“Abenteuerland” leaves Düsseldorf: This hit musical is coming to the Capitol Theatre

After the final performance of “Abenteuerland” on Feb. 23, the Capitol will be transformed into a cat-friendly rehearsal space and stage. The Schirmer family’s kitchen living room becomes a London scratch garden where street cats frolic and dance. The organizers promise a musical classic with acrobatic choreography and magic tricks in the original production from London’s Westend, which has never been seen in Düsseldorf before. In 2004, 20 years ago, “Cats” appeared as a guest at the Capitol, albeit in a German version. This new version of “Cats” in 2025 is also special because Andrew Lloyd Webber allow a small update of the original version. The piece was carefully shortened and the costume and lighting design mounted. If you have trouble with the original English sound: translations are displayed in the Capitol.

“Cats” is one of the most successful musicals of all time. The music was composed by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. The text is based on the in England popular poetry collection “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” by TS Eliot. “Cats” hit “Memory” is the only song that is directly based on a poem by Eliot and was written by director Trevor Nunn. The first publication was on May 11, 1981 London. He played at the New London Theater until 2002. Also on Broadway in New York and Wien those who sang danced Cats on stage for many years. There was a lot of purring and cracking in Düsseldorf in 2004.

Story of the musical: Every year a large group of kitties gather at a rubbish dump in London to celebrate the Jellicle Ball: the Reverend Alt-Deuteronimus, the crazy Macavity, the magical cat Mistoffelees, the white Victoria, the daredevil Rum Tum Tugger and the outcast diva Grizabella, who sings the legendary “Memory” during the story. . At the end of this ball, one cat will be chosen to experience the miracle of rebirth. But before that, the leader of the cat clan is kidnapped.

“Cats” will remain in the Capitol for nine weeks, until June 8. Then the music follows suit MunichFrankfurt, Berlin and Zurich.

The musicians at ATG Entertainment have a good review of “Adventure Land”. The piece was originally intended to last six months. It will be 17 months until it ends in February.

“Adventureland” celebrated its world premiere on October 22, 2023. Producer Martin Flohr and the band Pur had been working for ten years on the project that was supposed to put Düsseldorf back on its ‘ music map. Since the departure of “Kein Pardon” there hasn’t been a long-running musical theater in the state capital. The rehabilitation was planned with 30 hits from one of the most successful German bands and a sharp heartbreak story. “Abenteuerland” was intended to be a place of pilgrimage for Pur fans, but also appeal to a wide audience with its story of the three generations of the Schirmer family. The plan worked. According to the Capitol Theatre, about 300,000 tickets have been sold so far.

The Düsseldorf theater has 1,250 seats so it is much smaller as a hall than other music venues such as the “Moulin Rouge” music dome in Cologne with 1,550 seats or even the “Lion King”. Hamburg with 2030 places.