Meta, north dike
| Musical dates | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Meta, north dike |
| Original language: | German |
| Book: | Peter Schanz |
| Original direction: | Ingo Putz |
| Premiere: | January 23, 2010 |
| Place of premiere: | City Theater Wilhelmshaven |
| Playing time: | about 2 hours |
| Place and time of the action: | North - North dike 1961 to 1994 |
| Roles / people | |
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Meta, Norddeich , subtitle Das Rockmusical des Nordens! , is a rock musical by Peter Schanz , commissioned, produced and premiered by the Landesbühne Niedersachsen Nord (LBNN) . It deals with the life of Meta Rogall , an original from East Friesland, who ran a music bar called Haus Waterkant in the Norddeich district of the city of Norden from 1961 to 1994 . As a trailblazer for beat music, the owner did pioneering work in culture by engaging German and international rock musicians in the then tranquil East Frisia , following the example of the Star Club in Hamburg , and thereby gaining importance beyond the region. Besides the world premiere at the Landesbühne, there was no other production.
After the first season in early 2010, the musical with Angelika Bartsch in the leading role of the Meta is the most successful performance of the state stage to date with over 15,000 visitors and has received attention beyond the region. Klaus Irler: Already at the premiere, all performance dates were almost sold out, both at the main venue in the Stadttheater Wilhelmshaven and in the East Frisian cities . Due to the unexpected demand, numerous appointments had to be added and, like those for the next season, were sold out within days. The production was enthusiastic about the audience and received a standing ovation .
The musical assumes that the viewer is already familiar with the local context as well as the lyrics and their background. Because the latter always relate to the scene depicted. The selection of titles is mostly from the classics of Meta's preferred rock genre . In some cases, Peter Schanz has given the original English titles a German text. The former Meta guests are familiar with two tracks from the live performances of the original performers.
The intention of the musical is to turn back time and let the audience relive what it was then. The situation around Meta and its restaurant at that time is not presented in an exact biographical manner, but exemplarily based on some authentic key scenes. For dramaturgical reasons, these were artistically embellished and clichés were sometimes overdrawn. The viewer should be emotionally moved with comedy and - especially in parts of the second act - alternating with tragedy .
In preparation for the performance, the actors went to the location of the original event.
Stage design
The stage is dominated by the landward view of the North Sea dike, as it was from the view of the music bar. The dyke staircase, which is located on the side of the restaurant in the original, was moved to the middle for the piece. The protective railing on the dike crown of the stage set is designed as a sheep protection fence. The dike can be opened in two places. Behind the flap on the left is the Meta beach chair. Meta's music bar is hidden behind the right flap. As in the original, the rear backdrop of the stage depicts the sky over the sea, which is colored with light effects and underlines the mood of the scene. The orchestra pit remains unoccupied and there are seats for spectators.
action
first act
foreplay
The beginning of the musical is fluid. While the audience is entering the hall, a flock of sheep is cavorting on the dike, which unexpectedly surrounds the arriving guests in the first row and greets them with an enthusiastic and joyful bleating concert, which provides the hall audience with initial amusement.
In the meantime, the East Frisian archetypes Ubbe and Focko, visibly recognizable in the emerging fog, stand on the top of the dike and look out over the blue sea - averted from the viewer. Dark sounding bells and lutes from the song Between Heaven and Hell by the rock band Jane herald the beginning of the plot.
Meta is coming back
After the scene has darkened by the setting sun until total darkness is heard from the off :
- Meta don't leave us alone - Fabian Monasterios & Chor ( Bob Dylan , 1973 originally by Bob Dylan as Knockin 'on Heaven's Door ) .
This song appeals to Meta to come back please.
Ubbe and Focko, clad in Friesennerz , rubber boots and woolen hat, are East Frisian taciturn with Low German slang and complain that everything happened much too quickly. After both wondering if Meta is already upstairs , Petrus appears and confirms that he has let them in. Ubbe plays a report from Norddeich Radio . First it informs about the death of Meta in English and closes with: "Our Meta in gone over." Then he reports how his counterpart Fokko now recognizes a ball in the rising sun that is swimming towards the coast.
