Dominik Muheim hosts the variety show “Winterzauber” in the Elefantehuus

When he’s nervous, you can’t tell. Before his performance in the Liestaler Elefantehuus, Dominik Muheim – stylishly dressed in a retro shirt – looks like peace itself. No wonder: after all, the cabaret artist, who has been awarded the Salzburg Bull, is not only tried and tested on the stage. It is also the fourth time that the Reigoldswil native has been responsible for the “Variété Winterzauber” as presenter and director. The ninety-minute show with dinner brings a colorful mix of cultural artists to the canton’s capital.

Thanks to the Elefantehuus, Muheim’s home game will take place on a large stage for the first time. The last few years the show took place in the Guggenheim Liestal with 70 seats, now there is space for 300 guests – and more comfort for the acts: “Here everyone has their own chair in the backstage. That’s a lot,” says Muheim dryly.

The larger stage brings with it a larger budget and therefore a larger show: Not only were more experienced acts able to be booked, but thanks to the large hall, also those who can “play to the heights”. For example the veteran Daniel Hochsteiner. The high-speed juggler in a sequin outfit had up to five tennis rackets circling through the hall at the same time to salsa music. Roger Federer is said to have once booked him for his birthday party.

Reminds you of the diversity of the region

At the same time, “Winterzauber” also sees itself as a stage for young talent. For example for the 19-year-old dancer Mohena Müller. The Swiss jazz and show dance champion opened the premiere evening on Tuesday with a short dance sequence. Müller is currently training as a dancer at the Liestal Sports High School and at the Basel dance school Braswell Arts Center.

The contemporary Basel artist Marius Cavin has been on stage for a long time. The 27-year-old completed circus training in the Netherlands and specializes in making up to three diabolos whirl through the air. In general, it was worth visiting the premiere just to remind yourself of how diverse the regional cultural and artistic scene is.

This applies, for example, to the Baselbieter poetry slammer Gina Walter, who not only led the evening together with Muheim, but also caused at least as many laughs with her anecdotes as the cabaret artist. For example, with the story about her date with an Irish golf course attendant “with as much false pride as someone who brags about having already attended three Gölä concerts”.

The baptism of fire in the classroom

How does Muheim manage to bring such different acts together? If the evening is successful, it is less due to him and more to the artists, he says. “If they put so much heart into it, a lot is possible – even if we only had two days to put together the program and rehearse it.”

It’s hard to believe that there was so little time for the team to get together, as the acts kept reacting to each other on the opening night: In one of the quieter moments, Mohena Müller improvised to a song by the stage band Phoam, also from the Basel area comes from. Elsewhere, a pigeon from one of Muheim’s stories appeared with the comedy duo “Les Toons”, which combines pantomime and beatboxing into a kind of live cartoon.

Perhaps the Basel showmaster will also benefit from his experience as a primary school teacher in Zwingen. After all, Muheim was both a director and an entertainer in the classroom: “Children are the toughest audience of all. They’ll tell you straight away if they don’t like something.” As a teacher, he learned a lot about how to maintain tension.

Unlike at school, the audience came voluntarily on Tuesday – which is probably why the cultural workers didn’t seem to have any trouble getting them involved. So it is already clear to Muheim that the show will take place again next year. “We would like to make the variety show a little bigger and play longer,” he says.

However, if you want to experience the show, you don’t have to wait that long: The “Winter Magic” will be shown in the Elefantehuus until Saturday.