The ultimate goal of farming...
...is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.
There are places in this country I have never been to even though they are popular tourist destinations and I travel a lot.
Worpswede, an artist village north of Bremen, is one of these places.
Cast:
Michael Bernhard - Richard
Manuel Ettelt - Jan
Florian Wilke - Jens
Jörg Schlichtkrull - Hein
Petra Stockinger - Lavinia
Ingrid Waldau - Gertrud
The story, written by Frederik Holtkamp, is rather simple:
Three farmers living in a village in the middle of (as it seems) Schleswig-Holstein's nowhere have one issue in common - they cannot find a partner even after placing ads (but only in the local paper, so no feedback), going to over 30s single parties and registering with dating agencies (in Bucarest), so with a little help of the innkeeper Hein they decide to make a video and put it on the internet - which slightly backfires attracting the for them wrong kind of people.
The two guys playing the farmers Jens and Jan certainly steal the show as the slightly dumb, clumsy and naive but also sweet and sincere with the heart in the right place.
Florian Wilke as the pig farmer who also has to work for a beverage delivery service to make a living and is often looking like he shared the shed with his animals is such a oversized jovial teddy bear full of snugness with his bear belly and the scraggy hair and beard that it is fun to watch him .
At his side Manuel Ettelt as his three-day bearded cousin Jan is so cutely dopey and blond delivering his lines so trenchantly that, even if hadn't known and fallen for him before I would have that evening.
He could definitely always bake some pancakes for me ;-) but preferably showing off his real chef skills being not only a trained actor but also a professional chef.
Michael Bernhard as the handsome sporty farmer Richard cannot really take on with the other two but that lies within the character and he personally adds charm and sensitivity to his character that makes him believable to care for that part and let's face it, when he drops his shirts and pants he is VERY nice to look at.
Jörg Schlichtkrull as the innkeeper Hein is also a delight with so much brusqueness and poignant wit on one hand and a big heart on the other.
Overall the show delivers nearly perfect entertainment for people who like such stuff - I personally can cherish such pieces these as while it has not that much substance it never tries to be more than light hearted amusement - that is more than a certain other theatre I once loved going to delivers these days with third class rip off pieces.
All pictures taken from the Theater Alte Molkerei Worpswede website
Masanobu Fukuoka
Landeier – Bauern suchen Frauen
Alte Molkerei, Worpswede, 17th May, 2014
There are places in this country I have never been to even though they are popular tourist destinations and I travel a lot.Worpswede, an artist village north of Bremen, is one of these places.
I had known that there's a theatre as I regularly look at the programmes of various theatres in Northern Germany as the castings sometimes surprise - and this was also the case when I came across the casting for this piece seeing that a performer I adored in various shows at the Schmidt Theater and the Jahrmarkttheater and whom I hadn't seen on stage for nearly two years was in the ensemble of this play.
It also sounded entertaining so on a sunny afternoon I was off to Worpswede, first exploring the village, then in the evening off to the tiny theatre.
Cast:
Michael Bernhard - Richard
Manuel Ettelt - Jan
Florian Wilke - Jens
Jörg Schlichtkrull - Hein
Petra Stockinger - Lavinia
Ingrid Waldau - Gertrud
The story, written by Frederik Holtkamp, is rather simple:
Just when the middle aged post woman Gertrud and the pretty student Lavinia, who has a bike accident stranding in the village, appear they come up with the ultimate video idea to get women interested in them - which includes dropping clothes and housework.
Of course two of the guys get the two women at the end and the other two can look forward to a non single future.
So much about the story, as said, very simple - act 2 is actually pretty much about the video shoot but with the book filled with a lot of wordplays and situation comedy director Dominik Paetzholdt, who already directed several other productions of this comedy with it kinda touring around largely in the Northern states, manages to emphasise the typical North German sense of humour the whole evening is certainly a lot of fun.
Yes, the characters are all full of clichés and the whole storyline is very predictable and actually feels like seen before massively reminding of popular TV shows with a bit of "Farmer Wants A Wife", "The Full Monty" and some German TV series but the result is a diverting production with a lot of heart taking it despite being a comedy serious enough to be authentic and an eye for detail, that I can accept that (what a sentence... ;-) ).
It already starts with the rather old fashioned set so reminding me of the old inn in the village I grew up in the late 70s/early 80s with the typical wooden run down furniture and the walls so needing a coat of paint, even a, what used to be very common then, so called saving box on the wall, where the guys spend most of their free time after work it being their second home despite all the nagging about the guy who runs the inn.
