Comments - Sam's Revue

BAD KREUZNACH. "Sams-Revue" inspires a young audience in the Loge Bad Kreuznach. There was cheering, hustle and bustle in the packed box: the little spectators were over the moon when Maike Jansen and Stefan Ferencz from the theater "pohyb's und Konsorten" brought the rousing "Sams-Revue" to the stage at the invitation of the bookshop "Leseratte" and playfully cast a spell over the children. With a lot of empathy and the art of improvisation, with clownery and slapstick, but only a few props and reduced costumes, the lively actors and pantomimes imaginatively staged anecdotes from Paul Maar's award-winning children's books. A black wall with a bright red curtain, attachable noses and only a few pieces of props and costumes – that's all the actors needed for accessories: The backdrop changes from the normal room wall with door to bed at a dizzy height and back again, becomes an obstacle for all the hunting scenes at crazy speeds or slow motion, which, to the delight of the children, usually end in breakneck falls or crazy braking actions thanks to artistic body control. The focus of the children's theater is of course the cheeky and irreverent mythical animal with its red brush hair, the trunk nose and the blue wish points on the face, which wittily and boldly teases the people and inspires the audience with its samsy jokes. The piece is a foray through the various Sams books and humorously strings together the anecdotes. The narrative characters form the bridges and slip into the various roles in quick succession, transforming into the shy Mr. Taschenbier or his landlady Ms. Rotkohl, who, as a real cleaning devil, stirs up a lot of dust and harasses her stressed tenant with every trick in the book. The children were delighted when Mr. Taschenbier, in his delightfully feigned helplessness, even fled onto a chair so that the house dragon could wipe up with a resolutely swung cleaning rag. Clearly: This was not the only fight between "bottled beer" and "brose sprouts" - and of course Sams always intervened in a lovable and cheeky way. The little spectators had a great time, squealing with delight and applauding enthusiastically. General newspaper, Heidi Sturm

AICHACH. Children will love the cheeky star from the children's book. Who is funny, loud and rhymes really well? Who laughs a lot and is always having fun? Who has bruises all over their face? That's right, it can only be the Sams. With a foray through the dream world of the book star Sams (author: Paul Maar), the theater duo "pohyb's und kon sorten" entertained around 100 children in the parish center at the Sams revue organized by the Aichach public library and Mayer Buch. It's not so much the words, but above all the facial expressions of the two actors that make the children laugh again and again. With just a few props, Maike Jansen and Stefan Ferencz know how to transform themselves over and over again. The theater duo has specialized in children's books for six years. His productions are a mixture of pantomime, slapstick, clowning and mask theater with elements of modern tabloid comedy. The players rely on minimal equipment. You can see what role they are in by looking at the small nose masks, otherwise there are hardly any props. They use noises and facial expressions to characterize situations. Everything seems spontaneous and random, but there is a sophisticated concept behind everything. The duo knitted their own story out of various Sams books. The stressed Mr. Taschenbier is harassed by the landlady until Sams shows up and teases both the landlady and Mr Taschenbier with his funny ideas. In short: The Sams have a lot of fun on stage. The many small spectators in front of the stage too. Aichach newspaper, (drx)

KENZING. Sams-Revue in the auditorium of the Kenzinger Gymnasium: A colorful journey through various adventures of the book series. Born in 1937, writer and illustrator Paul Maar's books are loved by younger school children. "Sams is here," said Tuesday in the auditorium of the Kenzinger Gymnasium. The traveling theater "Pohyb's consorts" played. More than 100 children and adults came to the "Sams-Revue" organized by Jugendpflege and Buchhandlung Bücherwurm. The play is a journey through various adventures of the book series, performed by the acting duo Maike Jansen and Stefan Ferencz. The term "Pohyb" is Slovak and means movement. This is the only way to cast four roles for two, with sometimes one actor and sometimes the other playing "Sams", a cheeky mythical creature. Other ingredients include a bit of makeup, nose masks, and thrifty props. The mixture of wordplay, slapstick and clownish body play is well received by the audience. The noises are also very important: squeaking doors, birdsong or thunder – everything is generated live on stage and attracts attention in a fascinating way. The play begins with an element of surprise. Not a brightly colored Sams - no, two stern-looking hall guards greet their audience. In silence, they begin an equally strict choreography. The pantomimic gestures and symmetrical sequence of steps are amazing: the hall is dead quiet. The sound of two bells becomes an event. Only a gossip concert conducted from the stage releases the tension. Smiles spread across the faces of the spectators. The children will have to wait another 30 minutes for Sams. But no sign of boredom. First you have to help the actor Mike: "Can you play a sun with a sad face?" Then a woman cleaning red cabbage shoos the shy Mr. Taschenbier across the stage. Without ever degenerating into slapstick, slapstick numbers and foreseeable "misfortunes" offer amusement for young and old. Again and again, resounding laughter acknowledges the jokes. "Delicious rhymes" are composed in the Sams way - until the eager anticipation that Sams actually appears: With blue spots on the face, red brush hair and a trunk nose, this creature is really funny to look at. Anarchic and imaginative, the shy Mr. Taschenbier gives exactly what he lacks: a little more courage to face life, talk to people and just do what's fun. There is something special about the blue wish points: even Mr. Taschenbier enthusiastically discovers wishing – which can be quite complicated. When you want money, you first see a chocolate thaler and, according to a more precise definition ("real money"), huge old bills. Even the desire for a car proves to be complicated. Ultimately, the desire to turn back turns into a success: if Ms. Grünkohl – “uh, red cabbage” – wants to scold again or raise the rent, she always has to say the opposite. Angrily screamed flattery words reap happy children's laughter. "Everything was cool" and "everything was funny" think 9-year-old Alisa and Anne when the show ends after almost an hour and a half. badish newspaper

