Flamingo - Art, Craft & Culture - Linie 1 in Namibia – Friends 4eva
Eva needs no introduction. We all are familiar with her blonde hair, blue eyes and delicate white skin, usually slightly burned by the harsh Namibian sun. She is the typical naïve, but well-meaning tourist from Europe searching for love in Africa. Also the rest of the Friends 4eva cast, like Hettie and Lettie, Johnny, Kwambi or the persistent street vendors are no strangers to Namibians and attentive visitors alike.
Friends 4eva is the Namibian adaptation of the famous German musical Linie 1. It will be staged in Namibia in September and will then tour through Germany. Linie 1, written by Grips director Volker Ludwig, with music composed by Birger Heymann, had its premiere in the Grips Theatre in Berlin in 1986, and has since become the second-most-famous German musical. After its big success in Berlin, the show has also been successfully exported and adapted to several other countries.
The non-profit organisation p.art.ners berlin-windhoek, established to promote and support the cultural exchange between the two partner cities Berlin and Windhoek, and the Grips Theatre from Berlin and Avalon Event from Namibia, have decided to use this piece as the basis of another grand exchange project. Preparations commenced three years ago, but the actual production started in October 2008 with several open auditions, followed by a workshop offered by the Grips theatre and months of rehearsals.
Linie 1, which takes its name from a subway line connecting East and West Berlin, tells the story of a young girl from the countryside who arrives in former West Berlin to look for the rock star who impregnated her when his band passed through her hometown. While travelling on the subway line 1 she becomes acquainted with different and fascinating characters from various social milieus from Berlin and comes to understand the soul of the city. Direct adaptations of this story, for instance to the city of Seoul, were easy and very successful, but for the Namibian adaptation the producers were faced with one big challenge: Namibia does not have a subway, the main backdrop on which the musical is based.
Other than that, the story is a universal one and the Namibian adaptation is a surprisingly fresh and exciting version, says Volker Ludwig, Director of the Grips Theatre. The young German girl, Eva, falls in love with a Namibian musician, during his tour to Germany. Soon afterwards she realises she is pregnant and flies helter-skelter to Namibia to find him. Instead of the subway, she has to make do with various Namibian modes of travel, like the notorious mini-bus taxis and even a donkey cart. On her mission, she meets all kinds of different and uniquely Namibian characters, makes new friends and has a breathtaking adventure.
Kathrin Osterode, a German actress who has been playing the lead role of the Linie 1 musical in the Grips theatre for the past two years, agreed to come to Namibia for three months and play the part of Eva in the Namibian production. Not only does she add some original Grips flair and glamour to the show, but she is also well acquainted with the underlying messages of the musical. Being in Africa for the first time herself, she can personally relate to the experiences of Eva. She praises the Namibian script, written by Natasha Lamoela, from Avalon Event in Namibia, who worked closely with the original author of Linie 1, Volker Ludwig. She says, smiling and with an unmistakable excitement in her voice: “The scenes and stories are so close to real life. During the time I’ve been in Windhoek for rehearsals, I’ve already met several real-life replicas of the fictional characters I deal with in the story and have experienced many similar situations.”
True to the ‘shared experiences’ motto of p.art.ners, Berlin actress Osterode shares the stage with young Namibian actors who make up the rest of the cast. “I am amazed at how in tune the Namibians are with their bodies and roles. Even though some have no formal acting training, they just are natural performers and singers,” muses Osterode admiringly, while imitating the smooth moves of a fellow actor.
Musical director, Matthias Witting from the Grips Theatre, shares her enthusiasm. During the initial workshop, he started to prepare the actors and research and compose the music for the Namibian musical. Now, back in Namibia for the final production and working together with the Namibian musicians, he is excited by the results: “The music seems much more vibrant and lively than in the original piece.” Some of the famous Linie 1 songs have been adapted, while several new songs have been especially composed for Friends 4eva by Witting.
The musical will have its premiere in Windhoek on 17 September at the National Theatre of Namibia and will tour through Germany in October. The German premiere at the Grips theatre in Berlin, on 6 October, will be opened by the German president, Mr Köhler, Berlin’s Mayor Wowereit and Namibian Ambassador Gertze.
Natasha Lamoela from Avalon, the petite director responsible for the show and no stranger to international theatre, is beaming with excitement: “The production is of a high quality and really gives a fun and personal insight into the soul of Namibia. This is such an immense opportunity for Namibian theatre and I am thrilled that our long and hard work has raised the interest of such high-ranking visitors. We are aware of our responsibility to represent Namibia on this level and will surely rock the stage!”
This musical production is proudly supported by: Air Namibia, Stiftung Deutsche Klassenlotterie Berlin, Gasag, Aktion Afrika, DKB Bank, Bank Windhoek Arts Festival, Klein Windhoek Guesthouse, Tagesspiegel, Kalahari Sands Hotel & Casino, Deutsch-Südafrikanischer Reisedienst and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Windhoek. For dates and more information, please visit www.berlin-windhoek.org or contact info@berlin-windhoek.org
