Thalia Theater

The Hamburger Goldkehlchen are taking the stage once more – and the Thalia Theater before that. One month before their grand farewell concert in front of around 51,000 spectators at the Volksparkstadion, the men are celebrating a special evening at the Thalia: The book We Never Claimed We Could Sing will be presented in two performances – the story of a choir that can't sing and still fills halls and arenas. Hamburger Abendblatt editor-in-chief and Spiegel bestselling author Lars Haider accompanied the Goldkehlchen for almost a year: at shows and rehearsals, in front of and behind the scenes, in more than 25 conversations. In just under 250 pages, he tells how the idea of two friends – Flemming Pinck and Max Michel – became one of the biggest entertainment sensations of recent years. At the Thalia, the Goldkehlchen will have their say in one of the biggest and arguably most entertaining talk shows Hamburg has experienced this year: about crazy auditions, big emotions, absurd ideas, deep friendships, tough times, unbridled energy – and a whole lot of love. Look forward to a special music act and Goldkehlchen honorary member Ingo Zamperoni. Following both premieres, there will be a book signing session.

What would a Theater Night be without a lively aftershow party? Visitors and theater creators celebrate the end of the evening together – this year starting at midnight at the Thalia Theater. The hall will turn into a dance floor when the DJ is at the turntables – perfect conditions for an unforgettable conclusion to Theaternacht Hamburg.Admission to the party is included in the regular Theater Night ticket. Those who wish to attend only the aftershow party can purchase a separate ticket for 10 Euros. Leona LondonMittelrangfoyer (Mezzanine Foyer)Leona London makes every dance floor shine. With a captivating mix of pop, classics, Eurovision hits, queer pop, and dance, she ensures the best atmosphere and unforgettable nights. She already thrilled the audience at Harbour Pride as part of Hamburg's Port Anniversary celebration and has also spun records on the MainStage of Hamburg's CSD. Leona is also no stranger to Hamburg's nightlife: she regularly provides guests at Hamburg's legendary and arguably best-known queer bar, the WunderBar, with the best tunes – from cult classics to current dancefloor anthems. Where Leona London plays, good moods, full dance floors, and plenty of glitter are guaranteed. Stormy Denialsaka Elias Arens in NachtasylEmerging from the depths of the Pink Dolphin Club, Stormy Denials sheds her mermaid fin and serves up a groove-laden mix. Funky elements and hip-hop influences meet rolling basslines and driving beats. A playful swell for all who feel at home in change and movement.

The young interpreter Eva is called at short notice to a trial to translate from Polish to German – about what happened in Auschwitz. In the dock: Men from the middle of society. For the first time, Eva hears about the incomprehensible that the young Federal Republic so thoroughly hides beneath a facade of normality gleaming with prosperity. And suddenly the question arises: Did we really know nothing about all of this? With Deutsches Haus, director Jorinde Dröse (Die Wut, die bleibt, Marschlande) tells of the beginning of a confrontation that is still not over today. The first novel by screenwriter Annette Hess (Ku’damm, Weissensee), which is now being adapted for the stage for the first time, is about personal entanglement – and about the question of what we decide: to look or to carry on as if nothing had happened.

Underwater, we see humans indistinctly, shapes blur, bodily boundaries dissolve, everything becomes fluid. The same happens in drag, the art form that dissolves gender roles through extravagant costumes and makeup, immerses identities in glitter and sequins, and above all offers a breathtaking show. Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale shows a similar transformation: a mermaid falls in love with a human and wants to get rid of her fish tail. The fairy tale famously ends tragically. Perhaps it reflects Andersen's own fate, who was in love with his childhood friend his entire life and could never live out this love. And at the same time, it is a story as old as humanity itself, of nymphs, nixies, and water spirits, of transformation and liberation from assigned roles. Director Bastian Kraft, together with the ensemble and stars of the Hamburg drag scene, dives into the depths where biography and fairy tale merge, to bring forth new narratives of transformation and liberation. At its premiere at the Schauspiel Zürich, this special production was celebrated with jubilation. Now it comes to Hamburg in its own version.

How do we want to talk to each other, live, love? How much truth can we bear? How much openness can our relationships handle? How much reality can love withstand? In sharp verbal duels, The Misanthrope discusses fundamental questions: How far can we get with radical honesty? Is absolute sincerity livable and even desirable – or rather a theoretical, destructive construct? How many compromises are necessary to survive in a community? The Misanthrope is a sparkling satire on social hypocrisy that has lost none of its relevance in its existential depth. At its center is the irreconcilable conflict between consistent idealism and a world where self-staging and lies are normal forms of interaction. Themes such as social adaptation, everyday morality, the desire for authenticity, and debates about life and relationship forms are universal. In the age of social media and self-optimization, the text from 1666 has a astonishing relevance. The director Jette Steckel, who has long been associated with the Thalia Theater and has received numerous awards – known for her visually striking and emotionally dense works – stages Molière's comedy as a triptych of music, film, and theater.