Over 60 years – no, this vocally and personally incredibly captivating artist has been standing - no, singing and jumping - on the boards that mean the world. Gitte Haenning first stepped onto the stage at the age of eight. Then, step by step, she made her way up: With her hit "Ich will 'nen Cowboy als Mann," she became one of the most popular interpreters of German-language schlager music in 1963. This was followed by international hits, successful concept albums, and numerous awards. Even at over 70 years old, the artist still delights her audience.

"After a concert in 2022, the Fuldaer Zeitung wrote, 'The woman is like wine: the older she gets, the better.' And further: 'The voice is powerful and supple as ever. More important than appearances, of course, is her indescribable charisma. This woman is simply seasoned with all the waters of the industry and lives her music.' Referring to one of her numerous hits, the Rheinische Post formulated: 'Gitte Haenning not only wants everything, she can do it too!'

Gitte Haenning visibly enjoys the program. She navigates through her enormous repertoire in an exciting way in 2024, giving her music, stories, and passions an expressive and fresh look - always looking forward and always Gitte Haenning! And finally: You don't have to forego the schlager music that everyone can sing along to. Maybe just wait a little. Other pieces are initially more important to Haenning. This is what makes this concert evening so very special.

Program: "Schwoba on fire!"
Beside the "Heiligsbleche" (Swabian pretzels), the Swabian's favorite child is the green oasis of well-being outside the front door - their own garden. And the garden is considered the most important business card in Swabia for good reason. The Kächeles are constantly "on fire" to keep the garden in top shape in order to impress the entire neighborhood. As official ambassadors of the Garden Show in Balingen 2023, the Kächeles have been inspired to dedicate a part of their new program to the theme of "gardening." A cabaret delight with a top-class fireworks of punchlines is guaranteed.

The Kächeles - two Swabians who can't stand each other but definitely can't be without each other. Here, two completely opposite characters collide head-on. The unstoppable feminine desire for change clashes unimpeded with undisturbed coziness, two left hands, and the elemental wish for a quick after-work beer in a lounge chair during gardening. Chaos ensues in no time, as Käthe is not satisfied with just a mowed lawn or a few colorful flowers. She wants more, a lot more! How about a new garden shed?

Further highlights include a joint visit to a football match, where Karl-Eugen's concentrated half-knowledge clashes with Käthe's complete cluelessness, or when Käthe has to confess to her husband with the steering wheel in hand that the new SUV had to be towed away as a total loss right before her eyes. With inspiring wit, tremendous speed of speech, and finely characterized situational comedy in portraying their signature roles as Käthe and Karl-Eugen, Ute Landenberger and Michael Willkommen once again shine in an absolutely captivating way.

Doors open: 6:00 PM

Christmas Concert – Jay Alexander sings the most beautiful Advent and Christmas songs
Jay Alexander is one of the most popular and charismatic artists within the German music scene. Since the tenor attended Sunday school in his childhood, his love for church music has steadily grown and is now deeply rooted in him. Therefore, Jay Alexander is very much looking forward to performing with his Christmas program on December 1, 2024, at 5:00 PM in the Stadtkirche in Schwaigern. In his concert, he will present his favorite Advent and Christmas songs, such as "Tochter Zion," "Fröhliche Weihnacht'," "Träume unterm Christbaum," "Ein Stern geht auf," and many more. The singer will be accompanied by his long-time pianist Juna Tcherevatskaia.

For Jay Alexander, the concert evening is a matter of the heart, which is why he will also personally guide the evening. This is both to be closer to his audience and to better share his perspective on the individual songs with the people.

Experience a pre-Christmas, reflective, and equally entertaining evening – full of music, with lots of charm and the radiant voice of Jay Alexander.

(c) APmusic

Admission: 4:00 PM

No tickets available here

Welcome to the world of musicals!
Taste the highlights from Dance of the Vampires, Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, and many other musicals!

At the Musical Dinner, the absolute highlights of the most popular musicals will be served to you alongside an exquisite multi-course menu.

While you enjoy this musical dinner, the musical stars will provide the special flavor in authentic costumes.

Musical has never been so close!

Admittance: 4:30 PM

Werner Acker dispels all winter depressions with a soul-jazz evening. The warming saxophone sound is provided by the Lauffen saxophonist Klaus Graf. A concert evening that warms from the inside.

