Bodo Wartke

Abera Kadabera! Subtle wordplay, surprising rhymes, and virtuoso piano playing—Bodo Wartke’s seventh show offers entertaining musical cabaret and a tongue-twister slam full of verbal acrobatics. The entertainer and poet pits wonder against the power of habit, pairing humor with old patterns. Lightheartedness!—Why not?

Bodo Wartke hits the magic spot!

In his seventh piano cabaret show, the musician and cabaret artist reveals himself as a storyteller who listens for the absurdly funny incidents hidden in everyday life—with all its inconsistencies—and distills them in a double sense of the word. With extraordinary playfulness, dancing through linguistic and verbal acrobatics, Bodo Wartke takes a look at the phenomena of our coexistence. In doing so, he draws from the rich treasure trove of the German language and, with a keen sensibility, elevates many a word.

Problems with the printer turn out to be an identity crisis for the technical device, which finds itself in the wrong body. The “egg hole” familiar from nursery rhymes triggers a hair-raisingly abstruse yet philosophical stream of consciousness in the sleep-deprived musician. And last but not least, the cabaret artist transforms well-known tongue twisters into poems and short, anarchic stories, which he performs as rap accompanied by piano or cajón across various musical genres—a tongue-twister slam brimming with rhythm ’n’ poetry.

Once again, the stage artist proves himself to be a music entertainer well-versed in both pop and high culture, sampling his way through our everyday lives both linguistically and musically. This is particularly evident in his tongue-in-cheek ode to the “mixtape” and the love songs of the ’80s. Provocatively sarcastic in his parody of the bad habit of “mansplaining,” presented here as rock ’n’ roll. Comedic in his foray into twelve-tone music, which the musician celebrates as an expression of democratic thought. But he’s also lyrical in a classical adaptation, in which the pianist takes us up with him in a tender ode to the moon and, looking back, quietly offers a shift in perspective.

And so, serious tones are always interwoven with all this lightheartedness. The singer-songwriter reflects thoughtfully on unhealthy behavioral patterns learned early in life that can shape our existence. He critically examines misogyny and the radical interpretation of religious dogmas. Yet a hopeful outlook is not missing either: What might our world look like if humanity’s many sore spots were overcome?

On the way there, there will be a few slip-ups and stumbles. Bodo Wartke welcomes them, for they are part of the journey as we make our way to the point of wonder.

Copyright: Reimkultur 2025