I've never been to New York (musical)

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Musical dates
Original title: I have never been to New York
Original language: German
Music: Udo Juergens
Book: Gabriel Barylli , Christian Struppeck
Premiere: December 2, 2007
Place of premiere: Hamburg, TUI Operettenhaus
Playing time: 1st act: 1:20 hours /
2nd act: 1:10 hours
Place and time of the action: Trieste , Genoa , New York , on board the cruise ship "MS Atlantik", as well as either Hamburg , Vienna , Stuttgart , Zurich , Tokyo , Oberhausen or Berlin , depending on the location
Roles / people
  • Lisa Wartberg
  • Axel Staudach
  • Maria Wartberg
  • Otto Staudach
  • Fred Hoffmann
  • Costa Antonidis
  • Florian
  • Mrs. Menzel
  • Ms. Dünnbügel (in Hamburg, Berlin and Zurich, in Vienna: Grabsteindl; in Stuttgart: Sargnägele; in Oberhausen: scrap iron)
  • captain
  • Ensemble (stewards, sailors, passengers, etc.)

I have never been to New York is a jukebox musical based on songs by the composer and singer Udo Jürgens , which had its world premiere in Hamburg in 2007 . The title is given by a song of the same name by Jürgens, published in 1982, which was included in the musical. The musical is about three couples who are faced with different difficulties: a couple who have to choose between love and career; a couple who have to prove that dreams can still be fulfilled in old age; a gay couple facing the adversity of lack of acceptance by narrow-minded people. On a cruise to New York they all discover the true meaning of life and what is really important.

The musical formed the basis for the film of the same name by Philipp Stölzl (2019).

content

1st act

The ambitious TV presenter Lisa Wartberg hopes to win a major TV award. For her career, she also neglects her mother Maria, who does not feel comfortable in the retirement home and only finds support in Otto Staudach, another resident of the retirement home. When the two, who have romantic feelings for each other, are once again robbed of their last bit of freedom by the home manager Frau Dünnbügel, they decide to run away and fulfill an old dream: a trip to New York with a wedding under the Statue of Liberty .

After the two sprightly pensioners have left the retirement home, the manager informs both Maria's daughter, Lisa Wartberg, and Otto's son, Axel Staudach, that their home places will be given to someone else if the two do not return within a week. Lisa Wartberg, who sees her career in danger, and Axel Staudach, who has enough work as a wildlife photographer and also has his son Florian with him every other weekend, want to prevent this in any case. Although Lisa and Axel find each other unsympathetic, they team up to bring their parents back.

In the meantime Otto and Maria have booked a cabin on a cruise ship to New York at Lisa's expense and ended up in the bridal suite due to a mix-up. When Lisa, Axel and his son Florian miss the ship, they rush to the next stop, where Lisa also orders her gay make-up artist and confidante Fred Hoffmann and his friend and partner Costa Antonidis to prepare the next show. Finally Lisa, Axel, Florian, Fred and Costa also land on the ship and try to find Maria and Otto on the ship. But the two seniors always manage to hide from their children. In the evening everyone ends up at a masked ball that takes place on the ship.

2nd act

In the meantime Lisa and Axel have found their parents on the ship, but since the two refuse to return to the retirement home and the ship has long since cast off, they too remain on the ship. During the journey, Lisa and Axel slowly begin to be friends, but especially for the sake of her career, Lisa doesn't want to become too close.

Fred confesses to his friend Costa that the two should be thrown out of their apartment because their narrow-minded neighbors don't want a gay couple in their house. Fred lacked the courage to say this because Costa was so happy in the apartment. But Costa assures Fred that he is his great love and that no apartment will change that. So the two decide to look for an apartment in a less homophobic and hypocritical environment, in which they are supported by the other.

Lisa and Axel have now confessed their love and enjoy the time together on the ship. But their fresh relationship is put to the test when Lisa learns on board the ship that she has won the long-awaited television award and wants to fly to the award ceremony in the helicopter . Axel asks her to stay with him, but Lisa insists that her career is more important than the journey together. She also wants to force her mother Maria to come with her, but she refuses and explains to Lisa that she wants to make her dreams come true just as Lisa does. Finally, Lisa decides to leave the ship without Axel and without her mother in order to receive the television award. Axel remains disappointed.

