It is Time To Say Goodbye To You Tabaluga

Oktober 17, 2012

It is Time To Say Goodbye To You Tabaluga

Tabaluga und die Zeichen der Zeit - O2 World, Hamburg 12th October 2012

(Tabaluga And The Signs Of TheTimes)

Tabaluga, the little green dragon living in the fictional place of Greenland is currently on his last journey and started that in Hamburg last Friday and what a grand opening of this 2 months tour it was.

It all began in 1983 when German rock singer Peter Maffay and some other guys created him for a concept album of a "rock fairy tale". There are now five concept albums in total, each has a different theme and the current one is to be the last one.
Two of them did also tour which I saw, one of these ("Tabaluga & Lilli") even was an en-suite production in the city of Oberhausen and ran there for nearly two years.

O2 World arena before the show

So when this tour was announced I decided I of course had to go. The concept album was already enjoyable but to see it onstage is still something different with the alterations and enlargements.

Tickets went on sale over a year ago in October 2011, got mine the minute they were released with a front row seat along the "catwalk" part of the stage as can be seen on the picture above, so when the day of the actual show finally came I couldn't await it full of excitement and high anticipation. And the evening could live up to these expectations - totally.

As mentioned above each concept album has a different theme and this one is about time (last ones e.g. about luck/giving and taking and love respectively).
While it features music, it is not a musical, it has certainly musical elements with songs supporting the story line but it sometimes reminds also of some of the big revue entertainment shows and occasionally turns into a rock concert with the crowd going wild.

Unlike at most shows I attend it was clearly allowed to take pictures. Unfortunately I hadn't been aware before the show so had left my camera at home - and my mobile phone's camera is not the best, still got a few nice-ish shots as posted on here.

The story: Tabaluga accidently drops his alarm clock when it goes off so that it stops working but he thinks he has stopped the time till a stone tells him you cannot stop it.
Tabaluga tries to think about the words but is irritated by an ephemera which enjoys its short life up to the max - till it gets killed by Arktos, a snowman and Tabaluga's arch enemy.

The Death arrives as someone very cheery and tells Tabaluga that life can have various kind of length - an ephemera may live just a day or two, a turtle 200 years, Tabaluga up to 1000 years or some things live forever.

Being rather curious now Tabaluga is off to find out more about time and what it is and means and meets various people and animals each giving him lectures and insight about what time is and means to them as e.g. a rich lion tells him that "time is money", others crossing his path are e.g. a cuckoo, a zebra or a fox.

Besides all these he also regularly bumps into Arktos who constantly tries to trick him as he wants Tabaluga's fire but at the end when Tabaluga even meets the four seasons both learn that despite being enemies they kinda need each other and when Arktos is threatened to melt because of the summer Tabaluga rescues Arktos.

Interval: stage and I can see my seat down at the front!

At the end he actually meets a young woman, one who has appeared already throughout the journey various times to disappear as quick as she appeared who turns out to be the time and fulfils him his biggest wish: to dance once more with his love of his life - the ice princess Lilli (who appeared in a previous concept album the first time).

It is then that Tabaluga realises for him that time just stops in dreams, that it is only love that can conquer time and that everything in life has its time.

It all sounds a bit cheesy doesn't it? It definitely is but it is done with so much detail and love that the result on-stage is incredible.

The cast consists of Peter Maffay as himself not really being part of the story but for the odd moment though he performs several of the songs which are featured in the show with his band.

Then there are several usually in Germany rather famous actors playing some of the lead roles (with some guests sometimes and roles being switched), some other known musicians taking over some of the other lead/supporting roles plus a dance ensemble.
The title role is usually played by two female dancers alternating the role as the part does not sing any song.

The first time ever I actually went to this arena, back then known as Color Line Arena, was in 2003 for the prequel of this show so it was nice to return to it, while not too much a fan of these massive venues as I do not really like these overcrowded venues/locations - this evening was no different with the foyers around the auditorium being full wherever you go, even already when I arrived rather early at 6.30pm with the show just starting at 8pm - but then the show was (officially) sold out though there were clearly a couple of empty seats most notably in the upper level.

Anyway, this show is a feast for ears and eyes, especially visually it leaves such an impact.

