Five years of freedom: Boulevard theater celebrates with Free and Limitless”!

Five years of freedom: Boulevard theater celebrates with Free and Limitless”!

The Boulevard Theater Bremen welcomes its visitors with a special highlight: the fifth season starts on September 26, 2025 with the rousing musical play “Free and Limitless”. The piece, written by Frank Pinkus and intendant Kay Kruppa, deals with the last years of the GDR from 1987 to 1989 and reflects the euphoric moments of reunification. On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of reunification, the audience is taken on a nostalgic journey through the history of the division of Germany.

“Free and Limitless” combines historical snapshots, serious scenes and musical performances from this formative time. Not only is the euphoria of unity covered, but also everyday life in the GDR, state repression and the happiness of East-West loved ones. The piece uses technical means such as video projections to impressively visualize striking moments such as Genscher's speech and Schabowski's famous declaration on the opening of the border. Clichés are treated with a certain distance, for example in a humorous scene with bananas at the border, which should get a few laughs.

A relationship in the shadow of the wall

At the center of the story is the bookseller Lukas, his wife Heike, his half-brother Paul and the West Berlin student Jonas. Lukas expresses his dissatisfaction with the regime through political jokes, while his wife Heike and his brother Paul are increasingly confronted with state surveillance. Heike loses her job at the daycare center due to a lack of loyalty to the line, while Paul, an actor, has to struggle with state repression, which ultimately leads to his dismissal from the ensemble.

These personal dramas unfold against the background of the social changes that are noticeable in the GDR, even if the positive effects of glasnost and perestroika under Mikhail Gorbachev in the USSR only slowly penetrate the cultural consciousness of the GDR. Jonas falls in love with Lena, whom he meets in Lukas' bookstore on Alexanderplatz, but he is only allowed to travel to the eastern part for 45 days a year. The desire for freedom and a life without walls runs through the story and becomes symbolic at the end when the wall is pushed aside.

Music of the time as a supporting element

Another highlight of the play are the live music set pieces performed by the theater band. Artists from both parts of Germany, including Puhdys, Karat, City, Nina Hagen, Scorpions, Udo Lindenberg and Herbert Grönemeyer, enliven the performance musically and bring the atmosphere of the late 80s to life.

With a clear focus on the personal happiness of the characters, the play “Free and Limitless” becomes an unforgettable experience that not only entertains, but also inspires you to think about your own history. The ensemble, including well-known actors such as Christian Hamann, Sarah Kluge and Sven Mein, ensures a lively production that appeals to the audience both emotionally and intellectually.

With this production, the Boulevard Theater Bremen has demonstrated a feel for the relevant issues of the past and promises to offer an evening that captures the zeitgeist of the late 80s and immerses the audience in an era that many of us remember as a time of longing and hope.