First London, then Halle: the new musical by Prinzen singer Tobias Künzel (60) has come a long way. "Death On The Throne - The Loosical" first celebrated its premiere in London at the end of March and is now being performed in Halle as the German version "Tod auf dem Thron - Das Klosical".
Künzel wrote the musical in collaboration with British co-author Mark Underwood. Künzel's penchant for musicals is nothing new. "Das Klosical" is already his sixth work.
In "Death on the Throne", Künzel and Underwood bring a quirky mix of well-known figures from recent history to the stage. The Queen and Margaret Thatcher are included, as are Elvis Presley and Erich Honecker. The play is performed by two actors, four puppeteers and a live band. Künzel sits behind the drums.
The idea for the curious title came to Künzel in the toilet. He has known Mark Underwood since rehearsals for another musical. "We got to know each other and went to the pub and decided after the third beer that we were going to write a musical. I had just come from the loo and said: it's going to be a loosical."
As the play was initially written in English, it had to be translated into German. This was a challenge for Künzel. "The English language is easy when it comes to music, it sounds nicer. German always sounds a bit harder and scratchier. But the German version naturally has a few gags in it that the English version doesn't have," said the artist. "And when Mark comes and watches the premiere, he'll be surprised at the places where people laugh."
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