Ben Knight reports the musical has a unique history in the once-divided German capital. "/> Ben Knight reports the musical has a unique history in the once-divided German capital. " />
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MUSIC

Taking the Neukölln out of Eliza Doolittle

A new production of "My Fair Lady" just opened in Berlin, but Ben Knight reports the musical has a unique history in the once-divided German capital.

Taking the Neukölln out of Eliza Doolittle
Franziska Forster as Eliza Doolittle. Photo: DPA

The spectacle – and the ticket prices – might be imported from London’s West End, but the accents are definitely from Berlin’s troubled district Neukölln. This exuberant and occasionally exhausting German-language production of the musical classic “My Fair Lady” opened last week bursting with noise, ambition and German jokes about the English.

But the show has a special connection to Berlin that makes this particular revival significant. As director Peter Lund puts it in his programme notes, “In no other city did this show touch the zeitgeist as it did in Berlin.” In the early sixties, even before Hollywood made the story its own, Berlin turned this piece into an ideological battleground.

The famous West Berlin production of 1961, premiered only months after the erection of the Berlin Wall, was a declaration of cultural self-confidence. It was as if the capitalist and democratic island city surrounded by a sea of communism would maintain its cultural prestige. The West German tourist industry saw it the same way, and created a musical airlift to ship in some 14,000 West Germans to see the show.

When East Berlin reacted with its own “My Fair Lady” in the Metropoltheater four years later, the production made the most of original author George Bernard Shaw’s socialist credentials and turned the show into a satire on western decadence.

This new version boasts a freight of Berlin-grown talent led by Peter Lund, long-time artistic director of the small but successful low-budget musical theatre the Neuköllner Oper. With a budget big enough to fund about five of his usual shows, he creates an aesthetic that crosses the London of Mary Poppins with Berlin’s gritty Hermannplatz of today. This show does a lot, but not quite enough, to inject some modern Berlin authenticity into the Broadway fairy-tale.

Appearing first with a punk haircut, scruffy neck-scarf and torn shorts, Eliza Doolittle looks convincingly like a windshield-washer at a traffic light at Berlin’s eyesore of a intersection at Kottbusser Tor, but as soon as the set of Professor Higgins’ ornate apartment is lowered into place, any attempt to modernize the piece is surrendered to the needs of the Hepburn-Harrison nostalgia crowd. The social satire of Shaw’s original Pygmalion, much name-checked in the programme, goes with it.

But there’s still enough to keep you going for one evening. Increasingly bizarre gimmicks get thrown around boisterously – improbably athletic street-sweepers push wheelie-bins from which emerge singing rats. Toy London cabs shoot madly across the stage, and as if the designer were apparently scrambling for further references to merry old England – sheep appear as seats at Royal Ascot.

Despite the failure to completely modernize the setting, this three-hour spectacular still manages to top the Oscar-sweeping movie on many fronts. There is real chemistry between the two main actors, Daniel Morgenroth and Franziska Forster, instead of the awkward platonic sparring between Rex and Audrey. And Dagmar Biener and Anton Rattinger add some delightful inner life to the roles of Mrs Pearce and Colonel Pickering. All in all, for anyone wishing to see the musical that got caught up in Berlin’s cultural Cold War, it’s a production worth shelling out €26 to €79 for seats.

“My Fair Lady” is playing Berlin’s Admiralspalast until September 14, after which the production will tour Germany.

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STUDYING IN GERMANY

What’s it like to study abroad in Berlin?

Picking the right city to study abroad in Germany can be a tricky decision, and there are numerous factors to consider. Freya Jones shares her experience of doing a year abroad in the capital and explains why Berlin could also be the right choice for you.

What's it like to study abroad in Berlin?

Five months after moving to Berlin for my year abroad (a compulsory part of my German degree from the UK) the German capital is certainly a destination I’d recommend. 

Although it’s less “traditionally German” than many other corners of the country, and simultaneously more comparable to the blanket big city experience worldwide, Berlin’s unique history and culture make it a great place to explore – and unsurprisingly very popular with international students. 

Like all capitals, it has its pros and cons, so here’s what stood out to me during my experience so far.

