Theater Review
Hildegard Knef (A play-Biography, with songs.) by Franziska Ball
Landestheater Detmold, 02.05.04
I ran to the theater, at the last possible second, with Jonca (that's a Turkish name. I think of her as "Clover") And we were able to squeeze into the back row of the balcony, 15 seconds before it began. This was a similar piece to Piaf
But about a different singer, of a different style. And her life was presented in a different format; Instead of a flashback, and dramatic action taking place, from her whole life, it was done as an oral story: It was ld-lady Knef chatting with a fan, and retelling the story of her fame and life. Now... there's nothing wrong with this at all... except with me, because I'm an "Auslander" (Foreigner.) Not speaking the language, I depend heavily on the dramatic element, to understand the development. And in this piece, there is no portrayal at all through physicality.
As such, I didn't understand much of it - and so, there is little for me to say. The soloist sung well. And the piano was fine, and the "Fan" of Knef was convincing. All I can say about my reaction, is that it felt much shorter than in was: During the bows, I was thinking, "Why was it only 45 to 50 minutes? that's so short!" -It was, in fact, an hour and a half long. Surprise.
Not a piece for the non-German crowd.