Culture
Pippi Longstocking in Taka Tuka Land
Do you remember yourself as a child singing Pippi Longstocking’s famous rhythm many times a day or your parents reading you the stories of Pippi? Has your child begged you for a costume of Pippi for Halloween or asked you to bring him or her to Taka Tuka Land to look for pirate treasure?
Decades have passed and something has not changed, the success of Pippi Longstocking is still alive!
Kiki Maeder playing Pippi in Taka Tuka Land – copyright www.maerchenbuehne.ch
When Swedish author, Astrid Lingren created Pippi in the 1940’s she probably did not think that seventy years later her stories would still bring happiness to millions of households with children around the world. Lingren had time to enjoy her success as she died when she was 94 years old. It is for her daughter Katrin that she invented the character of Pippi when one day Katrin was sick. She wanted to make her laugh and she succeeded!
Pippi Longstocking is a little girl with red hair, pigtails, freckles, over-sized black shoes and funny looking longstockings. She lives alone in a big villa called Villa Villekulla. Her mother passed away and her dad, captain Ephraim Longstocking, has been lost at sea. But Pippi is not completely lonely as she has good friends, her horse, Little Gubben, her monkey Nilsson and Tommy and Annika, the neighbours’ children.
And Pippi is strong, she has supernatural powers and is known to be the strongest little girl in the world!
Many stories, films, musicals and plays have been made along the last decades just like the play of Erich Vock “Pippi Langstrumpf in Taka Tuka Land” playing at the theatre at Hechtplatz in Zurich. Presented by the Zürchermärchen Bühne (Zurich fairy tales company) it will be playing there until March 17th.
“Ich bin wieder da” (I am back), says Pippi smiling played by the well-known actress Kiki Maeder.
31 years old Maeder from Zurich is an actress and TV moderator seen in “Sturm der Liebe”, “Benissimo” and “Happy Days”. She fits beautifully in her role of Pippi, as she said in an interview with the Tagesanzeiger “Playing Pippi is a luxury!”.
Kiki Maeder and Thomas Meienberg playing Pippi in Taka Tuka Land – copyright www.maerchenbuehne.ch
After the famous music of Pippi and her funny entrance on the stage with her horse neighing, it does not take long for the children and adults to start laughing. Laughter will continue until the end of the play especially when Pippi acts up throwing plates outside the house, jumps on the table or runs on the roof.
The acting is outstanding, the decors are bright, the costumes are colourful, lighting is perfect and the time of the play is just the right length for children.
One day Pippi receives an important letter from her dad, who has become the king of Taka Tuka Land. By the time she finishes the letter, he is there standing next to her, asking her to come with him.
Will Pippi Langstrumpf go to Taka Tuka Land? Do you want to become a pirate like Annika?
Then don’t miss the play. It is very popular. Hurry as it may be difficult to find a last minute seat!
Pippi Longstocking – copyright Zuercher Marchenbuehne
Where is it?: Hechtplatz 7
Website for tickets
Director: Erich Vock
Actors: Sarah Anelone, Nicole Edelmann/Karin Moser, Bettina Kuhn, Kiki Maeder, Gabriela Steinmann, Nico Savary Bahl, Vincenzo Biagi, Thomas Meienberg, Albert Tanner and Peter Zgraggen
Language of the play: Swiss German
Length: 140 minutes with a break
