Yesterday I was invited to a performance of Circus Renz Manege in Bad Homburg.  The circus is only there for 3 days and I attended the Saturday afternoon performance with my daughter.

The circus had taken over the Festplatz for the week (known to many as the fun fair at Laternenfest), which made parking a little difficult, but we were early enough to find something in the streets on the Kirdorf side.

The circus on the Festplatz in Bad Homburg

Inside the foyer there was popcorn and drinks on sale, before we entered the tunnel leading into the big top.

This was split into three seating categories, with the Sperrsitz the cheapest and located either side of the performers’ entrance, the 2. Loge the “normal” ring of seating and a few rows called the 1. Loge directly in front of the circus ring (called the Manege in German). (more…)

“Toll im Quadrat” – roughly translated it can mean either “great in a square” or “great squared” – was a show at the Klinik Hohe Mark in Oberursel last Friday.

Advertised as being “not just a Flamenco Revue”, it was a mixture of dance, songs and one might even say sketches performed by local graphic designer and dancer Nathalie Karg with John “Lobito” Opheim on the guitar and singer and percussionist Manuel Lojo “Ardillita” in front of an audience of 140 people.

Much of the music had a Spanish feel to it, even to the extent of “My Way” sung in Spanish, with more serious tones such as the homage to Salvador Dalí but mixed with light-hearted elements and in some cases performed against daring backdrops, such as a large photo of a cucumber.

Would you perform in Spanish in front of a giant cucumber?

After the interval, (more…)

The Störtebeker Festspiele are an annual event on the Island of Rügen, on the North-Eastern coast of Germany in the Baltic See (Ostsee).

Started in 1993, the plays tell the story of Klaus Störtebeker, a German pirate who apparently lived at the end of the 14th Century.  Legend has it, that he stole from the rich and gave to the poor, but was also known for his ability to drink large quantities of beer.  The plays on Rügen are often inter-linked, with the story continuing from year to year.

One side of the stage for the 2011 production

Describing the theatre as “open-air” does not really do it justice.  The stage is on the water’s edge – behind it four ships take part in the action.  It is big enough (and strong enough) for 30 horses to be used, and many of the actors ride at sometime during the performance. (more…)