Dear reader,

yesterday I was  at the long-awaited preview of 49 1/2 Shades – The musical parody! in Dusseldorf. The title is already a parody of itself, because according to the German trademark law the original title (50 Shades – The Musical Parody!) was not allowed to be used. The story is quickly told. It’s all about a sofa, three by her own love life frustrated women who dive into the world of literature student Ana and a young millionaire with particular preferences. Nearly 2 1/2 hours of clearly ambiguous training for the funny bone.

The evening began with the magnificent words of the director Gerburg Jahnke, who announced to the rapt audience: „… this is not the official premiere. The event to which the whole boring blondes were invited will take place on Sunday.“ The first laughs came through. No eye remained dry when the band (totally dressed in leather) was locked in their cage by popping the whips and the play finally started. That’s all I’ll tell at this point, we do not want to pre-empt the premiere, do we? One thing is for sure, the age recommendation „17+“ is absolutely justified. Okay, maybe I’ll blow yet another thing: the inner goddess of seduced student Ana is wearing stunning shoes in apricot with lots and lots of rhinestones. I’m in love.

Vocally above all, Ines Martinez (Jutta) stunned. She seemed to feel „Dirty and nasty and totally sexy, leather, paint and skin“ on stage. The two other ladies, sung by Sabine Urig (Sabine) and Kira Primke (Susanne) were a little behind, but the latter experienced a vocal splendor moment in the second act. I was truly captivated, however, by the performance of Beatrice Reece who was responsible for many goose bumps this evening. „And Christian Gray?“ you might ask … Well, since the cast of the young millionaire was a well kept secret, I will not go into detail. The fact is that I’m torn with what I think of him. It’s a matter of taste, I think. Technically he was good. His voice range, however, did not really hit my nerve. Likewise, I was a little disappointed that the songs had unusual and captivating lyrics indeed, but the melodies were widely known (Eternal flame, I will follow him).

Conclusion? Although I am not full of enthusiasm, I laughed neat and can absolutely recommended 49 1/2 Shades!  as a treat for a special girls‘ night. Uh yes, the male share of visitors was limited to the poor guys who were dragged along by their girlfriends / women / life stage companions.

Sincerely yours,
Theatergeist