Review: ABBA MAKES HAPPY at Park Theatre Bad Oeynhausen

Carolin Fortenbacher cannot be stereotyped. Once you think that you fully understand her and you can pigeonhole her, she'll surprise you the next time. This is why she has been doing different shows since 1985 such as "West Side Story", "Man of La Mancha", "Pirates of Penzance", "Next to Normal" or "Mamma Mia", just to name a view. Furthermore, she has been creating and is still working on different concert formats and theatre projects ever since. These are as colorful and widen as her vocal range (five octaves!). One evening, she can be a critique in an Italian restaurant, singing and dancing to catchy Italian songs, switching the next day to her intimate concert program "Fortenbacher sings Streisand", for which she has arranged classical Barbra Streisand songs in a Jazz style. But not enough, the next evening she can be an arrogant film diva in the musical comedy "Oh Alpenglüh'n" (Alpenglow) who is getting lost in the mountains and has to stay in a wooden cabin overnight with a native guy (hilariously played by #Nik Breidenbach) - always with a sense for seriousness where it is demanded, but also with her unique sense of humour. Have I mentioned her passion for spherical rock chansons? The list could be continued on and on.

I am happy that I have been to many of these perfomances, and I really appreaciate her voice and passion for what she is doing. Sometimes, I confess, I don't know why she is doing, what she is doing, but after each show I know that I would like to see more.

Carolin is maybe mostly known for her appearance in "Mamma Mia", where she was the first German Donna. Between 2002 and 2007, she performed 1.200 shows. The ABBA songs and her character became a part of her. Consequently, with "Fortenbacher's Intimate Night", she created a concert format which is dedicated to these songs.

Today, she is reprising this show "ABBA MACHT GLÜCKLICH" (ABBA MAKES YOU HAPPY) in a theatre in Bad Oeynhausen (not far away from Hannover) without audience, due to the pandemic. The live event could be accessed and streamed at the scheduled time.

Carolin knows how to create an "intimate" atmosphere only accompanied by Mirko Michalzik (guitar) and Achim Rafain (bass). They were performing the following songs:

• Knowing me, Knowing you
• Honey Honey
• Chiquitita
• SOS
• Super Trouper
• Dancing Queen
• Unser Sommer (Our last summer)
• I have a Dream
• Eagle
• Sitting in the Palmtree
• Gimme Gimme Gimme
• En av oss (One of us)
• The Winner takes it all
• Mamma Mia
• Durch meine Finger rinnt die Zeit (Slipping through my fingers)
• Waterloo
• When all is said and done

The CD of this concert format can be bought through:

https://www.amazon.de/Carolin-Fortenbacher-singt-ABBA-stellt/dp/B0771TB6HH/ref=sr_1_2?__mk_de_DE=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&dchild=1&keywords=fortenbacher&qid=1613298482&sr=8-2

Please allow me a quote from Mamma Mia: "She is still Donna", or I can confirm "She is still Carolin". I look forward to seeing her back on stage again after the crisis, and I can recommend anybody to do so. Hopefully, she will consider that the time would be perfect to return to the Greek Island, if only for a limited run. Mamma Mia is currently scheduled in Hamburg for May 2022.

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