Four flower children now appearing , shown here in the Hawaiian hula style with a bast skirt and flower chain, open the dike and Meta emerges from a beach chair. She missed the last ferry from Norderney and therefore had to swim back.
Meta's music bar is born
The Waterkant house, which is also located in the dike, is now opened and the stroller, which Meta is known to have used for serving drinks, is moved out. The parents' milk bar is being converted. To this end, Meta harnesses the boys and girls present to work and drives them on in their resolute manner. The old "stuffy" establishment is thrown out. Because of a lack of money, fishing nets are a cheap design tool. Meta dreams of the best shed and the best music between Amsterdam and Hamburg.
Ubbe and Focko tune in the company of an accordion. There is no beer in Hawai . But Meta doesn't want that kind of music. On the then tuned Smoke on the Water , she doesn't like the intonation on the accordion, which she then sinks into the tide without further ado. The boys are given the modern instruments of drums, keyboards, electric bass and electric guitar as well as the name "Die Schwarzen Schatten". This is done in allusion to "The Black Shadows", a band around the musician Mike Granowsky (died 2008), who was known in East Friesland and who appeared there as the first beat group. At the same time, the musical band is integrated into the plot.
Howard Carpendale, then impersonator of Kingsize Taylor introduces himself and gives Meta a taste of his skills:
- Good Golly Miss Molly - Jarno Stiddien ( John Marascalco / Robert Blackwell ), 1957 in the original by Little Richard .
Meta likes it and the band is hired. The fee and number of free drinks are meager. In addition, room and board will be deducted. Women’s stories are forbidden. The operation of the pub in the new form begins with:
- I Got You (I Feel Good) - Jarno Stiddien ( James Brown ), 1965 in the original by James Brown.
The image of Meta's music bar
A girl wants to go to Meta's music bar and gets into a dispute with her father about it. The mother stands between the chairs. In the eyes of the father everything is “Hottentottengehopse” and “Negro music” and the daughter's appearance is that of a “hooker”. They are "all gypsies" that one forgot about " Adolf ". These "long-haired" are "animals" and therefore human laws cannot be applied to them. Rebelling and arguing with her father, the “Nazi mug”, she leaves the house.
At the same time, the girl's boyfriend says goodbye to his grandma. Grandma believes in the name "Haus Waterkant" in a nice jug in which you can drink a nice East Frisian tea and gives the boy a few more marks. After both have left the house, they meet and greet each other with expressions of great relief and a warm hug.
In this scene, the play refers to the generation conflict , especially that of the 1968 movement .
- Time Is on My Side - Angelika Bartsch & Chor ( Mick Jagger / Keith Richards , 1964 in the original by The Rolling Stones ).
This title symbolically marks the spirit of optimism of the early rock era in the musical.
Howard Carpendale is learning German with Otto Waalkes
Howard Carpendale and Otto Waalkes , who performed at Haus Waterkant at the beginning of their careers, take the stage. Howard is not yet really proficient in German and has Otto explain his contract with Meta to him. Based on Otto's English courses Peter, Paul and Mary , the same tries to bring Howard closer to the term “member of a band”. Howard also learns that girls were forbidden in the rooms, otherwise Meta expects trouble because of pimping. Meanwhile, Klaas is having a joint . Finally, Howard Carpendale receives his residence permit for Germany from Meta.
- My Generation - Fabian Monasterios & Chor ( Pete Townshend ), 1965 in the original from The Who .
Those who don't drink are thrown out
"If you don't drink, you're out!" With these words, which her role model liked to use, Angelika Bartsch takes Jever and Beck’s beer from the stroller, goes to the audience as a meta and sells them. In doing so, she uses their “Schnodderschnauze” and parries objections to the compulsory consumption and the high price in a dialogue with individual visitors.
Drug use at Meta
Ubbe and Fokko thematize the scattered chunks that are smoked in front of Meta's shop and that smell so good. The village policeman is not clear what this is all about. He thinks it is "Schafschiet" (sheep dung), but is informed by the criminal police officers of the Aurich Narcotics Department who then appear .
