This winter, The Flying Gentleman can be seen in two places at once. I perform the act from late October at the Hansa Theater in Hamburg. In Basel, Yura Kharchenko presents The Flying Gentleman and the LED Cyr Wheel in the Rhypark Dinner Show from 19 November, in his own interpretation. On stage, an act lasts a few minutes. The preparation starts months earlier.
Technology: long before anyone rehearses
In The Flying Gentleman, a hat stand flies through the air, and I fly with it. That requires a rigging point with the right height and load capacity. At the Hansa I work with a programmable motor rated for 250 kg. The technical director got in touch in September, and since then we have been coordinating the rigging, flight paths and safety. In Basel, the production solves the same task with a circus winch. Every stage is built differently, and in the end the act has to be equally safe everywhere.
Music: a band is not a file
At the Hansa, a live band accompanies the programme. The musical director receives my music in advance so the band can play the act. That changes the timing: a band breathes with you, a recording does not. In Basel, the show music runs as a studio track, which the production already received in May.
Props in two places
When an act runs in two places at the same time, it needs two complete sets: hat stand, Cyr Wheel, LED wheel. My props are therefore stationed in several locations. This already worked in early 2026, when Yura performed The Flying Gentleman in Adelaide while I was on stage at the Sydney Opera House.
Rehearsals in Hamburg
I travel to Hamburg on 25 October. Four rehearsal days follow, previews from 30 October and the premiere on 2 November. Rehearsals are about lighting, entrances and exits, transitions within the programme and working with the band. Until the final performance on 14 March 2027 there are 148 shows, with two a day at weekends.
A season of 148 performances is a long stretch physically as well. Training and recovery therefore have a fixed place in the daily schedule, so the act is just as precise in March as it was at the premiere.
Yura in Basel
Yura (Iurii) Kharchenko is a circus artist based in Berlin. His credits include the Wintergarten Varieté Berlin, the Tollwood Festival in Munich, the Adelaide Fringe and the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain in Paris. He performs The Flying Gentleman with his own stage presence, not as a copy. For Basel, the LED Cyr Wheel is added: the light programme runs in sync with the music, and every rotation has to match it.
Since spring, Yura has been training with the LED wheel in Berlin and fine-tuning his sequences to the light programme. An LED wheel feels different from a classic Cyr Wheel, so it takes dedicated training time. The Rhypark Dinner Show runs from 19 November 2026 to 10 January 2027.
What this means for event organisers
Because the acts can be performed by two artists, they remain bookable for double bookings and during long runs. For a gala or corporate event the preparation is shorter than for a season, but the questions are the same: How high is the room, is there a rigging point, how big is the stage, is the music played by a band or from a track, and when is there time for a rehearsal on site? Clarifying this early means no surprises on the night. Which act suits which event is explained in Which Show Act Suits My Event?
If you are planning an event this winter, you can see The Flying Gentleman live beforehand: in Hamburg from 30 October, in Basel from 19 November. Send me a short message in advance and we can arrange a conversation after the show.
Booking enquiries: info@oscar-kaufmann.de
October 2026
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