N.N.
Operetta Research Center
21 March, 2024
The Komische Oper Berlin continues its exploration of Gerd Natschinski and Jacques Offenbach next season.
Poster for “Mein Freund Bunbury” at the Metropol Theater in East-Berlin, 1973.
Since the departure of Barrie Kosky as artistic director of the company, it’s been a big question mark which new operetta accents the new directors might set. For the current season, they had already announced a new production of Messeschlager Gisela, the 1960 DDR operetta by Natschinski about the workings of a fashion factory in a socialist society. Adam Benzwi conducts, and Axel Ranisch directs a stellar cast that includes Gisa Flake, Andreja Schneider, Maria-Danaé Bansen, Johannes Dunz and Nico Holonics. The productions opens in June in a special new location: a tent in front of the town hall on Alexanderplatz.
Next season, the company has announced another Natschinski show – his greatest hit: Mein Freund Bunbury, a socialist adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. It will open in June 2024, Max Hopp is slated to direct, Kai Tietje conducts.
Among the names in the equally stellar cast are Sophia Euskirchen, va Mattes, Alexander von Hugo, Christoph Marti and many others. There are 12 performances altogether.
By the way: The original cast album from 1964, starring Maria Alexander, Gisela May, Reiner Süß and others has just been released on CD internationally.
As this year’s Christmas treat, there are two semi-staged performances of Offenbach’s Robinson Crusoé, conducted by Adrien Perruchon and supervised by Felix Seiler as stage director. Agustín Gómez sings the title role, Virginie Verrez is Freitag, Miriam Kutrowatz is Edwige. Johannes Dunz can be admired as Toby. The dates are 22 December and 30 December.
You’ll probably recall that Edwige’s great waltz was a favourite show piece for Joan Sutherland, here’s her famous recording with a spectuacular moment of “dispair” that has not been surpassed since.
It remains to be seen whether Komische Oper will continue its exploration of Gerd Natschinki repertoire after Bunbury, for example with his famous “musical” Heißer Sommer. Or if they’ll opt for a different DDR composer such as Guido Masanetz for the 2025/26 season.
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