Lola Blue in the green

In the beautiful fir forest on the Moosegg, you might be more likely to suspect Little Red Riding Hood than Georg Kreisler. It was certainly the right decision to give the latter a chance. Four years ago Simon Burkhalterthe artistic director of the Moosegg open-air theaterto the songs from Kreisler's Tonight: Lola Blau and decided to perform this musical on the Moosegg. As he wanted to play the title role himself, he turned the main character, a young Jewish actress, into a drag actress. However, the publishing house was opposed to this idea. It was only after the rights had been transferred to another publishing house that Burkhalter was given the green light.

When vocal student Burkhalter started his job at Moosegg in 2017, he was just 23 years old. He had previously managed the Gymnasium Kirchenfeld theater troupe for three years. Burkhalter comes from the Emmental: "I grew up down there on the mountain and my grandmother lives right next door. I played up here a lot as a child."

Right next to the hotel is the small, enchanting open-air theater. Popular theater with amateurs has been performed here for 25 years. The young director gave the tranquil stage a new lease of life. He adapted the concept and since then, in addition to folk theater, has put on a musical theater production (mainly operettas and musicals) every year. He directed the productions himself and often also designed the sets. Increasingly, he also takes on singing and acting roles. He has adapted many of the plays and written some of them himself. Last year this was Micheli's bridal show (comedy based on Gotthelf) and this year will be Money and spirit by Gotthelf, adapted from Franz Schnyder's film (premiere July 7, 2023).

"They just want to play"

The villages down in the valley gleam in the evening light. In front of the mighty fir trees stands a wooden stage set with various levels and platforms, which illustrate the changing time periods and locations of the play. They are played in rapid succession. The flags of the countries that Lola Blau is forced to visit on her escape are hoisted on a flagpole. Her first engagement in 1938 at the Landestheater Linz fails due to Austria's annexation by Hitler's Germany. The landlady of the Viennese Pension Aida (delicious: Stefanie Verkerk) gives her the devastating news and Lola immediately flees to Switzerland. She performs at the Cabaret Fondue in Basel and the Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich with limited success. As her stay in Switzerland "did not meet any needs", she was expelled by the immigration police. She is welcomed in America and becomes famous.

Many Jewish artists fared similarly to Lola Blau during the Nazi era. Kreisler himself can be seen as the alter ego of his protagonist, as there are similarities both in the time of his escape and the places of refuge. Like Lola, he too only wanted to play and entertain people, but had to realize that this was not enough in an existentially exceptional situation: "The actors, they wait in the hallways. They don't want to do anything, they just want to play," he rhymes in the song There's nothing going on in the theater. At the beginning Lola sings enthusiastically "There's something going on in the theater", at the end she distances herself from the dehumanized, superficial theater business: In the song Too quiet for me she laments the lack of impact of the entertainer: "So I'm still stuck here singing songs and remain ineffectually intoxicated by my own sound."

Light-footed and profound

Martin Schurr's production is entertaining and light-footed. He gives the evening a continuous pulse with revue-like scenes but also thought-provoking moments. A dancer and a dancing choir provide lively show interludes. Bruno Leuschner leads and accompanies from the piano in a highly musical and stylistically confident manner.

Highlights of the production include the funny Jewish scene on the ship to America (She is a beautiful woman) and the fast-paced dance number with Stefanie Verkerk to Cole Porter's Too darn hot. The director himself slips into various roles. With "Schmidt", the ever-same German spitfire, he creates a real showpiece.

Simon Burkhalter plays the title role with its twenty songs deftly and agilely, in a charming chanson style and with a natural grandeur without any artificial drag posturing. His elegant understatement works well with Kreisler's lyrics: the sarcastic texts, overflowing with intellectual hooks and virtuoso word acrobatics, can stand for themselves and have an effect on the audience. Burkhalter is convincing in the fast-paced numbers, but also in the quiet, biting songs such as I have forgotten you and Too quiet for me he has strong moments.

Lola Blau will be performed on the Moosegg until June 28, 2023.