Mocha Hits and Milk Bar Dreams

– Jan Windszus Photography

After the great success of Gisela, Hit of the Trade Fair, director Axel Ranisch is once again reviving East Germany’s ‘light-hearted music theatre’ at the Komische Oper!

For twenty years, the variety show Ein Kessel Buntes (‘A Cauldron of Colours’) was a beloved television staple across East Germany. Broadcast on six Saturdays a year, it was both a cherished highlight and an unavoidable evening engagement for much of the populace. And not without reason! After all, it was the state broadcaster’s premier showcase, packed with stars and well-known figures from the worlds of art, culture, and entertainment. What made it even more special was its lineup, with acts not only from East Germany and other Eastern bloc countries, but also from the West, including West Germany. They regularly thrilled their audiences from stages in Berlin, Thuringia, and Saxony, accompanied by local ballet ensembles, choirs, and orchestras.The Komische Oper is transforming this classic TV show into a colourful revue on the stage of the Schiller Theatre. Inspired by Ein Kessel Buntes, Axel Ranisch and Adam Benzwi are presenting a colourful panorama of East Germany with Mocha Hits and Milk Bar Dreams. With great gusto and a grand spectacle, they’re swirling all the colours into the same cauldron, coming up with a dazzling revue full of sprightly operetta melodies, authentic East German pop hits, and music that’ll get you dancing.

With an enthusiastic cast of familiar faces, including from Gisela, Hit of the Trade Fair, it’ll be a captivating evening that blends verve and playfulness with sincerity and depth. And now: Music, please!

Artists/Collaborators: Wolfgang Behrens (Dramaturgie), Adam Benzwi (Musikalische Leitung), Inga Diestel (Chöre), Alfred Mayerhofer (Kostüme), Axel Ranisch (Szenische Einrichtung), Johannes Scherfling (Licht), Christopher Tölle (Choreografie), Saskia Wunsch (Bühnenbild), Maria-Danaé Bansen, Gisa Flake, Mirka Wagner, Johannes Dunz, Philipp Meierhöfer, Nico Holonics, Thorsten Merten, Eleonore Turri (Tänzer:innen), Jeannette Nickel (Tänzer:innen), Tamara Viola Kurti (Tänzer:innen), Helena Wolter (Tänzer:innen), Shane Dickson (Tänzer:innen), Andrii Zubchevskyi (Tänzer:innen), Michael Fernandez (Tänzer:innen), Patrick Santos (Tänzer:innen), Lynsey Reid (Tänzer:innen), Ivan Lytvynenko (Tänzer:innen), Chorsolisten der Komischen Oper Berlin (Chor), Komparserie (Komparserie), Orchester der Komischen Oper Berlin (Orchester)

Next date:

• Date Sunday, 14/June/2026 19:00 (13 more dates)
• Venue Komische Oper Berlin: Schillertheater - Großer Saal
• Address Bismarckstraße 110, 10625 Berlin-Charlottenburg