Lach- und Schießgesellschaft – the name is an integral part of Munich. And a huge chapter of cabaret in Germany. A small Schwabing stage marked the the country's poltical opinion since 1956. Sports reporter Sammy Drechsel and Dieter Hildebrandt founded the group and remained leaders of this changing ensemble until 1972. Today there's still great cabaret – be it the in-house ensemble with Ecco Meineke or current masters like Helmut Ruge.

Lustspielhaus on notorious Occamstraße, one street from Lach- und Schieß, is much more than its name. Core is the upscale cabaret, yet friends of the place swing by regularly. Good for those who have friends like Konstantin Wecker, Willy Astor and Spider Murphy Gang. But also the live-heroes Bananafishbones love to perform at Lustspielhaus. If you come here you should plan on having a nice dinner during the break. And the interior itself with the red art nouveau hall and its large stage is worth a visit. 

Heppel & Ettlich, another Schwabing institution, is found on the other side of Leopoldstraße, not far from frederics Boarding house at Hohenzollernplatz. Since 1976 the two Berliners have been combining bar and cabaret quite harmonically. Football live transmissions and documentary presentations, Wolfgang Ettlich is a passionate documentary filmer, as well as "Currywurst mit Schrippe" can be found on Kaiserstraße. And Christian Ude himself, the city's mayor who is livng next door, has  gathered first experience as a hobby cabaret artist.

If you move further south to Maxvorstadt, you will find Jörg Maurer’s Unterton in an unimposing backyard. The person with this name practises professional music-cabaret in his own location. Having studied Germanistic literature and dramatics he remains witty and kindly intellectual. Sitting at his grand piano he undertakes trips into the worlds of legends like Mozart or Karl Valentin.

Crossing the Isar river you should swing by good old Drehleier on Rosenheimer Straße. For over 30 years cabaret has had its home in Haidhausen. But also comedy has found a home here: the Tatwort Improvisationstheater (Sundays) fastfood (Mondays) theater.

Back on the west side of the Isar river it's not far to Wirthaus im Schlachthof. Every last Friday of the month Ottfried Fischer, „der Bulle von Tölz“, performs here with his guests. The title „Ottis Schlachthof“ (Otti's slaughtery) can be taken literally, since it can get a little rough at times in the cute brick building which has often served for shootings (e.g. Franz Xaver Bogner's „Zur Freiheit“).

by Christopher Willis