This article should really be called “An unexpected journey” as originally our plans for the summer were to go in a completely different direction and not Rügen. But whilst streaming the firework display one evening I told me son that this year was the end of the cycle with Klaus Störtebeker losing his head and he declared that he would like to see the play. Watching the 2012 play on DVD was not an sufficient alternative. So at rather short notice we arranged accommodation on the island and headed off on the 700km journey.
Normally when we visit Ralswiek, we like to spend the day there. We pick up our theatre tickets in the morning, visit the souvenir shop, have a picnic on the grass next to the water and take a walk through the woods to visit the horses. After that we join the queue for the birds of prey show in the theatre.
Of course, that all requries good weather and we have been very lucky over the years. I’ve sat through some terrible downpours on preview nights, but not in the middle of July. Unfortunately, contrary to the weather forecast, it started raining just as we collected our tickets and it kept raining on and off throughout the day. Even when we chanced a trip to the ice cream van during a dry period, it started again, leaving us huddled under the awning.
Eventually the rain stopped and we made our way to the theatre entrance, armed with coats and ponchos. At 5.30pm the gate slid back and the security guards appeared with their ticket scanners. Once our tickets had been scanned we were greeted by the rare site of an empty theatre, with 8.800 seats to choose from. We made our way to the front row and enjoyed the birds sweeping over our heads whilst Volker Walter explained each one of them turn. All too soon it was time to move to our reserved seats for the main play.
Marienhafe
Klaus Störtebeker (Moritz Stephan) and his crew have been driven out of the Baltic Sea and are now operating in the North Sea, using Marienhafe in East Frisia as a port. This is depicted on the left of the stage, with Hamburg on the right. The Hanseatic League are determined to deal with the pirates once an for all and capture Klaus, which of course is the end of the story and will see him lose his head.
Hamburg
However even if the ending is clear, there are differences to the end of the previous cycles. For one thing, the play starts with Klaus already married (to Occa tom Brok, played by Lisa Ahorn). His Nemesis as always at the end of the cycle is Simon von Ütrecht (Alexander Frank Zieglarski) who this year has help in the form of Natalia von Beieren (Ruth Macke). It is her job to lure Klaus to Helgoland.
Alexander Hanfland returns as Goedecke Michels, Norbert Braun takes over the role of the Mayor of Hamburg. Karin Hartmann also returns this year, but one regular player, Mike Hermann Rader, is missing.
One very interesting change is how when Wolfgang Lippert starts to sing, the cast don’t leave him alone on the stage, as has almost always been the case in the past. The action carries on around him, as can be seen in the second song of the first half: “Was bleibt” (originally sung by East German band “The Puhdys”). [View on YouTube]
During “Hab den Mond mit der Hand berührt” (originally sung by another East Germany band “Karat”) there are even dancers, performers with fire and even stunt riders on the stage. [View on YouTube] And he even gets to perform a fifth song at the end of the play, “Frei wie ein Adler”, which also appeared at the end of a previous cycle in 2012.
Wolfgang Lippert singing during a market scene
One difference that I noticed was that there were almost no autograph hunters hanging around the backstage entrance when we were there. Even after the play, the actors retired to their area and the audience left. In previous years children would queue up for autographs and to have their photographs taken with members of the cast.
There was, however, one exception: a good number of “Lippi” fans who wanted their photos taken with their idol, and he did not disappoint, staying in the public area considerably longer than the other performers until everyone was happy and I’m sure a number of those photo will find their way onto Instagram.
The executioner awaits
I came home with a very happy son, photos of him both with Wolfgang Lippert and Alexander Hanfland, and thanks to a chance meeting with the person who started the Störtebeker Festspiele 30 years ago, Peter Hick, I even have a signed copy of his biography.
The play “Hamburg 1401” takes place each evening from Monday to Saturday in Ralswiek until 31th August. Tickets can be purchased online at: www.stoertebeker.de.
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