Mark Twain’s classic children’s book about friendship, wild adventures, growing up and first tender love, with music by the exiled American, Kurt Weill. Exciting musical theatre—and not only for the youngest!
Tom Sawyer enjoys a carefree life with his Aunt Polly in a small town on the Mississippi, although he time and time again makes her life difficult with his pranks. But when he and his friend Huckleberry Finn accidentally witness a murder one night, a shadow falls upon their carefree existence. And when Tom and his friend Becky get lost in a cave during an excursion, it really is a matter of life and death. Then, the outsider Huckleberry Finn surprises everyone with his courage and determination.
Based on five songs that Kurt Weill sketched for a musical based on Mark Twain’s original, shortly before his premature death, and using other songs written after his emigration to the United States, Kai Tietje, Tobias Ribitzki and John von Düffel have created a new Musical Theatre piece. Echoing the American tone of the original, it brings special childhood moments to the stage in episodic scenes.
Director Tobias Ribitzki tells this story with a rainbow of images that are as simple as they are impressive, leaving plenty of room for the audience’s own imagination.
By the way Anyone who likes Kurt Weill’s music will love Tom Sawyer . These little-known songs are among the best this composer has created for the stage.
2hr 5min incl. intermission
Additional information
Kurt WeillKurt Weill Children’s opera in two acts [1950/2020]Libretto by John von DüffelLyrics by John von Düffel, Kai TietjeOriginal lyrics by Maxwell Anderson and Ira GershwinArrangement by Kai TietjeConceived by Ulrich Lenz, Tobias Ribitzki, Kai Tietje, John von Düffel
Participating artists
Dagmar Barbara Fiebach (Kinderchor)
Olaf Freese (Licht)
Tobias Ribitzki (Inszenierung)
Stefan Rieckhoff (Bühnenbild und Kostüme)
Kai Tietje (Musikalische Leitung)
Tom Schimon (Tom Sawyer)
Michael Heller (Huckleberry Finn)
Noam Heinz (Ben Harper)
Julia Schaffenrath (Becky Thatcher)
Grace Heldridge (Amy Lawrence)
Thoma Jaron-Wutz (Alfred Temple)
Ulrike Helzel (Tante Polly)
Christoph Späth (Killer-Joe)
Carsten Sabrowski (Muff Potter)
Alexandra Lachmann (Mrs. Harper)
Theo Rüster (Lehrer / Pfarrer)
Kai-Uwe Fahnert (Dr. Robinson/Richter Thatcher)
Kinderchor der Komischen Oper Berlin (Kinderchor)