Admission: 18:30 o'clock

A Meeting in the Inn – By Stefan Vögel

Theater Lindenhof / Catering: Koppes Tafelhaus

Chaim Eisenberg, an Israeli with German roots, comes once again to hike in Swabia. To the same village, to the same inn. But one thing is missing in the idyll: an adequate chess partner. According to landlord Martin, there is only one candidate: the peasant Adolf. Although the name raises skepticism in Chaim, he agrees to the chess game, and Adolf turns out to be a clever and witty partner with humor. With their shared game, which landlord Martin attentively follows, a quest into the past begins simultaneously. Does the connection between the two go beyond their love for knights, pawns, and kings? With a light, playful hand, a unique love story from the chaos of World War II is told, which resonates to this day and into which the two chess players are intertwined through their ancestors.

Tickets 40 €, Students 29 € –
Including 4 Swabian delicacies (also vegetarian), as well as table wine and non-alcoholic drinks.

Photo: Richard Becker

6:30 PM Entrance and catering, 8:00 PM Program start (no catering during the program)

The event is unfortunately canceled. Tickets for December 3, 2024 are available.

A Meeting in the Inn – By Stefan Vögel

Theater Lindenhof / Catering: Koppes Tafelhaus

Chaim Eisenberg, Israeli with German roots, returns for the umpteenth time to hike in Swabia. To the same village, to the same inn. But one thing is missing in the idyll: An adequate chess partner. According to innkeeper Martin, only one person is suitable for that: the peasant Adolf. Although the name raises skepticism in Chaim, he agrees to the chess game, and Adolf turns out to be a clever and quick-witted partner with humor. With the shared game, which is closely watched by innkeeper Martin, a search for traces in the past also begins. Do the two perhaps share more than a love for knights, pawns, and kings? With a light, playful hand, a unique love story from the turmoil of World War II is told, which continues to resonate today and in which the two chess players are intertwined through their ancestors.

Tickets 40 €, students 29 € –
Including 4 Swabian delicacies (also vegetarian), as well as table wine and non-alcoholic beverages.

Photo: Richard Becker

6:30 PM Entry and catering, 8:00 PM program start (no catering during the program)

The "Beat Brothers" take their audience on an electrifying journey through the Golden Era of music - from the 60s to the 80s. Immerse yourself in a time when music was still a revolution, and let yourself be enchanted by the iconic sounds of past decades. The concert promises a unique mix of timeless hits that have shaped generations. The "Beat Brothers" will revive the atmosphere of that time with their energy-filled performance and authentic interpretations. An evening that not only awakens nostalgia but also spreads pure party vibes. Get ready for an unforgettable time travel with the most beautiful songs from the 60s to the 80s - a concert experience that unites all generations and rocks the house!

The four cheerful professional musicians always give 150 percent, impressing with musical expertise and enduring stage presence. And they also look fantastic.

Doors open: 7:30 PM

In London, a woman is murdered. The perpetrator is on the run, and the police have initiated a manhunt. On this day, Mollie and Giles Ralston open their small guesthouse "Monkswell Manor." They are expecting their first four guests, who arrive one by one amidst heavy snowfall. The trail of the London woman murderer leads directly here.

The guesthouse is a "mouse trap," where not only more murder victims but also the murderer himself are trapped. Everyone is suspicious, but: who is the next victim, who is the murderer?

Cast: Anja Kunzmann/Claudia Rippe, Jean Maéser, Alexandra Johannknecht, Katrin Martin/Jutta Schröder, Hendrick Flacke/Julian Schneider, Thomas Wingrich, Thomas Linke/Mathias Kusche, Oliver Gabbert
Director: Wolfgang Rumpf
Set Design: Manfred Bitterlich
Theater: Berliner Kriminal Theater
- Actor changes reserved -

Entry: 19:30
Start: 20:00
Location: Community Center Ballei, Deutschordensplatz 1, 74172 Neckarsulm

Photo: Berliner Kriminal Theater

Entry from 19:30

What don't we get upset about? About the parking ticket on the windshield, the slow cashier at the supermarket checkout, the federal government, and the weather. When we are annoyed, when we are angry, the glabella fold between our eyebrows digs deep into our skin. That's why it's called that: frown line. And then everyone sees it. When we laugh, our skin improves. With a smile on our face, we become more attractive to our fellow human beings. The opposite sex is drawn to us. And laughing is healthy. The lungs are exercised, the brain gets an oxygen shower. "Don't get upset. It just gives you wrinkles!" is the new program by BERND STELTER. There is a lot to laugh about. In two hours, wrinkles will be smoothed out, the skin will be improved, and the corners of the mouth will be lifted. It is practically a two-hour beauty treatment without Botox and annoying plastic surgeons.