When the broadcast of the award ceremony is shown on the ship, the passengers learn that Lisa is not present. At first Axel believes that Lisa did not make it in time, but then Lisa appears on deck and explains that she has not left the ship because her love for Axel is greater than her pursuit of a career. She now shows understanding for her mother Maria and her friend Otto and advises Fred and Costa not to listen to whether their life suits other people or not. Couples Lisa and Axel, Maria and Otto and Fred and Costa happily travel to New York together with the other passengers.

Music numbers

1st act

2nd act

background

Gabriel Barylli and Christian Struppeck wrote the dialogue book ; Struppeck directed together with Glenn Casale ; the musical was choreographed by Kim Duddy . The world premiere took place on December 2, 2007 in the TUI Operettenhaus in Hamburg , where it could be seen until September 26, 2010.

technology

The revolving stage with the bridal suite, the staircase and the ship deck can be motor-driven and computer-controlled for twelve meters back and forth and can be rotated 200 degrees around its own axis. The sundeck of the ship, which moves across the stage at the beginning of the second act, consists of nine stage wagons, each weighing one to two tons. In addition, further decorative elements are brought onto the stage from the sides or from above. Thousands of LEDs are built into the stage sets.

Creative team

  • Music: Udo Jürgens
  • Author: Gabriel Barylli
  • Co-author / director of the original Hamburg production: Christian Struppeck
  • Director of the Hamburg original production: Glenn Casale
  • Director: Carline Brouwer
  • Director: Jon van Eerd
  • Choreography: Kim Duddy
  • Arrangements / orchestration / musical supervisor: Michael Reed
  • Set design: David Gallo
  • Costume design: Yan Tax
  • Wigs and mask: Sjoerd Didden
  • Light design: Andrew Voller
  • Clay design: Mick Potter
  • Orchestration: Roy Moore
  • Script editing: Pieter van de Waterbeemd
  • Associate Choreographer: Simon Eichenberger

Stations of the musical

Premiere cast

role Hamburg (2007) Stuttgart (2010) Oberhausen (2012) Berlin (2015) Tour (2015) Hamburg (2017)
Lisa Wartberg Kerstin Marie Mäkelburg Sabine Mayer Charlotte Heinke Sarah Schütz
Axel Staudach Jerry Marwig Karim Khawatmi
Fred Hofmann Veit Schäfermeier Uli Scherbel Andreas Bieber Uli Scherbel
Costa Anonidis Ronny Rindler Marco Billep Vladimir Korneev Gianni Meurer
Otto Staudach Horst Schultheis Ernst Wilhelm Lenik Peter Kock Gunter Sonneson Peter Kock
Maria Wartberg Ingeborg Krabbe Regina Venus Gisela Kraft Dagmar Biener Ellen Kessler Dagmar Biener
Florian Jannik Schümann Marco Rombold

filming

In April 2018 it was announced that a film based on the musical would be created. Philipp Stölzl directed it. Among others, Heike Makatsch as Lisa Wartberg, Katharina Thalbach as Maria Wartberg, Moritz Bleibtreu as Axel Staudach and Uwe Ochsenknecht seen in the film as a gigolo Otto. The cinema release was on October 17, 2019.

Sound carrier

  • I've never been to New York - original German recording, 2008
  • I've never been to New York - Vienna Version, 2010

literature

  • Haig Latchinian : The Kesslers are back - a terrific return to the German theater stage: after almost ten years, the siblings Alice and Ellen Kessler can be seen again in Germany. In the Udo Jürgens musical "I've never been to New York" , the sisters from Nerchau share one of the leading roles in the Berlin Stage Theater des Westens. A special task. Because: It is only the second separate appearance of the otherwise inseparable show twins from the Muldental. In: Leipziger Volkszeitung , Muldental edition, June 2, 2015, p. 27 (full-page article)

Web links

Commons : Never been to New York  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Udo-Jürgens-Musical "I've never been to New York" becomes a film. Retrieved April 25, 2018 .