After a decade away from the stage, the musical “Ich war noch niemals in New York,” featuring Udo Jürgens’ greatest hits, is back on the boards. The show will launch in a fresh production on July 1, 2027 at the Metronom Theater in Oberhausen, according to the organizers. Ticket sales begin today.
Following its Ruhr-area debut, a touring production is planned with numerous stops, including the Semperoper in Dresden, the Theater des Westens in Berlin, the Deutsches Theater in Munich, as well as Bremen, Baden-Baden, and Hanover. International venues are set to include Zurich, Bregenz, and Vienna, with additional dates to be announced.
The production takes place aboard a luxurious cruise liner and features the familiar songs such as “Aber bitte mit Sahne,” “Mit 66 Jahren,” and the title track “Ich war noch niemals in New York.” The organizers promise audiences “good vibes and pure joy of life.”
Alongside the story of a runaway elderly couple and their children, the musical also explores the relationship between Fred and Costa—a gay couple who face everyday prejudice: because their neighbors refuse to tolerate a same-sex couple in the building, they risk losing their apartment.
The musical had its world premiere in 2007 on Hamburg’s Reeperbahn and drew millions of theatergoers over ten years of performances. In 2019, a film version was created featuring renowned actors such as Heike Makatsch, Katharina Thalbach, Moritz Bleibtreu, and Uwe Ochsenknecht, which was shown on ARD in 2022.