- Smoke on the Waterkant ... and celebrate behind the dike - Angelika Bartsch & Chor ( Ritchie Blackmore / Ian Gillan / Roger Glover / Jon Lord / Ian Paice , 1971 in the original by Deep Purple as Smoke on the Water ) .
Meta is closed
Meta reads a letter with a worried expression. An off-screen voice in the style of the newsreel at the time illustrates the content and reads out the official allegations, which from today's perspective seem ridiculous. As the voice becomes increasingly acute, more and more official letters rain down on it. Eventually Meta collapses under the load.
- Shine On You Crazy Diamond - Peter Hilton Fliegel & Ensemble ( Roger Waters , Richard Wright , David Gilmour ), 1975 original by Pink Floyd .
Finally, the off-screen voice reads out the order to close House Waterkant. Meanwhile the curtain falls on the break.
Second act
Meta has to be up again
The second act also begins fluently. Towards the end of the break, a demonstration march through the foyer and corridors and finally, together with the advancing audience, into the hall, where it is also posted. The young demonstrators chant: “Meta has to be up again!” This is reminiscent of a demonstration that took place in front of the North City Hall.
In front of the stage curtain, which, like the bar, is still closed, the mayor of Norden, the lawyer from Meta and another person who later turns out to be a straw man appear. A negotiation between the three, partly by telephone, partly vis-à-vis, shows that the front man is formally the concession holder for Metas Lokal. This is reluctant to the mayor, who did his best to close the restaurant. In order to emphasize their demands, the negotiation is therefore repeatedly interrupted by heckling from the demonstrators. In order to take precautions, the lawyer threatens to publish the mayor's secret construction plans on the corner of Deichstrasse and Därer Weg, which the informed viewer knows as the location of Meta. Finally, the lawyer cordially invites the mayor to the reopening. The demonstrators rush onto the stage with loud cheers, the curtain now opening.
- Gamma Ray - Fabian Monasterios (Bruno Frenzel), 1975 in the original from Birth Control .
Meta's way out of the crisis
Meta reflects on her life and the situation in self-talk. You don't have to be ashamed of where you come from. But she must then be ashamed if she does not change anything in this provincial thinking. She wonders if you don't have to get young people off the streets by giving them a room.
- I'd Like to Be a Child Again - Angelika Bartsch ( Udo Lindenberg ), 1975 in the original by Jean-Jacques Kravetz .
Meta is motivated again: "Just because we are in Norddeich and things can't go on with us doesn't mean that we can't just continue." She is now combative and wants to take action against official authority. Now in a good mood again, she greets the appearing Gustl as he leaves with Moin .
A Bavarian in East Frisia
The talkative vacationer Gustl from Bavaria first measures the sea that is not there (because of the low tide) and then meets the taciturn East Frisians Ubbe and Fokko and serves them Bavarian beer. After they have "drank" it away for him in a very short time, there is schnapps as a second hand. This is Doornkaat , which has its origin in the city of the north. Then the holidaymakers on the dike are discussed, whereby the section in front of Metas was a popular meeting point for the younger ones.
Medley :
- I drive to the sea in Norddeich Mole - Peter Hilton Fliegel, Peter Lindhorst, Stefan Ostertag ( John Phillips ), 1967 in the original by Scott McKenzie as San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) .
- No schnapps in the house - Peter Hilton Fliegel, Peter Lindhorst, Stefan Ostertag ( Graham Gouldman ), 1966 in the original by Herman's Hermits as No Milk Today .
- Stop, one more goes in - choir ( Brian and Edward Holland / Lamont Dozier ), 1965 in the original by The Supremes as a stop! In the Name of Love .
Meta fell ill with cancer
Meta appears with an IV pole . For the informed viewer it is immediately clear that her cancer is now being discussed. This happens exclusively in musical form with the song:
- Here Comes the Sun - Angelika Bartsch & Chor ( George Harrison ), 1969 original by The Beatles .
This song was composed by George Harrison in a difficult time for him with problems similar to those discussed here.
