The Flying Carpet: Hawaii

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894), the author of *Treasure Island* and the brilliant creator of *Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde*, who lived in Samoa from 1890 until his death from pulmonary tuberculosis, wrote the novella *The Bottle Imp* in the Samoan language in 1891. He was subsequently nicknamed ‘Tusitala’ (the storyteller) by the locals. He had been inspired by a stay in Hawaii in 1889, where he set his wondrous tale of a pact with the devil and great love. Despite global overtourism, the climate crisis and political chaos, the dream of a happy life on an island has lost none of its fascination since Stevenson’s time.

Vera Bommer, actress and popular presenter on SRF, who appeared last season in Mark Twain’s “Adam and Eve” at the “Flying Carpet”, will whisk us away to this mysterious island world.

The soundtrack: Hawaiian music, both traditional and modern, featuring singer and ukulele player Charlie Fischer, guitarist Pascal Biedermann, who conjured up the world of the Mississippi for “James” the season before last, and his long-standing musical partner Sandra Merk on bass. They met at the “Hula Club” in Basel – which has sadly since closed – a venue that served as a hub for Hawaiian music for decades. Pascal Biedermann plays a lap-steel Hawaiian guitar that he inherited from a late Hawaiian musician, almost like the genie from the bottle in Robert Louis Stevenson’s story…

This performance is part of the series ‘The Flying Carpet – Eight Literary and Musical Island Journeys’.
A season ticket is also available for this series. Eight performances for the season ticket price of CHF 240. Order at info@theater-rigiblick.ch