5 Breathtakingly Good Theatre and Performances in Winter

Culture fans take note: As soon as the days get shorter, the good weather bids adieu to Berlin. Enjoyable activities alone, or with others, move indoors. Winter is the ideal time to familiarise yourself with the capital's theatre programme. We have put together five fantastic performances that you should definitely not miss.

Chicago

There are few musicals that have been delighting fans for decades. Chicago, which celebrated its premiere in New York in 1975, is undoubtedly one of them. Based on the 1926 play of the same name by author Maurine Dallas Watkins, Chicago tells the story of Velma and Roxie, both of whom are accused of murdering their partners. The musical was created by the legendary Bob Fosse, known as the forefather of jazz hands. Many people know the story of Velma and Roxie from the eponymous film, starring Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Now, thanks to Barrie Kosky, the two killer queens will also be wreaking havoc on stage in Berlin.

Chicago
On selected days until January 27th, 2024 (see schedule)
Im Schillertheater – Großer Saal, Bismarckstraße 110
10625 Berlin-Charlottenburg
Metro station Ernst-Reuter-Platz
Website Chicago
Website Komische Oper

Beautiful Thing

Even today, queer stories in film and on stage are often characterised by tragedy. This was especially true in the 1990s. However, after years of the AIDS crisis, there arose a great need for loving stories. The author Jonathan Harvey took stock of this and created the characters Jamie and Ste, who grow up in working class families in a large flat block in Southeast London. Created for the British stage in 1993, this is a heart-warming coming of age and coming out story, which is simultaneously humorous and moving. A film adaptation followed in the mid-1990s and Babett Grube has now directed Beautiful Thing for Berlin audiences.

Beautiful Thing
On selected days until December 30, 023 (see schedule)
Theater an der Parkaue, Parkaue 29, 10367 Berlin-Lichtenberg
Train and metro station Frankfurter Allee
Website Beautiful Thing
Website Theater an der Parkaue

Prima Facie

Tessa is a successful criminal lawyer. She works primarily with men accused of sexual assault. She is sober, pragmatic, and successful in court. One day she is sexually assaulted by a colleague. This incident makes her question the law and her work from the outset.

Prima Facie premiered in Sydney in 2019 and has since been performed in London, New York and elsewhere. Jodie Comer (Killing Eve) won the Tony for her performance in the one-woman play written by Suzie Miller. The play deals with themes such as sexualised violence and as such comes with a trigger warning. András Dömötör directs the German premiere and Mercy Dorcas Otiene slips into the role of Tessa and embarks on a rousing monologue lasting almost two hours.

Prima Facie
On selected days until in November and Dezember (see schedule)
Deutsches Theater, Schumannstraße 13A, 10117 Berlin-Mitte
Metro station Oranienburger Tor
Website Prima Facie
Website Deutschen Theater

Woyzeck

The German poet Georg Büchner died in 1837 at the young age of 23. He had previously begun writing a manuscript entitled Woyzeck. Various versions followed, which were rewritten by other authors and the play finally premiered at the Residenztheater in Munich in 1913. This was followed by numerous reinterpretations in various languages. Woyzeck tells the story of the soldier of the same name, Franz Woyzeck, who, in need of money, succumbs to the harassment of his captain and a doctor. He does this to support his girlfriend Marie and their new-born child. When he finds out, however, that Marie is cheating on him, he reaches for a knife. Queer? Hardly… up until this moment. Ersan Mondtag restages the play with an all-male cast, homoerotic relationships, an analysis of toxic masculinity and - for a change - the sexualisation of the male body. The play is set in a forest in Saxony and has great entertainment value.

Woyzeck
On selected days until December 26, 2023 (see schedule)
Berliner Ensemble, Bertolt-Brecht-Platz 1, 10117 Berlin-Mitte
Train and metro station Friedrichstraße
Website Woyzeck
Website Berliner Ensemble

reden über sex / talk about sex

Once a month, three men and three women meet in Berlin to talk about sex. The group is a diverse mix of personalities and sexual orientations. There is Pascal, for example, who is married to a man, is a strict Catholic, and does not believe in sex before marriage. In contrast, Fedora is very sexually experimental and has intimate encounters with both men and women. The other four characters also personify exciting perspectives, experiences and, above all, openness to the topic of sex. The play was written by Maja Zada and directed for the stage by Marius von Mayenburg.

reden über sex
November 4, 5 and 6, 2023
Schaubühne, Kurfürstendamm 153, 10709 Berlin-Charlottenburg
Metro station Adenauerplatz
Website reden über sex
Website der Schaubühne