Just a fortnight ago, a jubilant countdown party was launched at Vienna's City Hall - Euro 2008 is on the way. But one particular neighbour is not exactly over the moon about plans for the football bonanza.
It's been declared that a strip of the Ringstrasse in front of City Hall (Rathaus) will be the main focus for soccer fans. Huge screens will be erected, and beer, sausage and all the rest will keep punters happy. This enclosure is intended to accommodate about 200,000 revellers. The problem is, standing immediately opposite the Rathaus is a rather touchy old matron - the Burgtheater.
Vienna's drama queens are hopping mad about the impending party. They say they weren't consulted about the idea, and that now they'll be incapable of holding performances throughout the cup.
Burgtheater boss Klaus Bachler has proclaimed that he expects compensation for losses. And not just that, he wants another venue for the duration of next June's competition.
"We will play somewhere else, and somebody will have to pay for it," he says.
Bachler has a major Shakespeare project in the pipeline for May/June, but the whole event is now jeopardized.
It's certainly not much ado about nothing if you're a fan of the bard - let's hope that all's well that ends well.
More About Euro 2008
|