Admission from 7:00 pm

The Redeemer is here! Finally. We want to be redeemed because we are all guilty: consumption, holidays, parties, drugs, Netflix, and Bayern Munich do not permanently free us from the constant feeling of powerlessness. We always end up on the wrong side, even though we want to do everything right.
Good climate, lasting peace, and pancakes for everyone – but how? The UN and Disney+ don't know what to do anymore. Even the Dalai Lama doesn't want to be reincarnated and gives up on the last season.

What to do? What helps? Who brings redemption? Fear not! Atze Schröder saw the burning bush in his bed and immediately knew: I am the new Messiah! The Redeemer! Fearlessly, he takes on the task and signs up for three more years! Hallelujah, praise the Lord Schröder. He stands on stage, spreading his arms and shouts: Throw your sins on me, I will take your guilt! Every performance becomes an ark and even the little animals get an invitation to the captain's dinner on the cruise to redemption!

Atze Schröder redeems us from evil in his new program. Light-heartedly, he takes us along, frees the audience from the burden of the zeitgeist, and turns our Payback points into good karma.

Two hours of indulgence, two hours without guilt, two hours with the comforting realization: Yes, he is here – the Redeemer!

No tickets available here!

The Criminal Dinner 'Bloodbath in the Town Council' - a delicious multi-course menu in a stylish ambience framed by an exciting criminal case at the Merlin restaurant in Backnang.

'Blutbad im Gemeinderat'

Imagine a quaint place in beautiful Badnerland. Surrounded by rivers, meadows, and hilly landscapes lies Muggenhofen. The village, far from any hustle and bustle of the city, exciting nightlife, or hectic activity, invites you to find your home there in a persistent tranquility.

Everything has been running with the same constancy for decades, day by day, year by year, until the day the universally esteemed head of the community, the mayor of Muggenhofen, is found murdered.
A murder in Muggenhofen? And of all people, the mayor? Police Master Sergeant Gustav Heberlein is faced with a puzzle. With his suitcase typewriter and his lunchbox, he sets out to find the murderer. Could it be someone from the ranks of the tight-knit village community? Was it perhaps a newcomer, an outsider, even a local resident? What does Eulalia Schreiblinger have to do with the story and how involved is she in the machinations of the town council?

The multi-course menu is created and served by the Merlin restaurant. The crime dinner will start at 7 p.m., promising thrills for both the nerves and palate. Admission is at 6:30 p.m.

Admission: 6:30 p.m. / Menu and play are included in the price / Table and seat assignments will be made on-site

The “Schwanensee” embodies everything that classic ballet represents: grace, elegance, and above all, dance perfection. The incomparable music of P.I. Tchaikovsky combines with the emotionally charged dance to create a unique language that everyone understands at once. The interplay of love and longing, solitude and jealousy, anger, pain, and happiness has fascinated generations of theatergoers time and again. Especially during the Christmas season, this probably most popular ballet classic is part of the pre-Christmas joy for many guests.

Since its premiere in 1877, the ballet has always been a defining piece in the repertoire of all high-performing classical ballet ensembles. Who doesn't know the dance of the four little swans or the breathtaking leaps and heartfelt pas de deux by the dreamy swan lake?

It is the tale of a prince who falls in love with Odette, who has been transformed into a white swan by the sorcerer Rothbart. And this love is put to the test: lyrical and tragic, festive and intimate in the atmospheric setting of the “white images” by the lake, in contrast to the magnificent and colorful costumes at the royal court, promises a varied festive evening of great classical ballet.

Admission: 6:00 PM

Reflective sounds in the pre-Christmas season!
On December 6, 2024, starting at 19:30, you are invited to immerse yourself in the pre-Christmas atmosphere at the community center in Brackenheim.
A heartfelt invitation to reflective sounds by the SIE&W!R band – once again in full line-up with Hansi Müller on accordion, along with a guest appearance by the Botenheim Wengerter chorus, some special guests, and of course Julia Müller with her self-composed Christmas song "Christmas Time."
Look forward to reflective songs as well as newly interpreted tracks in the style of the live band SIE&W!R.
This year has been overwhelming and marked by wonderful memories of our concerts. We want to say thank you for a great, eventful year.
We would like to use the Christmas concert to give you something back for the time, energy, and applause with which we have been rewarded.
We are very much looking forward to this shared evening!
The event will be catered.

