Blume Peter

A musical theater that is long overdue for Mannheim.

Homepage Mannem makes musical

He was a figure who shaped Mannheim in many ways: Peter Schäfer, the "Blumepeter". With its wit, its assertiveness and in its tragedy. Physically and mentally handicapped, Peter, who was of small stature, came to Mannheim with his family in 1891. "To contribute something to the family's livelihood, they send the droll little fellow to inns and have him sell bouquets of flowers. In a nasal falsetto voice, he begs people, "Kaaf mer ebbes ab!" Peter attracts attention, even before the turn of the century he appears on picture postcards. As a small, nice guy with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. This is how Peter Schäfer becomes "Blumepeter. He did not tell jokes, rather jokes were made with him and about him. Mannheim carnivalists keep him as a kind of mascot, put him in costumes, let the little handicapped man pose and photograph as a wrestler and weightlifter, sell postcards of him." (Eberhard Reuß, Rhein Neckar-Zeitung June 21, 2018)

Partly made a laughing stock, partly because his illness progressed, Peter became increasingly conspicuous, aggressive, foul-mouthed. In 1929, he is committed to the closed ward of the "Heil- und Pflegeanstalt Wiesloch," where the National Socialists set the "medical" tone from 1933. In 1940, "der Blumepeter" dies in the psychiatric ward, the year in which more than 2,000 Wiesloch patients are killed as part of the Nazi euthanasia program.

"Mannem macht Musical" tells a story that focuses on a person who was more used than seen by others. An approach to someone who became a figure of fun in Mannheim, but in his lust for life and his tragedy tells more about the city than it often wanted to hear. A musical theater that is long overdue for the city.

Total length of the play 2.40 h (incl. intermission)

Sandra Maria Germann - Peter
Sascha O. Bauer - Karl Buck
Ronja Rückgauer - Susanne Schäfer
Hartmut Lehnert - Nasegraf
Susan Horn - Brunslissl
Rosa Sutter - Gille Galle
Thomas Simon - Meese Hannes
Niklas Hofmann, Tobias Kraus, Daniel Höhr, Nina Kraus, Melanie Di Bernardo, Nina Lang, Lea Ebbinghaus - Ensemble

Georg Veit - Book/Direction/Stage
Michael Herberger/Rino Galiano - music
Doris Marlis - choreography
Daniel Prandl - musical direction
Daniela Werner - costume, set and make-up
Producer - Thorsten Riehle

Daniel Prandl, Thilo Zirr, Lukas Hatzis, Cristiane Gavazzoni, Nicolai Pfisterer - band

Organizer: Non-profit theater for children and adults Capitol Mannheim UG