“Messeschager Gisela” – Axel Ranisch Stages Gerd Natschinski’s 1960 Hit
It’s the third attempt in Berlin to breathe new life into the forgotten sub-genre “Heiteres Musiktheater der DDR”, i.e. musicals
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The Memoirs of Gerd Natschinski. Or: Whatever Happened To DDR Operettas?
It’s a sad fact that the West-German publishers Schott and Bärenreiter – who took over the performance material for many
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Operette und Musicals in der DDR: Ein Gespräch mit Werner P. Seiferth vom Metropoltheater
Übers Thema Operette in der DDR wird in letzter Zeit wieder mehr gesprochen. 2012 gab es in der Ausstellung Welt
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“Prinz von Preußen”: A Forgotten DDR Musical Revived in Zittau
At the small Gerhart Hauptmann Theater in Zittau (close to the Czech and Polish border in Eastern Germany) you can
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75 Years of Setting Operetta Standards: The Komische Oper Jubilee
When the Komische Oper opened its doors on 23 December 1947 – in the Soviet controlled section of Berlin –
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Vive la Révolution: Offenbach’s “Belle Lurette” at New Sussex Opera
New Sussex Opera is a self-funding organisation in the south-east of England that specialises in performing rarely heard operas and
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“Prinz von Preußen”: DDR Musicals Revived in Görlitz and Dresden
The theater in Görlitz had planned to bring back the 1978 DDR musical Prinz von Preußen by Dieter Brand and
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Reviving Jean Gilbert’s “Kinokönigin” (1913) à la Bob Fosse in Leipzig?
Let’s start with the positive side of this: Musikalische Komödie has put forgotten composer Jean Gilbert (1879-1942) back on stage
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“Die Kino-Königin”: Operette in 3 Acts by Jean Gilbert
Jean Gilbert’s operetta with the original libretto by Georg Okonkowski premiered on 22 November 1912 at Deutsches Operettentheater, Hamburg, as
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A Revived Interest In “Heiteres Musiktheater der DDR”? It’s Not Just About Nostalgia
Recently, Wolfgang Jansen published a collection of essays dealing with “Popular Music Theater under Socialism,” an aspect of 20th century
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Wolfgang Jansen’s New Book About Musicals Vs. Operetta: An Interview With The Author
Wolfgang Jansen has published many books: on the history of revues and revue operettas in the Weimar Republic, on Broadway
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“Popular Music Theatre Under Socialism”: Operettas & Musicals In The Eastern European States 1945-1990
Yesterday, a surprising book arrived on my desk: Popular Music Theatre Under Socialism. I guessed straight away that we weren’t
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“Bretter, die die die Welt bedeuten“: The DDR Musical Returns To Musikalische Komödie Leipzig
Is this the start of something like “reparation” after an endless period of neglect? On 18 September 2020 Bretter, die
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Focus On DDR Operetta: “Bretter, die die Welt bedeuten” At Musikalische Komödie Leipzig
Various opera houses in German speaking countries have presented new or adapted programs for their fall season, with productions they
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Offenbach’s Final Farewell: “Die Schöne Lurette” (1880) In Two DDR Versions
As the times of self-isolation continue, so does the catching up on old and new operetta releases that I’ve been
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“Gisela, Frisco, Bunbury”: Rediscovering “Heiteres Musiktheater” From The DDR
It’s mind boggling that the entire operetta repertoire created and performed in the former DDR between 1949 and 1990 has
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“A Re-Evaluation of Operetta”: A Conference At The University Of Leeds
Last week the international operetta research world gathered in Leeds for a conference which was – nothing short of remarkable!
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My First Queer Operetta: “Die Insel Tulipatan” At Staatsoper Berlin 1982
Since Offenbach’s Island of Tulipatan has popped up again on the general radar, with a brand new English language recording
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“Popular Musical Theatre Under Socialism”: A Conference In Freiburg In 2017
In February 2017, theater historian Dr. Wolfgang Jansen is organizing a conference on the topic of “Popular musical theatre under
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“Bühnenbild: Peter Kothe.” The Forgotten World Of Operetta In Socialism
Operetta in East-Germany has turned into a topic I have become more and more fascinated with. Maybe because my first
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“Staat macht lustig? Zeitgenössische Operette im sozialistischen Rumänien und der DDR”
On Monday, 9 May, Deutschlandradio Kultur will broadcast a 50-minute feature about operetta on socialist countries such as the DDR
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The Big Operetta “Virgin Cherry Pop”: A New Study By Albert Gier
A great big new academic book on operetta, in German: Professor Albert Gier, renowned libretto researcher at the University of
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DDR Operetta Composer Gerd Natschinski Dead
Outside of Germany, or more specifically East Germany, few people will know who Gerd Natschinski is. The composer who died
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Walter Felsenstein Revisited: A New Biography
Stage director Walter Felsenstein (1901-1975) is famous for various things: he founded the Komische Oper in East Berlin after WW2
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Heiteres Musiktheater schwelgt in Nostalgie: “In Frisco ist der Teufel los”
In Frisco ist der Teufel los war einer der größten Erfolge des „musikalischen Unterhaltungstheaters“ der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik – „Heiteres
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“In Frisco ist der Teufel los”: Two Concert Performances In Leipzig
It’s a topic that’s in the air right now, at least in Germany: remembering the situation in former East Germany
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Concerts at the Musikalische Komödie: “In Frisco ist der Teufel los”
As a grand finale to the festival week 1000 Years Leipzig and the local street festival, the soloist, ballet and
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Operetta From Socialist Germany: A Conference in Freiburg
Today and tomorrow, the Deutsches Musicalarchiv hosts its annual conference in Freiburg. Among the various talks on the history of
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Opening of the Season in Leipzig – With “In Frisco ist der Teufel los”
Did you know that the word „zapping“ comes from Wild West times and originally meant shooting down your opponent? Today,
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Messeschlager Gisela
The guys in Rüdersdorf are at it again. They have just announced the new operetta production that will be shown
Vorsätzlich vergessen? Die Operette der DDR
In der Ausstellung “Welt der Operette” wurde jüngst in Wien und München auf das “Heitere Musiktheater” der DDR hingewiesen, aber
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“Made in Berlin”: Otto Schneidereit Revisited
There’s a lot of talk, again, these days about „Operetta Made In Berlin”—how it differs from other German language types
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