Accompanying the Exhibition Music, Migration and Mobility - The Story of Emigre Musicians from Nazi Europe in Britain, the Brundibar Festival in Newcastle presents a dramatised version of the revue based on texts from the composer Hans Gál's diary Music behind Barbed Wire.

Tenor: Norbert Meyn
Baritone: Simon Wallfisch
Director: Robert Hersey
Actor: Philip Harrison
Actor: Chris Connel
Violin: Kyra Humphreys
Violin: Alexandra Raikhlina
Viola: Anna Barsegjana
Cello: Gabriel Waite
Clarinet: Dov Goldberg
Flute: Charlotte Ashton
Piano: Yoshie Kawamura

When the eminent composer Hans Gál (1890-1987) was interred alongside other Austrians, Germans, Italians and Polish 'Enimy Aliens' on the Isle of Mann, the arts committee in Camp Doublas decided to put on a comic revue to provide much needed light entertainment. It was the brainchild of the Austrian film director Georg Höllering (1897-1980), who had worked with Berthold Brecht on the film ‘Kuhle Wampe’ in 1932. He asked Gál to compose the music for it and called it ‘What a Life!’. The songs are parodies of actual life in the camp, making fun of the seagulls, the barbed wire, the gender separation, the fitness routine, cleaning up, sharing double beds and observing the blackout. The revue also includes the powerful and moving melodrama 'Ballade vom Armen Jakob' with words by Norbert Elias.

Unfortunately, the text of the spoken dialogue scenes that were performed between the musical numbers does not survive. What we do have are the songs and instrumental numbers from Gál’s manuscripts, and his wonderful diary ‘Music behind Barbed Wire’, which recounts the whole episode of internment and the creation of the revue in great detail. Building on a script developed from diary excerpts by Norbert Meyn, this performance presents a new dramatised version by director Robert Hersey.

Venue: Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle
Book your tickets here.