Last week I was invited by the Chamäleon Theatre on a press trip to the German capital of Berlin. As you can imagine, when I received the email I was very excited! I’d been to Germany twice before in 2016 and I had visited Dusseldorf and Cologne both times, so I was keen to explore a different German city. The purpose of the visit was to see the new show, Scotch & Soda which had just opened at the Chamäleon the week before we went over. Described as “a whisky-soaked evening of raucous circus, dance and music”, Scotch & Soda is like nothing else I have ever seen at the theatre before.
Based in Berlin’s Mitte district, the Chamäleon Theatre has been open since 2004 and is set out in a caberet style where you sit around tables in front of the stage and you can have drinks and snacks bought over to you while you enjoy the atmosphere and of course the extraordinary performance.
The CHAMÄLEON stands for contemporary circus like no other venue in Germany. This is an exciting new art form that deliberately blurs the boundaries between different genres, such as acrobatics, dance, music and theatre, in order to create something thrilling and cutting-edge.
One of the first things that I noticed was that the whole place had such a wonderful atmosphere, every table had flickering candles on them and when we arrived all of the seats were filled and people were chattering away and enjoying their drinks whilst waiting for the red curtains to open revealing the stage.
Scotch & Soda combines modern jazz with all of the thrills of the circus. When I first heard about this, I wasn’t sure if it was something that I would enjoy, it’s certainly not the sort of show that I would have booked tickets for myself. I’ve been to circuses before in the past and while I have enjoyed them, the whole clowns and people acting stupid isn’t really what I find funny. Luckily, this show was nothing like that.
When we arrived at the theatre, we were greeted by Dagmar and Hendrick who had organised the whole trip and they told us a bit more about the show that we were about to see. After a very early start and a wander around the city, I was pleased to sink into the lush balcony seats with a glass of bubbly and some nibbles that they had specially prepared for us and get ready for the show to start.
The cast consisted of five jazz musicians and five acrobats from the Australian circus company Company 2, all of which were amazingly talented and had me transfixed for the whole show. I was so amazed at the acrobatics that they were performing on the stage and have no idea how they did some of the tricks, it’s like they were defying gravity at times and I would love to be able to balance on bottles myself.
The whole show lasted two hours with a fifteen minute interval in between but it seemed to fly by as I was enjoying it so much. Scotch & Soda really is such a fun and thrilling show and I think it would be great for all of the family to enjoy. There is some partial nudity in a couple of scenes, but it’s only a bum and we all have one of those so it would be fine for children unless you’re a prude.
As we were there as guests of the Chamäleon Theatre, we were allowed to take photos. With us being on the balcony, we got a great view of the whole performance which obviously made for some great photos. I tried not to take too many as I didn’t want to watch the show through the lens of my camera but I managed to capture a few of the great stunts and I’m looking forward to seeing the photos that the other bloggers got. No doubt they will be a lot better than mine as I’m still not completely confident with taking photos in a low light setting.
Overall, it was such a brilliant show and I highly recommend you get tickets if you’re ever in Berlin. Scotch & Soda is running at the Chamäleon Theatre until August 20th 2017 and prices start at €39.
I’m loving the look of the Mitte area. It looks like such a fabulous night, i absolutely love Jazz music, I’m so glad you had a great trip x
It looks as though you did have a great view and I love a theatre that isn’t huge and much more initimate x
That really does look like an alternative show but I am glad you enjoyed it. I would have been impressed by the acrobatics as well x
It sounds like this was a really great show and the theatre is just beautiful. The cast looks so very talented and it’s so wonderful when a show completely transfixes you, it makes for such a wonderful experience.
I’ve never been to a theater with round tables, it looks very modern. Like you, I’m not sure whether it would be my cup of tea, but it does look very interesting!
Looks like a great show. I actually got the invite to head here too but due to remade plans I couldn’t make it and I was gutted. I’m hoping to head to Berlin in the summer so maybe I’ll manage to catch it x
Oh, what a nice one. Another memorable experience you had. I hope I watch that anytime soon.
What nice theater. It has a retro vibe to it. I might see if I can see this next time I’m in Berlin. xx
What a fab show! I’d love to head to Berlin, it’s been on mu bucket list for so long! x
this is such a great opportunity! berlin is a great city and this makes me want to go back now
Wow what an exciting experience! The theatre looks amazing, glad you enjoyed the show!
What an amazing opportunity! And this sounds like a fantastic show, definitely unique!
It looks like you had a fabulous time, I don’t really go to the theatre but maybe I should change that! 🙂 x
Oh wow this show looks fantastic and the tickets aren’t too badly priced either! xxx
This looks so entertaining – I know I would really enjoy this show!
This looks like a lovely theatre and the show looks amazing, I love going to see a show and come out feeling hyped up about it and know it is one I will remember x
This looks like such a fun theatre with some great photos, its been ages since I have been to a theatre.
This sounds such an interesting and different show to see. I love the look of the theatre too! Jazz seems to be becoming more popular so this is a great way to get more people to experience it.
This looks like an incredible show and I would love to explore Berlin x
What a beautiful theatre. The show looks anazing too. I’m glad you enjoyed it
It looks like you had an awesome time! I’ve got to visit this theatre when I go to Berlin this summer.
Lovely photos. The show must have been fabulous.
I love jazz music! Looks like a fun night out!
The show looks amazing and I Berlin is on our bucket list of places to visit
I have never been to a circus and always been put off by clowns but this just looks amazing. I am so pleased you enjoyed it and hope you got see lots of Berlin. I would love to take my family to see this X
This looks fantastic! I love things like this…I love drama and theatre so anything entertaining in this way makes my day x
This show looks brilliant! I’m a huge fan of acrobatics shows anyway, so this is right up my street. We absolutely love Berlin too and plan to go back in the near future so I’ll definitely be on the lookout for tickets to this show!