"This was ready for television", said an audience member who came with her grandson on saturday and, like many visitors in the sold-out gewolbekeller of the stadthalle, gave the actors heidi lehnert, olga seehafer, benjamin bochmann and martin habermeyer bravos.
Marchenschatz
In honor of the grimm brothers, who 200 years ago published the first edition of their "kinder- und hausmarchen" (tales of children and their homes) the director nina lorenz and the actors had chosen the story of the donkey, the dog, the cat and the rooster and adapted it for the stage. The result is a funny and exciting play that also includes some (humorous) drama. It is not only fascinating for children, but was also well received by the parents and grandparents of the little spectators. The actors are bursting with joy, outdoing each other in wit and charm and showing full body effort in hopping, jumping, running and dancing. In addition, for the first time, they accompany their singing themselves with accordion, ukulele, violin and percussion instruments such as a pan, wooden board or coffee cup.
With a rough sense of empathy, they have put themselves in the shoes of the donkey, dog, cat and rooster, who are to be chased away or killed by their masters because they no longer provide the desired services. In the process, they also embody and lovingly exaggerate different types of human beings.
The characters
There is first of all the donkey, who lets a lot be done with him, but at some point draws the line and sets off for a new life. Benjamin bochmann impersonates this lovable creature with great serenity, always with a smile on his lips and with great warmth of heart. The dog, portrayed by martin habermeyer as lovable and affectionate, gladly joins him in the act.
The cat's role is much more complex, as it prefers singing to catching mice. Heidi lehnert has thus found a parade role. Lascivious, a little erotic and self-centered, completely taken in by herself, "creeps" she is pining for the donkey, quarreling with the rooster, taunting the dog, but in the end she feels that she is dependent on her companions.
Even the rooster, lively played by olga seehafer, would not have been the "bremer stadtmusikanten" without the other three lamentably abandoned. The four of them are strong and can even drive a bunch of robbers out of a house in the woods by standing on top of each other and scaring the bosses to death. But instead of moving to bremen, they stay where they are, singing and playing as the "habfurt town musicians" before.
Music and beautiful costumes
The final applause was not only for the four inspiring actors, but also for the director nina lorenz, the musician klaus neubert for the compositions and arrangements, barbara bollerhoff for the stage design and heidi lehnert for the beautiful costumes.