Charles Manson: Summer of Hate – The Musical opens in Germany

Odd story of the week – a new musical about the famous serial killer Charles Manson recently opened in Germany and although it sounds quite a strange idea, you only have to think back to the recent stage successes of “Sweeney Todd” and “Assassins,” to see there is a market out there.

The  LA Times  reports that the play centers around the cult leader, who is currently serving a life sentence in a California prison. But the subject is still a touchy subject, at least in the U.S. So perhaps it’s best the play has opened in Germany. The play covers Manson’s failed music career and his relationship with his followers who became known as the “Manson family.”

“Charles Manson: Summer of Hate – The Musical” opened on Friday at the Thalia Theatre in Hamburg. Billed as a “musical trip between L.A. and the Death Valley,” the production features songs in English and spoken dialogue in German.

Manson was influenced by a number of pop music bands, including the Beatles, whose song “Helter Skelter” provided him with his apocalyptic vision of the universe. In 1969, members of the Manson family killed actress Sharon Tate and four others, followed shortly thereafter by the murders of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca.