In a city of winding alleys and huge palaces, Momo lives in an old, half dilapidated amphitheatre. She knows neither her age nor who her family is. But Momo isn’t lonely because she makes friends with the people in her neighbourhood. There are Beppo the street-cleaner, Gigi the story-teller and many other friends who make sure that Momo has food. Momo really is a very special child, because she has a talent: She knows how to listen. And truly listening is an ability that not many people have. And so, Momo has become an important part of the city’s community.
Everything seems to be fine until one day, the grey gentlemen appear. At first, they act so unremarkably that people don’t even notice them. And yet, their presence begins to settle over the city like a shadow, just like the smoke from the grey cigarettes that they are constantly smoking. They reveal themselves to be agents from the Timesavings Bank and start dealing with one adult after the other. They tell them to save time by spending their days with nothing but supposedly useful activities. But instead, the adults lose all enjoyment in life, hurrying through their days and no longer spending time with each other. It turns out that the grey gentlemen are con artists, stealing people’s time. Momo realises that the city’s residents are becoming more and more unhappy and she sees through the wicked plan. When she begins to warn the people around her about the grey gentlemen, she draws their attention. Together with wise Master Hora, the administrator of time, and turtle Kassiopeia, Momo sets out to save Beppo, Gigi and the others and to bring back their time.
Michael Ende’s novel about a child who knows how to avoid being usurped by the world of the adults is a timeless story about what really counts: altruism, empathy and living in the moment. Florian Fiedler, who already directed Mio, mein Mio and Heidi in Hanover, will bring the magical world of Momo to the stage.