"HEROES"

"HEROES" - Alexander Scheer sings David Bowie

On tour for the first time from spring 2026
With "HEROES", Alexander Scheer, one of the most distinguished actors and musicians of his generation, and his great band are bringing a stage evening on tour that sheds new light on David Bowie's work with musical, literary and scenic elements. The project was developed at the Berliner Ensemble and quickly became an audience success.
2026 marks the tenth anniversary of David Bowie's death - an occasion that will once again draw worldwide attention to the artistic charisma of this exceptional musician. Alexander Scheer is devoting himself to Bowie's creative world in a special way: not only as a pure homage, but also as a personal approach that interweaves Bowie's music and the literary texts that were essential to him.

A literary-musical evening that makes David Bowie's inspirational cosmos tangible
The basis for the "HEROES" program is a list of 100 books published by David Bowie himself, which have shaped his life and his music in a special way. From Homer's Iliad to Dante's Inferno, from classics and cultural studies writings on soul, funk and schizophrenia to Berlin novels such as Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred Döblin or Nachdenken über Christa T. by Christa Wolf - David Bowie's hitherto little-known literary cosmos opens up a new perspective on his musical work.
Alexander Scheer and his band follow these traces and interweave the texts with Bowie's songs, opening windows and drawing (unexpected) cross-connections.

The evening takes us back to West Berlin, where Bowie lived between 1976 and 1978 and created some of his most important albums - including "Heroes". And in passing, he reveals where the famous dolphins in this song come from.

HEROES" was conceived by Steffen Sünkel, whose work has received great acclaim at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg and the Berliner Ensemble, among others.

From artistic experiment to hit of the season
What began as an interdisciplinary exploration quickly developed into one of the most sought-after evenings at the Berliner Ensemble, with all performances sold out.
The format also immediately met with an extraordinary response beyond Berlin: as the opening of the Harbour Front Literature Festival 2025 in the Elbphilharmonie, "HEROES" was sold out within a very short time and celebrated with standing ovations.

From spring 2026, MSK will be taking the production on tour nationwide for the first time.

About Alexander Scheer
Alexander Scheer is one of the most versatile actors of his generation. He has performed at the country's biggest theaters and was part of Frank Castorf's legendary Volksbühne ensemble for 16 years. Born in East Berlin in the same year that Bowie moved to Schöneberg, Scheer has always remained a wanderer between worlds, a seeker of truth in change.
In film, Scheer has embodied numerous iconic figures - including Keith Richards and Andy Warhol. In 2019, he was awarded the Bavarian and German Film Prize for his portrayal of singer-songwriter Gundermann in Andreas Dresen's film of the same name. He appeared on stage at the Schauspielhaus Hamburg as "the man who fell from heaven" in David Bowie's Lazarus.

"No one in the pop universe has blurred the boundaries between life and art more authentically than David Bowie." - Alexander Scheer

Cast

With: Alexander Scheer and Fee Aviv Dubois, Fabian Leu, Steve Patuta, Steffen Kieslich

Concept: Steffen Sünkel
Production management: Albrecht Leu
Costumes: Janina Brinkmann
Sound: Silvio Neumann, Marcel Dickow
Lighting: Martin Mulik
Operator: Julian Leu