BMG And UFA Bring ‘Ku’damm 56’ To The Musical Stage
In 2016, the series “Ku’damm 56,” produced by UFA Fiction, scored excellent ratings on German television. Now BMG and UFA Fiction have turned it into a musical. “Ku’damm 56 – Das Musical” will be on stage at Berlin’s Theater des Westens from November 28.
For the first time, the music company BMG and the film and TV production company UFA Fiction are jointly staging a musical under the auspices of the Bertelsmann Content Alliance: “Ku’damm 56 – Das Musical.” In 2016, the three-part miniseries “Ku’damm 56” thrilled an audience of millions on TV, and it is still one of the most-streamed German productions. The musical about the dance school owner Catherina Schöllack and her three daughters, initiated and produced by BMG and UFA Fiction, starts on November 28 this year in one of the most beautiful venues in Berlin, the Theater des Westens, following a one-year delay due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Caught between the German economic miracle and rebellion, oppression and emancipation, the struggle for free, first, and late love – now the Schöllack women’s stories are being given a whole new dimension: multiple Grimme Award winner and screenwriter Annette Hess teamed up with Peter Plate and Ulf Leo Sommer, the songwriting team for Rosenstolz, Max Raabe, and Sarah Connor – to create the stage version “Ku’damm 56 – Das Musical.” In a full year of productive exchange, they not only created the scenes, dialog, and music, but also came to a shared belief that these universal stories about women looking for their place in life especially need to be told today. It is directed by Christoph Drewitz (“Amelie” / “Fack ju Göhte”) and choreographed by Adam Murray (Elton John biopic “Rocketman”). Sandra Leitner (“Amélie – The Musical”) and David Jakobs (“The Hunchback of Notre Dame”) were recruited for the lead roles of Monika and Freddy.
“We were already able to support the ‘Ku’damm’ films with musical advice during the TV production, and thanks to the close collaboration between BMG and UFA, it wasn’t a long path to turn the story into a musical,” says Dominique Casimir, EVP Global Repertoire & Marketing EU, APAC & LATAM at BMG. “Our creative team realized it wonderfully, and I can hardly wait to jointly bring the show onto the stage at the end of the year.”
Nico Hofmann, CEO of UFA, says: “‘Ku’damm 56’ tells of a time full of contrasts that could hardly be greater: repression meets rebellion, West meets East, retrogression meets progress, prudery meets permissiveness – the material already captivated many television viewers and is practically predestined for the musical stage! I’m excited to be giving our protagonists’ stories a new dimension now. Together with BMG and a great team led by Peter Plate, Ulf Leo Sommer and Annette Hess, a unique Berlin musical has been created.”
The premiere of “Ku’damm 56 – Das Musical” on November 28 also marks the reopening of the Theater des Westens, which is one of the most renowned and historic musical venues in all of Germany. Advance ticket sales start today. “Ku’damm 56 – Das Musical” was initiated by Dominique Casimir (BMG), Marc Lepetit (UFA Fiction), the songwriting team Peter Plate and Ulf Leo Sommer, and Ku’damm screenwriter Annette Hess under the Bertelsmann Content Alliance. Dominique Casimir (BMG), Nico Hofmann (UFA), and Benjamin Benedict (UFA Fiction) are the managing producers of the musical produced by BMG and UFA Fiction.
