Schichtl

No Oktoberfest attraction was so much written about than the Schichtl. Admittedly, the number of attractions that have been around since 1869, is rather small. But you need more for that than just a few planks, a canvas a few funny ideas. You need a legend, a myth. And that’s exactly what Michael August Schichtl and his three successors, Johann and Franziska Eichelsdörfer and Manfred Schauer created with their vaudeville show.

A major ingredient of this myth is the main constant of the, apart from that, ever-changing show: the “beheading of a living person on the open, brightly-lit stage by guillotine”. Retrospectively completely incomprehensible, this part of the show was once actually dropped from the show. In 1955, it was replaced by the “Parisian Beauty Dancers” – a one-time slip. Another major reason for Schichtl’s popularity takes place outside, in front of the theater: the “parade”, which is geared towards tearing the crowds from the street into the 400 performances per Oktoberfest.

Unfortunately, if you don’t speak German, you’ll miss most of the jokes.

In 2023, Manfred Schauer and his executioner Ringo each celebrate their 15000th show.