GERMANY: WORLD'S FIRST PUNK ROCK MUSICAL "GABBA GABBA HEY" BASED ON SONGS FROM THE RAMONES GOES ON TOUR

Record ID: 517836

  • Title: GERMANY: WORLD'S FIRST PUNK ROCK MUSICAL "GABBA GABBA HEY" BASED ON SONGS FROM THE RAMONES GOES ON TOUR
  • Date: 9th May 2005
  • Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (MAY 3, 2005) (REUTERS) MUSICAL IN PROGRESS (0.17) (SOUNDBITE) (German) SHEENA (PLAYED BY KATJA GOETZ) SAYING: "Sid and Nancy?" (SOUNDBITE) (German) JUDY (PLAYED BY STEFANIE HELLER) SAYING: "Believe me, you shouldn't just separate like that." (SOUNDBITE) (German) SHEENA SAYING: "I fear my Prince Charming was a real flop." SPECTATORS WATCHING (0.31) VARIOUS OF ACTORS SEATED ON STAGE SPECTATORS WATCHING (0.47) (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOMMY RAMONE SAYING: "Quite a lot of the Ramones is in this show because most of the Ramones songs, certainly the songs used in this show, are either biographical or based on real events or real feelings of the band. So, the events that take place in the musical itself come from the lives of the Ramones and is reinterpreted through the cast and the characters in the show." (1.16) VARIOUS OF SHOW IN PROGRESS (1.36) (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOMMY RAMONE SAYING: "The Ramones were like four different people and each of them brought in their own types of songs and everything and each segment of the show has different scenes. You know, a song that was like really a Joey song will have a different atmosphere than a song that Didi wrote or a song that I wrote or something that Johnny created. So each thing has a different aspect. For example, the scene that they showed with the two girls, that's a Joey song." (2.08) SCENE WITH THE TWO GIRLS (2.32) (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOMMY RAMONE SAYING: "The Ramones are sort of something that I gave birth to. It's always with me. You know, the Ramones are my life and so that never changed. So I stepped away from the drums and brought in another drummer but it's a family and it's my family. It's just a continuation really." (3.02) (SOUNDBITE) (German) JOERG BUTTGEREIT, DIRECTOR SAYING SAYING: "First I laughed. The fact that Ramones music is used for a musical is ridiculous. But at the same time, that was the challenge, to say 'maybe it works.' If it's possible to make musicals with the music from Queen, Abba and all the other popular music then it should also be possible to do it with the music from a band that wasn't as successful as Abba or Queen but which has its followers. The fact that Ramones fans hate musicals, including myself, is interesting. But that's the challenge, to see to it that it works." (3.40) VARIOUS OF MUSICAL (4.17)
  • Embargoed: 24th May 2005 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Reuters ID: LVA6X2MB3FDZM6U1HDIDHA9L33GW
  • Story Text: World's first punk rock musical "Gabba Gabba Hey"
    based on songs from Ramones goes on tour in Germany.

    The world's first punk rock musical "Gabba Gabba
    Hey" will go on tour in Germany next week and fans of the
    legendary "Ramones" band on Tuesday (May 3, 2005) had the
    opportunity to attend the dress rehearsal.

    "Gabba Gabba Hey" with 18 "Ramones" songs had its world
    premiere in Australia last year.

    After the showing in Berlin, the musical will go on a
    tour in Germany.

    "Quite a lot of the Ramones is in this show because
    most of the Ramones songs, certainly the songs used in this
    show, are either biographical or based on real events or real feelings
    of the band," "Ramones" co-founder Tommy
    Ramone said on the sidelines of the dress rehearsal.

    "The events that take place in the musical itself come
    from the lives of the Ramones and is reinterpreted through
    the cast and the characters in the show."
    German director Joerg Buttgereit spoke of his initial
    reaction when approached with the project.

    "First I laughed. The fact that Ramones music is used
    for a musical is ridiculous," Buttgereit said.

    "But at the same time, that was the challenge, to say
    'maybe it works.' If it's possible to make musicals with
    the music from Queen, Abba and all the other popular music
    then it should also be possible to do it with the music
    from a band that wasn't as successful as Abba or Queen but
    which has its followers."
    "The fact that Ramones fans hate musicals, including
    myself, is interesting. But that's the challenge, to see to
    it that it works," Buttgereit said.

    Musical director and "Ramones" co-founder Tommy Ramone
    founded the band in 1974 with his colleagues Joey, DeeDee
    and Johnny. Tommy is the only one still alive.
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