Kevin Clarke
Operetta Research Center
25 October, 2024
Great news from the German operetta market: the 2021 Operette für zwei schwule Tenöre (“Operetta for two gay tenors”) is not only returning to Berlin for a new commercial season in its fourth (!) year at BKA theater; it will also be shown in Poland and in Dresden.
Felix Heller (middle) with dancers in “Operette für zwei schwule Tenöre” at BKA Theater. (Photo: Robert.M Berlin)
In a press release, the show’s author Johannes Kram states that on 25 November the Berlin production will travel to Poznan to be part of the local “Czas na teatr” (Time for Theater) festival. The Operette will be shown there with the Germany cast, in German, but with Polish supertitles. Afterwards a Q&A with the audience is planned.
Considering that till recently there were official “LGBTQ free zones” in Poland and in light of frightful homophobia that has characaterized the political situation in the country until the last election, this is a rather noteworthy turnaround. With operetta at the forefront.
The poster for the 2021 premiere of “Operette für zwei schwule Tenöre.” (Photo: BKA)
Hit songs from the show will also be performaned at an operetta gala in Cottbus (on 3 November and 1 December, 2024). In the spring of 2025, the BKA production will also play – regularly – at Comödie Dresden, in addition to the Schmidtchen theater in Hamburg and BKA/Berlin. Which means the piece by Johannes Kram (text) and Florian Ludewig (music) will play en suite almost the entire moth around. Something that not even Barrie Kosky achieved with his most celebrated operetta productions (at a state subsidized venue).
On 30 October the revival of Operette für zwei schwule Tenöre in Berlin will start for a three week block of performances with various singers rotating in the lead roles. Check out the BKA website for cast details.
The 2024 edition of “Glitter and be Gay: Releaded”. (Photo: Männerschwarm / Salzgeber)
And just as a PS: in the upcoming collection of essays entitled Glitter and Be Gay: Reloaded, Mick Besuch discusses Operette für zwei schwule Tenöre extensively and for the first time in a musical theater studies book. Various other authors in that book – such as audience researcher Tillmann Triest – also talk about Operette für zwei schwule Tenöre and place it in context of the recent queer operetta revolution (to read more about it, click here.) The publication which was originally announced for this month was postponed by Männerschwarm/Salzgeber and is now slated for December 2024.