Meta dies
Meta are slowly losing their strength. Her voice sounds depressed when she starts singing a cappella alone on the stage with her parrot Jakob :
- Dat du mien Leevsten büst - Angelika Bartsch and Peter Hilton Fliegel ( folk song ).
She only breathes her last verse "Then you have to gonn" and finally dies. The parrot sings the last stanza again in High German. Under the sounds of
- Stairway to Heaven - Bastian Netsch ( Jimmy Page / Robert Plant ), 1971 in the original by Led Zeppelin .
Meta is carried to her beach chair, which she stepped out of at the beginning of the piece and which then goes up into the sky in a winged shape.
Ubbe and Fokko repeat the dialogue from the beginning of the musical again in a slightly modified form. Ultimately, Ubbe comes to the realization that you can't tell the story of Meta and then sadly stop. He therefore asks the band to hit the keys.
Finale and encores
The finale and the encores, which essentially consist of the presentation of further music titles, are played by Meta in a new outfit.
- The Heart of Rock & Roll (Johnny Colla / Huey Lewis ), 1984 original by Huey Lewis & the News .
The actors parade to the final applause and bid farewell to the audience with a bow.
- Walk on the Wild Side ( Lou Reed ), 1972 in the original by Lou Reed.
At this point, the director of the Lower Saxony North State Theater, Gerhard Hess, appears and starts a call to support the State Stage. The audience may shout “Long live the Landesbühne” together. This is recorded, posted on the Internet and sent to “selected personalities in Hanover” .
- Break On Through (To the Other Side) ( The Doors ), 1967 original by The Doors.
This also refers to the exhibition of the same name in Jever Castle , which focuses on the early discos - including Meta - in the greater East Frisia area.
- Piece of My Heart ( Jerry Ragovoy / Bert Berns ), 1967 in the original by Erma Franklin , legendary cover version by Janis Joplin in 1968 .
- I Got You (I Feel Good) ( Reprise )
-
Roll Over Beethoven ( Chuck Berry ), 1956 in the original by Chuck Berry.
- At the premiere, this title was interpreted by drummer Bob Gray and guitarist Mike Wells of the group Twilights, which was the first British band to appear in Meta.
- Smoke on the Waterkant (recapitulation)
- Bye, bye, bye. bye
Recordings / sound carriers
- Excerpts from the musical premiere are compiled on a CD that is only available from the Landesbühne.
- Meta documentation of the North Media Center on video DVD ( trailer )
literature
- Werner Jürgens: Come on, we're going to Meta . 3rd edition SKN Verlag, Norden 2000/2009, ISBN 978-3-928327-44-2 .
Web links
- Musical Meta, Norddeich and press kit (PDF; 3.0 MB) at the Landesbühne Niedersachsen Nord
- Audio interview about Meta with Klaus Meine from the Scorpions . Deutschlandradio Kultur
- local reception / list of music tracks (PDF)
- Photo series for the musical with 150 photos
- Break on through to the other side - exhibition on the early discos in and around East Friesland in Jever Castle
Individual evidence
- ↑ peterschanz.de ( Memento of the original from January 6, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ landesbuehne-nord.de
- ↑ peterlindhorst.de
- ↑ jarno-stiddien.de
- ↑ landesbuehne-nord.de
- ↑ landesbuehne-nord.de
- ↑ oz-online.de
- ↑ a b welt.de
- ↑ The pioneer . In: taz.de , January 22, 2010, accessed April 8, 2010
- ↑ landesbuehne-nord.de
- ↑ nwzonline.de
- ↑ emderzeitung.de (PDF)
- ↑ oz-online.de
- ↑ emderzeitung.de (PDF)
- ↑ dradio.de
- ↑ wzonline.de: “Meta” transforms theater into madhouse
- ↑ gegenwind-whv.de
- ↑ kiepenheuer-medien.de ( Memento of the original from November 25, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Dat du mien Leevsten bust on Wikisource
- ↑ gegenwind-whv.de
- ↑ landesbuehne-nord.de
- ^ Exhibition - Break on through to the other side
- ↑ http://wernerjuergens.blogspot.de/2011/03/biografie-mike-wells.html
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmOHhqIWe6Q