The sets with all these so different scenes from an oriental bazaar to a castle to an ice scape,often supported by projections, the matching costumes and the lighting are all so bright and exquisitely colourful, the dozens, no hundreds I am sure of costumes for the whole cast particularly also being so accurate and detailed that you just could be astonished by the creativity of the designers and tailors. My ticket price of 80 EUR, which I think was most reasonably for what I got, was definitely well spent (considering what I pay for en-suite Stage Entertainment shows... ).

Sitting so close and (nearly) all of them having to pass the section where I sat I could closely pay attention to all these details and was just amazed How much time did it take to make these? Incredible.

Stunning was also the choreography (by Alex Burgos) especially of the dance ensemble with them hardly getting any break with so many well flowing scenes the whole dance ensemble is featured in and so many costume changes. It feels fresh, modern and lively performed by an energetic extremely talented cast that gives the impression having a ball . Each scene gets its matching choreography even with some acrobatic and stunt elements, from being ladies of a harem or other humans, to flies, rabbits, snails or so many other animals.

"Supervised" was all this by director Rufus Beck who also played the magician, some kind of mentor occasionally for Tabaluga (though not a narrator in this part unlike the previous Tabaluga adventures), ensuring a perfect flow of the show with no dull moment coordinating all the people on-stage and around. It is full of fantastic creative ideas conveying the message of the general theme of the show so well.

What also helps (which I appreciate even more now after the experience the weekend before) was the fantastic cast. Normally I do not need "stunt casting" though this show is known for doing it and when they are as well cast as the role of Arktos with the well known actor Heinz Hoenig who is so splendidly mean that it just makes fun.

Another well known actor Uwe Ochsenknecht played the role of an oriental "Lady of the Camellias", a courtisane, giving us a hilarious camp belly dance performance. Yes, he cannot really sing imho, he was more shouting and speaking but it was about the dancing.
Casting a man in that part (saying that he does not do all shows of this tour, in other cities the part is actually played by women) could have gone SO wrong, it could have easily turned into a panto but it did not.

Other parts as Lilli played by German singer Mandy Capristo (once a member of German girl band Monrose, she may have the right looks but I am personally not too much a fan of her singing, too breathy for me, others seemed to like her) or the cuckoo played by German singer Sasha (whom am hardly recognised when he came onstage for another scene with now having a full beard) did not really require much acting, as it often was about the song and the rest was done by the dance ensemble.

Of the so called lead parts I was most impressed though by not so known artists as Jörn Knebel who played three parts being a zebra, the Death and a carpet dealer. Death definitely was never more good-humoured coming along swinging and dancing and his zebra who wants to be a horse was most adorable. Big kudos also need to go to Leon Taylor with his two parts as rabbit and fox and to Kader Kesek as time-waster.

Listed as a member of the dance ensemble and at curtain call, whyever, introduced before the more known (or not) artists Sophia Schönert is such an enchanting life-affirming and curious Tabaluga, just as you expect a child to be.

What most people though most certainly were there for was Peter Maffay.

Once created as a rock fairytale for children, children were at the premiere actually a minority and at least were I sat most were Peter Maffay fans (my only nitpick is actually these two most annoying two female fans (who seem to be well known to press and other fans as also doing some calendar for Peter Maffay's charity) next to me who really did not seem to care about the show as whenever Peter Maffay was not on the stage they would start to chit chat rather loudly, especially when e.g. Kader Kesek was performing. Seriously, women, shut the f*** up! And yes I do not need to be told when to take pictures just because their star appears).

While I cared more about the show, so when the action took place on the catwalk or on that circular stage and Peter Maffay and his band would perform at the back, I focused on the action unlike some around me but the songs which are so versatile with so many different music genres combined first on one album, now in one show which even though so different still forming a unity and all matching the theme (even the songs which are for this stage show recycled from previous ones) his performance with his distinctive poignant voice supports the special aura and the meaning of the show so well.

Time flew by so quickly in the 2 1/2 hours that it was over way too soon but while you certainly cannot stop the time if it is spent as amazingly as at this show the time becomes a wonderful memory. I know Peter Maffay has said this one will be the last one though I really do not want it to be as not ready yet to say goodbye.
Get your tickets now - if you can as most shows are nearly sold out!