Theatre in Germany

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/5/12 at 9:30pm

Wasn't sure whether to put this on or off-topic, but hopefully it's okay here, and will get more traffic. Have no solid plans yet but am thinking of maybe spending some time in one of a few German cities sometime next year. Don't know much about the theater world out there but would love to see a thing or two. Recommendations? Particular companies or theaters or places? Thanks!

Updated On: 7/5/12 at 09:30 PM

[PennybankBill]

Posted: 7/5/12 at 11:20pm

Berliner Ensemble
Thalia Theater

That's all I got.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 7/5/12 at 11:41pm

Berlin:
Gorki Theatre
Schauspielhaus (run by Ostermeier)

[Overthewall]

Posted: 7/5/12 at 11:42pm

I absolutely loved Hinterm Horizont which is playing at the Theater am Potsdamer Platz in Berlin!! It's a beautiful piece about a rocker from the west falling in love with a girl from East Berlin using the songs of Udo Lindenberg! It's also super powerful considering the Berlin Wall used to go right through where the theater sits now.

Most Stage Entertainment productions are very well done and totally worth it!

There's also a fantastic outdoor theater in Berlin that does classic shows like Shakespeare and Moliere - which was a blast (I'll find the name for you!)

Where in Germany will you be going?

(edited for spelling!) Updated On: 7/5/12 at 11:42 PM

[philly03]

Posted: 7/5/12 at 11:59pm

I know its not in Germany, but it can be quick (depending where you're coming from):

Vereinigte Bühnen Wien in Vienna... they run out of the Raimund Theatre.

They have commissioned or produced such works as Rebecca (coming to Broadway this fall), Elisabeth (the longest running/most successful German musical ever), Rudolf (written by Frank Wildhorn), etc. They usually have works running in seasons (mostly the spring-summer months, if I'm not mistaken). First-class productions (I think Sister Act is playing there now)

A lot of musicals run in Hamburg, Germany if I'm not forgetting that, as well as Bremen, where they put on a terrific production of Jekyll & HYDE about a decade ago (haven't been around since).

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 7/6/12 at 12:06am

Vereinigte Bühnen Wien runs September-June. They used to (until sometime in the 1990s) run July-April.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/6/12 at 12:48am

Haven't decided where I'm going yet. Coming from the US. Don't speak German but don't mind watching things that aren't in English. Dying to go to Berlin because Brechtian theatre is basically my mothership, but may have to do that another time and stay a bit farther East for scheduling purposes. Considering Frankurt, Hamburg, Munich...

Updated On: 7/6/12 at 12:48 AM

[exedore]

Posted: 7/6/12 at 1:39am

If you get to Berlin, you should absolutely make it a point to see something at the GRIPS - they do a hefty rep of politicised children's theatre including the 25 year old stalwart Linie 1. If you're into Brecht, their stuff will be totally up your alley, and some shows will have an English script available for sale, though very few. Booking was also a hassle last time I went (you have to phone and collect/pay on the day), but absolutely worth it for the experience.

Frankfurt/Hamburg/Munich will have some solid productions of the (sometimes modern) classics and some totally out there fringe. Chances are you'll find posters all over the city with the listings. Other than Stage Entertainment productions, which are entirely commercial, most theatre is quite cheap as German theatre is blessed with solid subsidies.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/6/12 at 1:52am

Cool, thanks. I am pretty much up for seeing anything. I wouldn't be going TO see theater, but I would love to catch some while I am wherever I am.

[Quasi]

Posted: 7/6/12 at 2:22am

Have a look at www.musicalzentrale.de. They have nearly all musicals that are playing in Germany in their database.

[siena07]

Posted: 7/6/12 at 9:02am

Theater in Germany is awesome! Highly recommend seeing Tarzan
The musical in Hamburg at Die Neue Flora theater...beautiful theater and
A really good production of the show...a big improvement from the us production... Also Lion King in Hamburg would also be good...Sister Act and the new Rocky musical would be worth checking out..so Hamburg is a must see city for theater! I also really enjoyed Berlin just as a cultural packed city and you could see War Horse...You really can't go wrong with German theater!

