theater_der_Zeit). Retrieved 29 March 2019 (in German)

1. Grosch, Nils and Juchem, Elmar (2012). [*Die Rezeption des Broadwaymusicals in Deutschland*](https://books.google.com/books?id=-_2Mfnrmw6YC&pg=PA16), p. 16. Waxmann Verlag. ISBN 3830976143 (in German)

1. Evangelista, Stefano (2010). [*The Reception of Oscar Wilde in Europe*](https://books.google.com/books?id=-oBmdCTSJ5IC&pg=PA227), p. 227. A&C Black. ISBN 1847060056

1. Letellier, Robert Ignatius (2015). [*Operetta: A Sourcebook*](https://books.google.com/books?id=wSfXCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA785), Vol. 2, p. 785. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 1443885088

1. [s.n.](/source/S.n.) [Helmut Bez](http://www.kabert.org). Author's page. Retrieved 21 August 2019 (in German)

## External links

- [Helmut Bez](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0080018/) at IMDb
- [Author's page with biography and list of works](http://www.kabert.org) (in German)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Helmut Bez](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmut_Bez) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmut_Bez?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.