SANDHAUSEN. "Sams-Revue" made a guest appearance in the community library (Werner Popanda). What happens when two lively, extremely talented and well-trained actors and mimes perform in front of well over a hundred boys and girls who are no less wide awake? Then exactly what Maike Jansen and Stefan Ferencz did with the afternoon performance of their "Sams-Revue" in the community library happened. Namely, triggering so much cheering, hustle and bustle and merriment that the young audience was almost over the moon. Of course, the namesake of the revue made a significant contribution to this, i.e. the enormously popular main character of the children's book series penned by the author, illustrator and translator Paul Maar, who has received umpteen awards for his literary work. And anyone who still doesn't know is now finding out that Sams not only has blue dots on his face, but also red brush hair, a bulging knapsack, frog feet and a trunk nose. However, Maike Jansen and Stefan Ferencz are not initially seen in this role, because he initially acts as a stern-looking "admission guard" to the hall, while she carefully examines the crowd of guests in the hall. But when everyone has found their place, the revue really takes off, with those on the stage wishing that those in front of the stage would "appreciate" their rhymes right from the start. There is no question that this will come true after five minutes at the latest, because the duo, which goes by the stage name "pohyb's & consorts", manages to cast a spell over the children almost effortlessly. But not only that is the case, because the little Samsfreunde are also regularly and really skilfully included in the events on stage and thus become part of the performance. For example, when Mrs. Rotkohl lets off steam as a cleaning lady. Mr. Taschenbier's landlady, who plays the role of Sam's dad in the books, is so colorful that her tenant has to seek refuge on a chair. When Herr Taschenbier cautiously reappears at the edge of the scene after this scene and asks "is she gone?" a loud "Yes!" in unison from the rows of chairs. But the cheerfulness knew no bounds when the Sams went into action. (RNZ)

Exciting, grotesque and well thought out down to the smallest detail ... Ramstein: The popular children's book character hero of a slapstick revue The six children's books of Paul Maar's "Samsadventures", published between 1973 and 2009, have inspired generations to reprocess Sam's experiences in performances, musicals and films. An interesting version of this fantasy world was presented in the Ramsteiner Haus des Bürger on Wednesday on the initiative of the city library and the bookstore Doris Koch. Maike Jansen and Stefan Ferencz from the successful duo and touring theater "pohyb's & kon sorten" specialize in such children's books: They edit and create their own text books for productions in the genre of pantomime, slapstick, clowning, mask theater with elements of modern tabloid comedy. Maike Jansen studied at the circus and theater school in Ticino, Switzerland, with a focus on body language and acting, Stefan Ferencz learned pantomime at the Folkwang University in Essen. In Ramstein, both of them succeeded in implementing the dream world of Sam, which they conceived and meticulously prepared down to the smallest detail. The story about the stressed Mr. Taschenbier sometimes takes on exciting, sometimes grotesque traits. He is harassed by his landlady, who, in the midst of his rest, begins to sweep the room. But then Sams comes and sings very loudly. The fantasy creature Sams -... - inspires Mr. Taschenbier in such selected and played episodes to make more of his life. This is how Herr Taschenbier met a woman, whom he conquered with the help of Sam. In short: The Ramsteiner production processes the first three Sams books with a wealth of episodes into its own story. In the manner of the "Commedia dell'Arte", the scenic sequence is apparently created in interaction with the audience. But appearances are deceptive. Behind the spontaneity is a sophisticated concept that uses all the effects and possibilities of director's theater to characterize different roles. Pantomime, circus exaggerations, slapstick interludes and a mixture of artistic body control and humorous helplessness didn't fail to have an effect this time either. The Rhine Palatinate