But there are so many clever and funny ideas in the two hours show that made me constantly laugh as a standing joke about the guys being told to think about something pulling funny faces, one leaving the inn while someone else also wants to leave or enter and so on and on and on...
Even the video shoot and them doing housework and stripping (well trying to ;-) ) in act 2 was done with punchy well choreographed performances fully utilising pots, pans and irons.
It had me so often in stitches and I was glad for sitting on the very side regularly bending forward bursting into laughter which often blocks the view of people behind someone - which I hopefully didn't do (the seat though was not optimal due to some staging especially during the video shoot with the women blocking the view a bit).
Of course two of the guys get the two women at the end and the other two can look forward to a non single future.
So much about the story, as said, very simple - act 2 is actually pretty much about the video shoot but with the book filled with a lot of wordplays and situation comedy director Dominik Paetzholdt, who already directed several other productions of this comedy with it kinda touring around largely in the Northern states, manages to emphasise the typical North German sense of humour the whole evening is certainly a lot of fun.Yes, the characters are all full of clichés and the whole storyline is very predictable and actually feels like seen before massively reminding of popular TV shows with a bit of "Farmer Wants A Wife", "The Full Monty" and some German TV series but the result is a diverting production with a lot of heart taking it despite being a comedy serious enough to be authentic and an eye for detail, that I can accept that (what a sentence... ;-) ).
It already starts with the rather old fashioned set so reminding me of the old inn in the village I grew up in the late 70s/early 80s with the typical wooden run down furniture and the walls so needing a coat of paint, even a, what used to be very common then, so called saving box on the wall, where the guys spend most of their free time after work it being their second home despite all the nagging about the guy who runs the inn.But there are so many clever and funny ideas in the two hours show that made me constantly laugh as a standing joke about the guys being told to think about something pulling funny faces, one leaving the inn while someone else also wants to leave or enter and so on and on and on...
Even the video shoot and them doing housework and stripping (well trying to ;-) ) in act 2 was done with punchy well choreographed performances fully utilising pots, pans and irons.It had me so often in stitches and I was glad for sitting on the very side regularly bending forward bursting into laughter which often blocks the view of people behind someone - which I hopefully didn't do (the seat though was not optimal due to some staging especially during the video shoot with the women blocking the view a bit).
The two guys playing the farmers Jens and Jan certainly steal the show as the slightly dumb, clumsy and naive but also sweet and sincere with the heart in the right place.
Florian Wilke as the pig farmer who also has to work for a beverage delivery service to make a living and is often looking like he shared the shed with his animals is such a oversized jovial teddy bear full of snugness with his bear belly and the scraggy hair and beard that it is fun to watch him . At his side Manuel Ettelt as his three-day bearded cousin Jan is so cutely dopey and blond delivering his lines so trenchantly that, even if hadn't known and fallen for him before I would have that evening.
I adored him in other shows, he was e.g. such sweet Seppel in the kids musical "Räuber Hotzenplotz" at the Schmidt Theater and he continues to impress me with his very spot on comic timing performing the character's cracking moments as the whole his character's constantly saying the famous "Action" when filming in the first act.
He could definitely always bake some pancakes for me ;-) but preferably showing off his real chef skills being not only a trained actor but also a professional chef. Michael Bernhard as the handsome sporty farmer Richard cannot really take on with the other two but that lies within the character and he personally adds charm and sensitivity to his character that makes him believable to care for that part and let's face it, when he drops his shirts and pants he is VERY nice to look at.
Ingrid Waldau as the resolute and even though a bit older very lusty Gertrud is adorable and when she commands the guys so brisk.
The only one I found unconvincing is Petra Stockinger as Lavinia being a bit too loud and not enough nuanced for me when it shall be confident and pragmatic but also lovely and fetching not only in her looks but also in her demeanour and for me she lacked that especially when you have such strong characters as the others beside her.
Overall the show delivers nearly perfect entertainment for people who like such stuff - I personally can cherish such pieces these as while it has not that much substance it never tries to be more than light hearted amusement - that is more than a certain other theatre I once loved going to delivers these days with third class rip off pieces.
I certainly had an excellent evening that I wouldn't mind to see it a second time or even a third, fourth time - not in Worpswede though as, relying on public transport, it took me 3 1/2 hours to get home in the evening... :-S