Doors open at 18:30.

The program "Christmas" is a very personal selection by the five singers. Featuring works by Orlando di Lasso, Cornelius Freundt, Michael Praetorius, Mateo Flecha, and Gustav Holst, the Christmas tradition in Germany, England, and Spain is at the center. Romantic English hymns meet German Christmas carols. Quiet pieces alternate with lively tunes. An alternating mood picture emerges with reflective moments and great joy.

The unmistakable sound, breathtaking homogeneity, musical stylistic confidence, and a good dose of charm and wit are the distinctive trademarks of amarcord. The extremely versatile and broad repertoire includes chants from the Middle Ages, madrigals and masses of the Renaissance, compositions and cycles of works from European Romanticism and the 20th century, as well as a cappella arrangements of folk songs collected from around the world and well-known songs from soul and jazz.

The vocal ensemble is a prizewinner of numerous international competitions. In 2002, the ensemble won the German Music Competition and was awarded the Ensemble Prize at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival in 2004, becoming the first vocal ensemble to receive this honor. Alongside the Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Thomanerchor, amarcord is one of the most important representatives of the music city of Leipzig both at home and abroad. Numerous concert tours have taken the singers to over 50 countries and nearly every continent on Earth.

Doors open: 18:00 Uhr

In "The Mummy," you are right in the middle of an equally absurd and eerie-comical story.

After a series of colossal flops, Hollywood director Jack Arnold dreams of a magnificent comeback. That's why he wants to shoot his new horror film "The Mummy" entirely authentically in a real pyramid. With lavish bribes, he secures the filming permit - and ends up in a place of terror. For centuries, no human soul has entered this pyramid, and for good reason. Soon, Arnold must not only deal with the whimsical diva Daisy Donald and his incompetent film crew, but also with an eerie curse and a being that has been waiting for an opportunity to return...

In this horror-comedy, you are right in the thick of it, the audience is part of the action. Of course, you can also follow the events entirely from the spectator's perspective. The kitchen monsters will serve you a delicious 4-course meal in between the scenes. An exciting blend of dinner and theater. Also suitable for those with weak nerves.

Door opens: 30 minutes before the start

GRACELAND with STRING QUARTET and BAND - "A Tribute to SIMON & GARFUNKEL meets Classic"

Friends and admirers of the popular songs of the US-American duo Simon & Garfunkel will experience how the memories come alive in an exhilarating way thanks to the remarkable performance of Graceland. Concert visitors can expect an evening full of emotion, a tribute to the 60s and 70s, and a musical diversity rarely seen.

Whether Folk Rockers Thomas Wacker and Thorsten Gary serve "Bridge over Troubled Water" with great sensitivity and virtuoso guitar playing, interpret the British folk song "Scarborough Fair," or present "Old Friends," "Cecilia," and "El Condor Pasa" - the audience is always completely captivated by the variety of the program and the wonderful richness of sound.

The interplay of both voices and two guitars with the classical instruments turns the songs of Simon & Garfunkel into an expressive and extraordinary musical experience. You can expect a concert with two artists who come remarkably close to your idols from America and a string quartet that gives this music a completely new, distinctive sound.

Doors open at 6:30 PM

Sandie Wollasch (vocals), Andrea Ritter (recorder), Daniel Koschitzki (piano, recorder)
At the most beautiful time of the year, jazz singer Sandie Wollasch teams up with recorder player Andrea Ritter and pianist Daniel Koschitzki. With gentle tones, virtuosic joy of playing, and much passion, they capture in personal favorite pieces the melancholy of winter and the magic of Christmas. Wollasch, Ritter, and Koschitzki immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the Christmas season and focus on the essentials: a powerful voice in dialogue with a delicate flute, accompanied on the piano. The consummate singer and the two classical stars combine the familiar with the unheard and move virtuously between eras and genres. Baroque splendor, classical masterpieces, traditional Christmas songs, and Christmas hits weave the artists into a winter wonderland of sounds. Sandie Wollasch pulls out all the stops with her expressive voice in the trio's arrangements, while Andrea Ritter and Daniel Koschitzki draw from a rich range of instruments, from the sopranino flute to the square bass.

Doors open: 6:00 PM