The lights in the Prince's Hall of the Fulda City Palace were dimmed when Jens Wawrczeck presented the story “The Window to the Court”. This year’s event series “Tatort Fulda” started with the staged reading.

Fulda – Jens Wawrczeck and his saxophonist Vincent Dambrowski were on stage dressed completely in black. Some guests would probably have recognized Wawrczeck even if they had closed their eyes. Because his froggy, throaty voice accompanies generations. Since 1979, the 62-year-old has spoken as detective Peter Shaw in the radio plays “The Three ???”. The applause was correspondingly strong when he took the stage in the Fürstensaal in the Fulda City Palace on Sunday.

Jens Wawrczeck opens the crime festival “Tatort Fulda”

Wawrczeck performed Cornell Woolrich's short story “The Courtyard Window” as part of his reading series “Hitch and I” – a reminder of the literature behind the Hitchcock films. The American writer's short story is widely known because Hitchcock made it into a film: Jeff, confined to a wheelchair, sits at the window almost day and night, watching his neighbors – and is convinced that he has witnessed a murder. Because suddenly a neighbor's wife disappeared. After Jeff's friend, a police officer, doesn't believe him, Jeff starts his own “investigation” that almost ends fatally. Saxophonist Dambrowski accompanied the reading, playing sounds that evoked images of a slinking cat or a steamer in the fog.

Wawrczeck confessed to being a Hitchcock fan: “He projected longings, dreams, nightmares and fears onto the screen.” He was reminiscent of the movie “Psycho,” in which Janet Leigh is stabbed to death in the shower. “I think this has changed the bathroom consciousness of entire generations,” he said and smiled; the audience laughed.

The actor, singer and professional speaker “acted” the scenes in front of around 250 guests at the event. For example, when Jeff talks to his maid Sam. Wawrczeck spoke to Sam in a dark, rough voice – and brighter again when he answered as Jeff. During dialogues, Wawrczeck turned his head as if someone were standing next to him and gestured with his hands. The audience looked at the stage with a corresponding spell, not a peep could be heard.

Still tickets for further readings in the crime series “Tatort Fulda”

At the end the audience was thrilled, judging by the resounding applause. As an encore, Wawrczeck sang a song that runs like a common thread through the film “The Window to the Court”. “When he said he was going to sing, I was surprised and thought, 'Now he's getting brave,'” said an audience member who was there with two of her children and her husband – all die-hard “The Three ???” fans. “But he can sing, he just has a trained voice.” 20-year-old Benjamin Ramisch from Fulda saw it differently: “I thought it was random that he suddenly sang.” He wouldn't have needed it.

Shaggy Schwarz, co-organizer of “Tatort Fulda”however, was unfailingly enthusiastic. “I'm a big fan. Having him at the opening event is an absolute blast.” He's looking forward to it the upcoming events of “Tatort Fulda”, in which our newspaper is a media partner. Schwarz revealed that there were still cards available. “Even if an evening is sold out, we could create additional space in some locations.”