About the work
Die Amme – Das Musical ("The Nurse – The Musical") is a spin-off of the hit musical "Romeo & Julia – Liebe ist alles" by Peter Plate and Ulf Leo Sommer (music with Joshua Lange). It originated at the Theater des Westens in Berlin; after previews in 2024 it has run regularly in the repertoire since 2025. At its centre — played by Steffi Irmen — is the Nurse from Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", who tells her own humorous view of the famous tragedy.
Plot
What did Shakespeare keep from us? The Nurse, Juliet's faithful confidante, takes the audience on a comic, musical journey of self-discovery and tells the story of Romeo and Juliet from her own irreverent perspective. Between wit, heart and big songs she reveals what happened behind the scenes of the tragedy — and at the same time poses the question of what remains of oneself when one has placed one's whole life in the service of others: what becomes of a nurse after Juliet?
Cultural significance
As a humorous spin-off, "Die Amme" expands Plate and Sommer's "Romeo & Julia" universe and is an example of the grown self-confidence of German-language musical theatre in developing its own material and formats. The solo format around audience favourite Steffi Irmen combines boulevard comedy with the pop signature of the successful writing duo.