Emotionally captivating, yet entertaining: The musical Wüstenblume (Desert Flower) is a jewel. It tells the story of Waris Dirie, from an African nomadic child to an international top model, who has made it her mission to educate people about female genital mutilation, which happened to her herself. It captivates with catchy music, great stage design and great actors.
Les Miserables–The Staged Concert, Gielgud Theatre, London, August 13, 2019 (English review)
Les Miserables has been so successful that it has been performed continuously since 1985. The life story of the former prisoner Jean Valjean is impressively dramatic and powerful. The version in concert form currently performed in London’s Gielgud Theatre is a brilliant illustration of this: Phenomenally played and sung by an extraordinary cast, garnished with outstanding sound technology, this is an event of the century. I was never so overwhelmed after a visit to a musical.
Kiss of the Spider Woman / Der Kuss der Spinnenfrau, Baden near Vienna, Premiere August 3, 2019
South American prison, brutal wards, torture forced confessions… not exactly the ingredients for something you voluntarily watch on a warm summer evening. Manuel Puig’s novel was adapted into a pictorial, profound musical, which, despite all the tragedies, repeatedly scores with situational comedy and offers infectious Latin American rhythms.