Rudis Reichskabarett

Dutschke & the '68ers - A Musical Revue

A "Reichskabarett"? Yes, it actually existed. But not under the Nazis - rather, from 1966 onward in Berlin, closely tied to the student movement around Rudi Dutschke.

The Story
"Reichskabarett Berlin" was run by Volker Ludwig and was located on Ludwigkirchstraße in Wilmersdorf. The venue became a popular gathering place for the extra-parliamentary opposition.

In particular, the second program "Bombenstimmung" - a Vietnam revue by the then-22-year-old Frank-Patrick Steckel, featuring contributions from SDS member Detlef Michel - solidified this role.

The Revue
The connection between Rudi Dutschke and the Reichskabarett provides the framework for our musical revue. The guests are students, communards, a Springer journalist, skeptical workers, musicians, and flower-power devotees. They come and go; the mood shifts from euphoria to melancholy as history unfolds outside. The stage becomes a microcosm of a generation, where the stations of the '68 movement are told through music: from the uprising of 1966/67 through the murder of Benno Ohnesorg to the assassination attempt on Dutschke in 1968 and the fragmentation of the movement. Some enter institutions, some go underground, some retreat into private life. Where? The question remains unanswered - the audience takes it home with them.

The ideals of yesterday still occupy us today...

Singing and playing:
Aylin Kekec
Thomas Keßler
Mélanie Linzer
Soraya Mezhère
Oliver Kai Müller
Erich Schaffner
Christian Suhr

Music and Direction:
Christian Suhr