The band's frontman also sits at the drums. Thomas Henkel is the main verbal force in Sunshine Brass – but at the living room concert, the story on stage isn't solely his. The entire band from Suhl becomes part of the action, whether willingly or not. Dixieland and swing meet witty dialogue and a theatrical format in which the audience can also find their place.

The couch is part of the set. In Hoppe's courtyard theater, the stage is furnished like a living room; sometimes guests sit there during the performance, sometimes there's dancing on stage. The usual separation between the playing area and the audience becomes fluid. The musicians don't simply stand in front of their audience, but become actors in the story themselves. The music isn't just background accompaniment, but an integral part of the performance.

Sunshine Brass has been performing its living room concerts here since 2024. All previous evenings have been sold out. The theater brings its own history to the format: Rolf Hoppe founded it in 1995 in a former barn in the Dresden district of Weißig. Where plays are usually performed, the musicians and their guests now find a shared living room.

Another musical perspective is added at the piano. Before the concert and during the interval, Ulrike Hausmann plays boogie-woogie and blues, mainly her own compositions. The Dresden pianist adds solo piano to the ensemble sound of Sunshine Brass. So this is not just a matter of two line-ups side by side: alongside the band and its stage performance comes a musician whose contributions shape the opening and the interval.

This music also has a historical route to the living room. At Rent Parties in the 1920s, piano was played in private apartments in American cities; the admission fees helped the hosts pay their rent. So Hausmann’s music is certainly connected with the idea of home. At Hoppes Hoftheater, it is part of an evening in which the sofa is just as much part of the concept as Dixieland, swing and the drummer with a flair for wordplay.