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 7/6/12 at 9:53am

If you are interested in opera, depending on when you go you have the Bayreuth Festival.

[ohjustjake]

Posted: 7/6/12 at 10:16am

I know it's not Germany, but I spent a summer in Salzburg and they have the Salzburg Festspiele which has a ton of theatre, dance, and opera through the summer months. It's a really big deal. Maybe check it out?

[Rabekriegerin]

Posted: 7/6/12 at 5:19pm

Aha! I plan on doing something of the same myself, next spring.

If you haven't seen the German version of Tanz der Vampire, do it. I do believe it is playing in Berlin, at least, and usually one or two other places.

I also know that the world premiere of Rocky is happening in Hamburg this coming November. Between Drew and Wietske you're guaranteed some strong performances.

Ordinarily I would strongly recommend a visit to Vienna to see a production of the VBW, as they do a truly magnificent job there. Starting this fall, they are running a revival of Elisabeth (which is truly magnificent) in the Raimund Theater, and Legally Blonde (ymmv) in the Ronacher.

Also, I don't know about the other cities but Vienna does have a "summer pause", so be sure that shows are playing when you schedule your visit.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 7/6/12 at 6:35pm

Summer pause doesn't happen in Germany with the commercial shows of Stage Entertainment.

[exedore]

Posted: 7/6/12 at 9:56pm

Don't waste your money on the Elisabeth revival in Vienna - it's the same horrid tour that's been running for a few years with the same burnt out cast and a particularly shrill manifestation of bad singing and acting with Annemieke Van Dam in the title role.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 7/6/12 at 10:53pm

^I am super offended that VBW is presenting that production as a 20th Anniversary "Celebration." It's comes off as an easy, cheap mounting, and seems to disregard the important thematic and cultural successes of the original production. How Kupfer directed this tour after directing the original is really odd in my opinion.

Updated On: 7/6/12 at 10:53 PM

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 7/6/12 at 11:10pm

I second the recommendation of Tanz der Vampire in Berlin.

[Xman8]

Posted: 7/7/12 at 12:19am

Dude there's Starlight Express in Bochum! I went and it was suuuuper fuuuun.

[exedore]

Posted: 7/7/12 at 12:36am

How fresh/new are the cast? I saw it during the most recent run in Stuttgart and compared to the Vienna cast (which I'd seen the prior two nights) it was absolutely flate/stale by comparison.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 7/7/12 at 12:41am

^ It's now in Berlin. Any reports on quality will have to be relayed from someone who's seen it recently. I haven't.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/14/12 at 8:21pm

Am now back to contemplating Berlin; I am trying to muddle my way through the Berliner Ensemble website -- only part of it will translate for some reason and I speak no German -- in their season section, they only list dates up through January. Are they out of season in the spring? Thanks.

[exedore]

Posted: 10/15/12 at 2:54am

It's very common for companies to have limited booking windows, so don't be surprised or concerned.

[The Black Prince2]

Posted: 10/15/12 at 7:42am

Don't miss a fantastic piece like Elisabeth because of some doom and gloomers who cannot take anything but the "original" Elisabeth version in Vienna.

It still plays to amazed audiences and had mainly positive reviews and even some raves. Elisabeth actresses, by the way, have often had specific styles and voices that do not appeal to everybody. But there are many who favour van Dams portrayal to many actresses in the past.

If you want to see German/Austrian musical theatre in its "purest" form you can - without a doubt - watch Elisabeth and get exactly that

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/15/12 at 11:11am

exedore - so there might be more that just has not made its way to the website yet? I hope so! I would have thought that they'd list the entire season up front and then open up ticket sales gradually in limited windows, but perhaps it is different there. I would hate to be in Berlin and not be able to see something there. Maybe I will e-mail them and see if I can get any additional info.