“For all its comedy and wit, it goes far beyond parody. [...] A touching declaration of love on the evening of the premiere, as the country looks back on the Gen Z protests. The only pity is that it's over so soon.”

Uwe Sauerwein, Berliner Morgenpost

“You want to be part of this evening, [...] part of something bigger, something the performers create on stage. Emotion and nostalgia linger in the air. The standing ovation at the end is a testament to that.”

Sophia Zessnik, taz

Germany is “WETTEN-DASS-LAND”. As Rosa (17) points out, Germans just can’t seem to let go of the famous TV show. There must be something more to it, something bigger. All the more reason to take a closer look at Europe’s biggest TV show on the smallest stage of the Deutsches Theater!

But here’s the twist: the young people on stage have never actually seen “Wetten, dass..?” on television. And most members of the directing collective BOYS* IN SYNC are from Scandinavia and had never heard of the show before rehearsals began. “We have this Norwegian word, ‘koselig’ – when we get together in small groups, we feel connected,” explains Gregers. “With you Germans, it somehow seems to be the other way around: you need huge halls to feel connected...”

Under the direction of BOYS* IN SYNC, seven young people explore a ritual that, for decades, staged a sense of German togetherness. Reenacting the final “Wetten, dass..?” broadcast on 25 November 2023, they ask: What is it about “Wetten, dass..?” that Germans can’t let go of? And what does this longing for the good old days mean to a generation that never experienced the show firsthand?

“Sometimes I just don’t understand why people older than me don’t have to keep working on themselves.

Because I have to, all the time.
And that’s the way it should be, I think.”

Salma(17)