The musical “Abenteuerland” was created around the music of the pop group Pur. It is to be premiered in Düsseldorf’s Capitol Theater next October. He was deeply moved to hear the Pur songs in new arrangements, said singer Hartmut Engler (61) on Friday in Düsseldorf. “That just sounds beautiful.” 30 pieces by the band will be heard in the musical.
The planning has been going on for several years, the makers revealed. The musical will be produced by Martin Flohr (“Rocky Horror Show”, “West Side Story”). “Adventureland” is about the experiences of three generations of the fictional Schirmer family.
“It feels fantastic,” said Pur frontman Hartmut Engler. “There’s never been anything like it. It enriches the pure cosmos of sound. I already know that I’ll be spending a lot of time here this year.”
He had already found out about the plans in 2018 when the makers approached him. “We found the idea tingling and exciting right from the start,” reported Engler. He was involved in the development process and knows the script. “It gets under your skin what’s happening there.”
Moved to tears
When the piece was presented to him with a so-called reading last October, he couldn’t help but “take out a handkerchief”. “It’s so pure. It makes me proud. What I was afraid of at first was that it could be too shallow. But that has been completely avoided: it has depth,” said Engler. Hearing how your own songs are sung by other performers and entire choirs is “incredibly exciting”.
“Abenteuerland” is not only the title of the musical, but also the best-selling pur album with more than two million copies. It was released in 1995 and has been certified four times platinum. The musical presale started on Friday.
Up to 1100 spectators will have space per performance in Düsseldorf. Performances are scheduled six days a week. The world premiere will take place on October 22nd.
Large fan base in NRW
Düsseldorf will thus return to the musical map, said theater director David de Zwaan. Most recently, “Kein Pardon” by Hape Kerkeling premiered in the state capital in 2012.
NRW has an incredibly large Pur fan base, says Engler, who opened the newly built “Auf Schalke” arena with Pur in 2001 and has given concerts there for 550,000 spectators ever since. “Düsseldorf was unfortunately too small for us as far as the halls are concerned. But it’s perfect for a musical.”
Musical producer Martin Flohr is also a real pur connoisseur: “He knows lyrics by heart that I no longer know,” said Engler. Director of the musical is Dominik Flaschka.
The band Pur was founded 43 years ago in Bietigheim-Bissingen in Baden-Württemberg and is one of the most successful pop groups in Germany. The Capitol Theater is a former tram depot near Düsseldorf Central Station.