Arrival

You’ve probably heard horror stories about the Berlin housing market, and from experience I can say they’re largely true. Finding an apartment here before moving to the city is notoriously difficult, and more expensive than in other parts of Germany. 

What you should bear in mind, however, is that unlike other German cities, Berlin doesn’t impose fines if you’re unable to secure a registration appointment within two weeks of arrival (three months if you already have a visa). This makes searching for a good WG, Studentenwerk, or other rental far easier post-arrival if your first stop is a homestay or somewhere else temporary. 

Blocks of rental flats in Berlin.

Blocks of rental flats in Berlin. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Monika Skolimowska

Despite a recent wave of strikes and construction work, transport links in Berlin are still very strong. If you’re enrolled as a student during your year abroad, you’ll be entitled to a discounted pass for city transport, including a number of tram, bus and train options that run all the way to the city’s outskirts and even into Brandenburg (Zone C).

What’s more, direct trains from Berlin’s BER Airport make it more accessible than more remote locations in Germany when you arrive equipped with a year’s worth of luggage.

English

My German tutors in the UK were slightly concerned when I chose Berlin, because they didn’t think I’d have much opportunity to practise my German. Looking back, this worry wasn’t without cause, and if your primary goal is German language improvement, it may be worth considering somewhere more rural or less international. 

Unlike small towns I’ve visited elsewhere in Germany, where many people speak little to no English, it’s everywhere in Berlin. Because the international population is so large, new friends from any country are likely to speak it by default.

However, this can obviously be mitigated by signing up for German-only university classes, as I’ve done as an exchange student at Humboldt University, or finding a German language job. And on the flip side, if you’re here to study a discipline other than German, the ubiquity of English in Berlin has you covered.

READ ALSO: The top German cities for international students in 2024

Cultural Experiences

Unsurprisingly, Berlin offers no end of unique cultural experiences. For new arrivals, there’s plenty to fill your time with, and I’d really recommend “playing the tourist” for a couple of weeks while you settle in. 

Bucket-list locations include the National Gallery and museums on Museuminsel, the Berlin Wall memorial, the Brandenburg Gate, and the site of the Berlin airlift at Tempelhof. And beyond this, there’s never a shortage of things to do – walks around Tiergarten and the customary Sunday flea markets (Flohmarkt am Mauerpark being the most famous) are popular with visitors and locals alike.

A skateboarder performs tricks on Tempelhofer Feld

A skateboarder performs tricks on a former runway at Berlin’s Tempelhofer Feld, a popular meeting place in Berlin-Neukölln. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Soeder

Something I’ve also really enjoyed after being here for a while is noticing the small details which differentiate the former East and West Berlin sectors, such as different traffic lights and types of transport. While much of the architecture is admittedly stark, grey and not as pretty as other parts of Germany, the way in which present-day Berlin is a visible product of its recent history makes it a fascinating place to live.

READ ALSO: How do I get a student visa for Germany and what does it let me do?

Pros & Cons

Any culture shock inevitably comes with both positives and negatives, and these are a few which particularly struck me after moving to Berlin from the UK. 

Cons: many shops refuse to take card payment and only accept cash; all shops and supermarkets close on Sundays; there’s no guarantee of being let into a club or bar on a night out, and the traffic lights genuinely seem to conspire against drivers and pedestrians alike. (Also, the weather in winter really will destroy your soul, and this is a Brit talking…)

Pros: the quality of food is much better here than in the UK, and cheaper; the cost of alcohol is much lower; public transport is cheaper and more efficient than in London; work-life balance and mental wellbeing are taken very seriously; and finally, there’s a far less visible “class system” than in the UK, possibly due to the greater access and affordability of German universities.  (This is really nice, especially if you’re coming from a UK university where socio-economic prejudice is very common.)

READ ALSO: How to stay in Germany after graduating from a German university

Overall, Berlin has been a vibrant place to spend my exchange semester. Not only has it given me insights into the most significant shifts in recent German history, but it also offers the archetypal experience of living in a bustling, multicultural city. So while it’s distinctly different to anywhere else in Germany you might be considering, the variety of things to see and do in Berlin will keep you engaged for your full year abroad.

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