Revue in the library: Breakfast with Sams Verl (mfo) Early on Wednesday morning, the children from the Bühlbach School storm into the Verl library. It gets bustling until everyone has found their place. But suddenly it gets quiet. Without any words, the young visitors are entertained by the actors and pantomimes, Maike Jansen and Stefan Ferencz from the mobile theater. pohyb`s and consorts, happily welcomed to the "Sams-Revue", to which the city had previously invited as part of the literature days under the title "Without point and comma". An extraordinary and happy hour begins, in which the duo Paul Maars gives a face to stories in a multifaceted way and only with small nose masks, a lot of humor, fast wordplay and few props on stage. An hour in which clowning, puns, slapstick and physical play combine wonderfully in a great way, the girls and boys hang spellbound on the lips of the artists and follow every gesture. "pohyb" is Slovak and means "movement", explains Stefan Ferencz. And there is plenty to see on the "stage" of movement within the cheerful, rapidly changing scenes. Especially at the moment when Mr. Taschenbier introduces the children and Mrs. Rotkohl to “Sams” for the first time, which loves to be rebellious and has a mind of its own. It's red-haired, cheeky and stubborn, with lots of blue dots on its face and always up for a joke. The best for the children are the scenes in which the irreverent, funny Sams does his practical jokes, or when Mr. Taschenbier wishes that Mrs. Rotkohl, instead of constantly scolding him, would only say nice things to him, she "didn't want to tell him that at all", so that little Sams could even stay. According to the children, the talented ensemble could have “stayed much longer on stage”, and the children and the teachers thanked them with applause for the performance. Mr. Taschenbier had a very simple explanation as to why the two had to say goodbye. "No points, no wishes". And that's exactly what Herr Taschenbier had already taken advantage of. An accompanying educator was amazed that the children followed the actors with enormous attention at the beginning, even though they hadn't spoken to them. Westfalenblatt

The actors Maike Jansen and Stefan Ferencz from the mobile theater "Pohyb's and Co." ignited a colorful Sams revue in the festival hall. Bruehl. Snotty, cheeky and just nonsense under his red hair - can that be a hero? Without a doubt! The little something in the diving suit, with the piggy nose and the blue dots on its face is more than just a character penned by children's book author Paul Maar. The Sams is a childhood memory, a role model and a cult all rolled into one. Even today, four decades after its creation. It happily gropes around on the stage, knocks out one saying after the next and is happy about every laugh it gets from young and old. Because the mobile theater "Pohyb's and Co." breathes life into the book hero. A world like in a picture book The two actors Maike Jansen and Stefan Ferencz have developed a colorful Sams revue in which they embark on a foray through six of the children's books. On Wednesday, Saturday was the order of the day in the Brühler Festhalle. The lively redhead didn't let the invitation of the community library and "Bücherinsel" pass him by. "Set the stage for samsy fun", was the motto that afternoon, when many children couldn't take their eyes off the funny spectacle. "I've seen the movie about it," confessed Sams connoisseur Giulia. However, the nine-year-old was even more enthusiastic about the show on stage. The two actors conjured up a world like in a picture book with only a few props, but all the more talent. With pantomime effects, a spark of artistry and a touch of slapstick, the stage couple took the crowd of children into the bland world of Mr. Taschenbier, in which the same monotony prevails from Monday to Sunday. Until one Saturday in May, a fabulous whirlwind turns his life upside down. With great attention to detail, Maike Jansen and Stefan Ferencz climbed from one well-known book scene to the next. In their revue, they absolutely succeed in the demanding balancing act of creating a story from many small episodes. They slip deep into their roles and give the impression of merging with their protagonists - in a changeable way. Master in acting From just playing the role of landlady Mrs. Rotkohl, Jansen transformed as if by magic into the fun-loving Sams character, only to mutate in no time at all into Mr. Taschenbier's boss, Mr. Oberstein. The duo used small props such as horn-rimmed glasses, hats and cardboard noses as little helpers. However, his own expressiveness prevailed. After all, the theater "Pohyb's and Co." is a master when it comes to disguising voices and using facial expressions. All senses in action, they crawled from the first encounter between the "monkey" Sams and his "dad" Mr. Taschenbier, stimulated with groovy dialogues to giggle and smile. Known for his pranks, the Sams in the Festhalle didn't skimp on his pranks - and Herr Taschenbier didn't skimp on his wishes. “I would like a latte”, “I would like a car” – where wish points had just littered Sam’s face, they disappeared more and more. To the dismay of the little visitors. In the end, the staging was so appealing and captivating that they wished for one thing: no end. But the Sams had no wish point left in the face. Badische Zeitung, Vanessa Schäfer

Hello pohyb's & friends - I was with my grandson (7 years) in the performance. He knew Sams, of course, but I had no idea. My grandson was totally enthusiastic after the performance and I was enthusiastic too, appropriate for my age. I think if I were deaf I could have followed the course of the story very well thanks to the good pantomime gestures. A nice successful afternoon for the young and the old. Yours sincerely, U. Frohme