Alice – Spiel um dein Leben

In the organizer's words:

Natalie O'Hara in a one-person play with piano about the pianist Alice Herz-Sommer and her survival as a Jewish musician in the Theresienstadt ghetto - a true story about the power of music as an emotional theatrical experience.

Alice Herz-Sommer (1903-2014) became famous at an advanced age when her biography "A Garden of Eden in the Midst of Hell" and several documentary films about her enjoyed international success. Her optimism and love of humanity, which she retained despite her difficult fate, moved and inspired people for a long time.

The idea for a play was born, which on the one hand traces Alice's time in Theresienstadt, where she gives concerts and fights for survival with her six-year-old son, and on the other hand brings to life the magic of music, which seems to have protected her from bitterness and despair. The discrepancy between the beauty of music and the horror of the ghetto is the theme of this evening, which is a piano concerto, biography and play all rolled into one.

The research took two years. Author Kim Langner and Natalie O'Hara traveled to Prague, Theresienstadt and Tel Aviv, as well as meeting Alice's family, friends and former students.

Eli Gornstein, Israeli actor and Herz-Sommer's grand-nephew:
"It means a lot to me when German audiences engage with Alice Herz-Sommer through this play - This work celebrates the triumph of humanity and memorializes Alice's optimistic personality while shedding light on the tragedy of European Jews during this time."

Natalie O'Hara plays over 20 roles and live piano in this staged solo piece, from Bach to Gershwin, from Chopin etudes to Beethoven sonatas.

Natalie O'Hara: "Alice Herz-Sommer's biography and life energy fascinated and inspired me. She was not only a great pianist - she was a wise and generous woman. To now play her on stage and also on the piano is perhaps the greatest honor of my life and certainly my greatest artistic challenge to date."

Director: Franҫois Camus
Musical direction: Matthias Stötzel
Video and sound design: Daniel Bandke, Hajo Rehm
Lighting design: Daniel Sestak
Production: Natalie O'Hara and Michael Hildebrandt
With Natalie O'Hara

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