Cheers for the musical “Schuh des Manitu” in Salzburg
21 years ago, Michael “Bully” Herbig made one of the most successful German-language cinema films to date with “Schuh des Manitu”. Last year, for a round birthday, a stage version was given to each other, which celebrated its Austrian premiere on Saturday evening in the Salzburg State Theater to jubilation.
“Hommagodie”, a mix of homage and parody, is what Herbig calls the program booklet of his Bavarian western, but also the musical version of it. At least Winnetou actor Pierre Brice did not understand this form of worship and its immense success in 2001 – one remembered Thomas Gottschalk’s futile attempts to mediate between the actor and Herbig in “Wetten, dass ..?” – and today, 20 years later, the question of understanding, but much more of contemporary humor is more present than ever. How would cinema audiences in 2022 react to a film in which feathered indigenous people are imitated in howling and members of the LGBTQI+ community are excessively reduced to Prosecco and nail files? Probably not at all, because even Herbig would make his film a little differently today, as he also emphasized in the program interview. As early as 2001, “Der Schuh des Manitou” was a parody of the old Karl May films, and that’s exactly how the musical today sees itself as a parody of the cinema success and, above all, the musical genre.
And so the humor may have fallen out of date, but it’s still brilliant 20 years later, as the roaring audience in the Landestheater confirmed at the premiere. The benevolence was triggered by the well-known and fairly accurately adopted film dialogues of the characters (Ranger is still dissatisfied with the overall situation and the railway is still a “crass horse” today), Andreas Gergen’s loving translation of the film into a stage revue. Abahachi and Ranger ride into the sunset on horse-headed bicycles, the ensemble dances in sequined cowboy pants to the “Superperforator” commercial and the legendary coal wagon ride through the mine features 3D glasses and wind for the audience.
Those who know the film got their money’s worth most in such passages. This proximity became a danger for the ensemble in places, because taking over the dialogues from the film also offered the opportunity to take over the interpretation of the same and it was not only recorded once on Saturday evening. The leading actors Andreas Nützl as Ranger, Mathias Schlung as Abahachi, Marc Seitz as his twin brother Winnetouch, Julia-Elena Heinrich as Uschi and Axel Meinhardt as the angry Santa Maria achieved individuality in the songs, in which the genre parody was sometimes a bit too much was driven. In any case, there was no lack of enthusiasm, not even among the audience, who crackled tissue paper in the best “Rocky Horror Show” manner, swung glow sticks and waved goodbye with handkerchiefs from the Reich packed visitor bags.
After two and a half hours, the revue-like journey through time to the Wild West ended with a singalong, the audience applauded and cheered with standing ovations. Everyone has to judge for themselves how well the humor has actually aged. In any case, there was plenty of laughter on the evening of the premiere, even if it was perhaps just about what you once laughed about.
(SERVICE – “Der Schuh des Manitu” at the Salzburg Landestheater. Music: Martin Lingnau, lyrics: Heiko Wohlgemuth, book: John von Düffel and Heiko Wohlgemuth, idea and concept: Andreas Gergen, musical direction: Gabriel Vengazo, staging: Andreas Gergen, Choreography: Simon Eichenberger, Stage: Sam Madwar, Costumes: Conny Lüders, With Mathias Schlung, Marc Seitz, Andreas Nützl, Julia-Elena Heinrich, Axel Meinhart, Fabio Diso, Martin Trippensee, Matthias Hermann, Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, Choir of the Salzburg State Theater. Further dates: 28 January, 4, 5, 9 and 11 February)