Holladio! – “Heidi” inspires at the Salzburg State Theater
“Juchuuuu!”, The children shout and clap in the ranks of the Salzburg State Theater and vent their anticipation: “When is it finally going to start?” And then a wild group of goats in large hand puppet format is dancing between green fir trees across the stage landscape (stage and costumes Katja Schindowski). Brown, white, black and gray goats are led by the hands of the actors to the beat of the lively music (Stephan Witt). The Swiss Alpine backdrop is indicated in the background. Then the goat Peter, the funny “goat general”, joins the dance with a hat-stick dance, and the audience is already in Heidi fever.
The “Holladio! Heidi, Heidi, your world is the mountains” does not come, instead cool and funny dance choreographies (Josef Vesely and Kate Watson) to well-texted songs that carry you away. Marco Dott designed “Heidi” according to his own style, and with his stage version of the world-famous classic children’s book, it exactly meets the taste of theater audiences aged five and over.
That sat with open mouths and astonished eyes in the premiere and followed as if rooted to the soulfully processed story about the “girl from the mountains”. This Heidi saga in theater format is an expression of what theater can do: With the optimal cast of the characters full of character and the liveliness with which the ensemble went to work, this brought a theater phenomenon that is remembered and thus secures the audience of tomorrow. Patrizia Unger as the lively whirlwind Heidi, whom you just have to love, Aaron Röll as the funny and cunning Peter (and in a double cast as a house servant), Britta Bayer as the dusty and neurotic Miss Rottenmeier, Elisabeth Mackner as always good, but ailing Klara (in a double cast as .) Aunt Dete), and Axel Meinhardt as grumbling-bitter Alm-Öhi (hard shell, soft core) and as empathetic Mr. Sesemann – they all give the story a theatrical makeover.
The happy little girl rushes towards the alpine hut with her annoyed aunt Dete, where she faces the unsuspecting Alm-Öhi: “This is your grandfather.” And then Dete is off the field. The initially overwhelmed Alm-Öhi recognizes duty and opportunity. His hut – tiny, modest and yet cozy – gets a new luster with the child, his hermit existence loses its meaning and the mocking bird of prey in the sky, “who mocks the people in the valley”, will still be amazed in the course of the story: the people are not as bad as their reputation, the children learn in the course of the play. And: “At home is where you can be who you are.”
But above all, that the key to happiness lies in the simple things. Heidi finds this happiness in Peter, the goats and her grandfather: people complain, sing, dance and laugh on the alpine pastures. The end of the fun is when Dete returns and wants to abuse the nature child as a “childlike companion” with a mood-enhancing effect for the rich, sick city child Klara. In the Sesemann house under the regime of the strengthened (and screamingly ridiculous) Miss Rottenmeier, a different wind is blowing: ABC buffalo instead of alpenglow should be “Adelheid” (instead of Heidi), and instead of milk-warm goat’s milk there are white “rolls”.
Rules of behavior in song form, an eternally screeching Miss Rottenmeier with a kitten phobia and obsession with order, an eerie ghost who scurries through the city apartment at night, and the house servant Sebastian, who really gets his money’s worth with so much change at work. Admittedly, the tutor (Martin Trippensee) has the greatest need to get his “curriculum” through – but Klara blossoms.
Had it not been for this terrible homesickness for grandfather and the mountains, Frankfurt might have had a chance. With this production, the Salzburger Landestheater got a chance of a place in the seventh heaven of children’s theater and, measured by the reactions of the young audience, can be sure that it has arrived exactly there.Kirsten Benekam
Information on further performances and tickets by phone 0043/662 / 871512-222 and service @ salzburger-landestheater.at