Is a kiss allowed now? Or not? The Munich Bussi-Bussi-Gesellschaft does not have it easy during the corona pandemic. And this uncertainty can also be observed on this Thursday evening, you don’t really know how to greet each other in the foyer of the teatro. Alfons Schuhbeck has invited to the premiere of his new show “Festival” in the Riemer Spiegelzelt. And with the arrival of around 300 guests, a certain degree of uncertainty has crept in. Despite strict 3-G admission control including temperature measurement, the dense crowd at the bar, cloakroom and standing tables initially seems strange. Only the masked service staff reminds of the reality of the outside world, while inside the tent they greet those arriving with an aperitif in a fantasy world made of dark red velvet, candlelight and mirrored walls. “It’s a bit strange, but somehow we have to start again,” says moderator Elton, who, as usual, leans casually against the wall in a t-shirt.
The silence before the dinner show.
(Photo: Stephan Rumpf)
In the midst of the turmoil, on the other hand, Schuhbeck himself, approachable and reserved at the same time. In contrast to that of his guests, his uncertainty is likely to stem less from the pandemic conditions, as he is more in focus this evening than usual. After he had only announced his insolvency in the summer, a group of investors ex machina is now enabling a quick end to the insolvency proceedings. The party service, the spice trade and the South Tyrolean parlors as well as the teatro, which is independent of the bankruptcy, are allowed to keep Schuhbeck, whereas the Orlando has to close. However, Schuhbeck does not want to reveal who the investors are, he leads quickly and innocently over to the premiere evening. He has nothing else on his mind than pumpkin soup, roast beef and the wish “that everything works and that the leaders go home happy”.
Confident, but with a slightly sunken expression and a swollen chest, he maneuvers himself through the crowd, shows himself, chats, is present throughout the evening. He is also caught by the support of his friends and theater fans, especially Marianne and Michael. The folk music duo and Schuhbeck have been friends for many years, so it is a matter of honor that the two of them will be there again at this premiere: “We always stand behind the Fonsi”, conjures Marianne and is happy to see well-known friends again. The entrepreneur Judith Williams also remains loyal to the “Fonsi”, associating it with “the most delicious dishes, funny evenings and a person who lives life, who may not always do everything right, but certainly has his heart in the right place”. Then she evades the flashlight in the foyer and takes a seat at her table in the middle of the tent next to Elton.
The dense crowd in the foyer is followed by thick fog on the stage and heralds the start of the show. At the latest at the grand finale three hours later, any uncertainty among the guests seems to be a thing of the past. The audience no longer holds it in their chairs when Schuhbeck crowns the show with two encores, with more cell phones than aerosols in the air. With “Sweet Caroline” the whole tent joins in, Marianne and Michael encourage clapping in the front row, their table neighbor Giulia Siegel updates her Instastory – super hit parade meets Oktoberfest flair. And even here, Schuhbeck succeeds in directing the focus away from himself and towards the point.
With regard to donations and advertising, the topic of finances is at this point from being a taboo subject to being an affair of the heart. “Ultimately, the guest is also a good advertising medium,” says Schuhbeck at the beginning of the evening and now it becomes clear what he means by that. A call for donations for the German Foundation for Children’s Dermatology, a call to spread the word and share on social networks, a second encore and he did it. Not an easy evening, even for someone who has been in business for as long as Schuhbeck; like walking a tightrope between tradition and unknown terrain and a completely new role that Schuhbeck has yet to find his way into. The beginning has been made.