It is a constant in Berlin's independent scene, known for unusual musical theater: the theater company "Nico and the Navigators". Next year it will be 20 years old. With their new piece "Im Gegensatz zu dir" (In contrast to you), the ensemble explores the question of how - in times of populism, Trump and terror - our freedom stands. Wednesday is the premiere at Heimathafen Neukölln. Corinne Orlowski stopped by the rehearsals. Two men meet on stage. One a young, confrontational acting student, the other a seasoned, thoughtful tenor, who are off their rocker. Although they are so different, there is a lot of the same in them, as the artistic director of the ensemble, Nicola Hümpel, says: "Between two people who have very similar socialization parameters, differences are brought to such a boil that it becomes clear how difficult it is, even in a seemingly homogeneous society, to resolve tensions. Lively dialogue between the generations Tenor Ted Schmitz, a longtime member of "Nico and the Navigators," performs his self-composed, personal indie folk songs for the first time. A three-piece band supports him. Acting student Fabian Kulp counters with angry monologues, confronting the music with the despair and excessive demands of his generation and interrupting non-stop. Precisely because both have to deal with the other, a lively dialogue between the generations and the positions in our society develops - there is no need to bother about differences between different cultures and religions, finds Nicola Hümpel, and that works best with music, says tenor Ted Schmitz: music has the power and the strength to trigger something in people - to unfold the effect of an inner voice. A concert with tender songs and sharp lyrics His music is reinforced by the giant-sized faces of the two projected simultaneously onto a screen. The audience cannot escape these expressive features. This is what makes the production so powerful. Nicola Hümpel: "Reading the faces is a very big aspect of this evening. It makes you think a lot about what is going on inside a person. Especially in singing, that's very interesting." "Im Gegensatz zu dir" is a concert with tender songs and sharp lyrics, a very personal evening, thoughtful and humorous.

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