Suitable for the energy crisis: “The Oil Prince”
Brothers Grinley (Sascha Hehn) and Buttler (Joshy Peters) are rarely happy
Source: dpa/Markus Scholz
Finally they are riding again. The celebrity factor is becoming more important: After a two-year corona break, Alexander Klaws fights as Winnetou in “Der Ölprinz” against the title villain Sascha Hehn. The festival in Bad Segeberg is investing 5.8 million euros.
EFinally they are riding again: After a two-year pandemic break, Winnetou (Alexander Klaws) and Old Shatterhand (Sascha Gluth) jump on the backs of their black horses Iltschi (“Wind”) and Hatatitla (“Lightning”) in Bad Segeberg to to fight “Oil Prince”. He likes to sell oil that doesn’t exist. This time the heroes’ to-do list is: free prisoners, rescue bankers and reconcile Indians. The restart on the Kalkberg is prominently occupied beyond the blood brothers. Sascha Hehn takes on the role of the title villain, while Katy Karrenbauer in the role of Rosalie Ebersbach leads a group of German emigrants almost to ruin instead of to paradise. Ebersbach’s daughter Lissy is played by Melanie Böhm.
Half a million euros flows into the stage design alone
The acting celebrity factor is becoming increasingly important at the festival. He helps with importing the high production costs of around 5.8 million euros this time – half a million of which goes into the stage design – after a loss of around 2.8 million euros in the pandemic. 200,000 spectators have to come so that the investment can be recovered, around 7,800 visitors fit on the wooden rows of seats. The calculation could work out, as the festival achieved the record of more than 400,000 spectators for the first time in 2019 – also with Klaws as Winnetou. This time the game will be played from the dress rehearsal on June 24th, for which tickets are available for the first time, and the premiere on June 25th to September 4th.
Group picture with women
Source: dpa/Markus Scholz
One of the constants in the Kalkbergarena is the highly versatile Hamburg actor Joshy Peters, who has already played Old Shatterhand ten times. This time he switches sides, playing Buttler, the even more villainous brother of the villainous Oil Prince. When asked by WELT whether it was more fun to be the villain, Peters said: “I can only answer that with a big YES, although I always liked being Old Shatterhand – which boy doesn’t want to be Old Shatterhand. But as a scoundrel you can simply do more, serve all facets.” Harald P. Wieczorek, who completed his first open-air season in Bad Segeberg in 1979, has been there even longer than Peters. No one “dies” as beautifully as he does, this time he appropriately steps in as the peace-loving Navajo chief Nitsas-Ini (“Big Thunder”), and off to the eternal hunting grounds. Because he has time afterwards, he also plays the role of the banker Duncan.
First insights into new wars in the Wild West
In the first production by the opera, operetta and drama director Ulrich Wiggers (he was also supposed to start in 2020), the energy crisis is just one of the current references to the drama from the proven pen of Michael Stamp. After all, war is raging in the Wild West, where the Oil Prince and his gang are up to mischief. But not only the white outlaws ride robbing and murdering through the prairie. The enemies of the native Navajos, the Pueblo Indians from the tribe of the Nijoras, are also on the warpath under the leadership of their chief Mokaschi (played by Hamburg’s Fabian Monasterios). Eight days before the premiere, the ensemble presented a first glimpse of the production – but without Alexander Klaws. The Winnetou actor is not ill with Corona, but suffered from a cough and should be rested for a good week before the start. Without further ado, director Wiggers read his role into the game.
In the stage design by Leif-Erik Heine, towered over by oil derricks based on a design by Andreas Freichels, it quickly became clear that committed extras, a small Wild West zoo from donkeys to eagles to a flock of geese and other tried-and-tested ingredients will continue to be staged here. Falls to his death included. This time there are 80 participants, 25 horses are used. This time, in addition to a steam train, an ancient automobile also rolled into the sand of the arena, whereby this prop raises real continuity questions. After all, the story of Karl May takes place in the Wild West era before 1890 and the first car was produced in the USA in the early 20th century.
Real comedy and true love in the arena
The comedians of the play are well known: Jogi Kaiser plays the odd Westman Sam Hawkins and Patrick L. Schmitz is part of the party this time as cantor Hampel. In one scene there was a separation between the son of the Navajo chief Shi-So (Jan Stapelfeldt makes his debut at the Kalkberg in this role) and his great love, the emigrant Lissy – because the chief’s son suddenly has to take responsibility for his tribe. Melanie Böhm did not yet want to answer the question of whether there would be reconciliation and a happy ending here: “You have to look at that,” while Stapelfeldt gives hope: “Let’s put it this way: we will definitely try that Avoiding obstacles that fate put in our way.”