The Politicization of the Private – “SCHOLL – The Bud of the White Rose” by Titus Hoffmann & Thomas Borchert offers plenty of room for reflection and discussion at the Magdeburg Theatre.​

​

This is not something you experience every day at a theatre premiere in the Magdeburg Opera House: no sooner had the final note of the musical “Scholl – The Bud of the White Rose” by Titus Hoffmann and Thomas Borchert faded on Saturday than the entire audience rose to its feet, cheering enthusiastically. (…) This lends particular immediacy to the musical’s commitment to humanity and democracy, and above all its stance against war. The presence of many school classes in the premiere audience was a clear sign of how strongly these issues will resonate with future generations. “Scholl” is a political musical.

Titus Hoffmann, who wrote the book and lyrics—drawing on poems and preserved writings by Hans Scholl—seeks in his production to illustrate the process by which young people’s private lives become politicized. (…) The music is by Thomas Borchert, who created the arrangements together with Robert Paul. The five musicians of the band delivered an outstanding performance, as coordinating with the singers during the numerous spoken scenes was certainly no easy task.

Thomas Borchert’s modern compositions placed high demands on the vocalists, with Alexander Auler as Hans Scholl, Celena Pieper as Sophie, and Bianca Basler as Inge Scholl repeatedly prompting spontaneous applause through their stage presence and vocal strength.

< Rolf-Dietmar Schmidt

April 13, 2026