Germany's Top Five

Enjoy the graphic works of Henri Toulouse-Lautrec in Bavaria. The French artist of aristocratic descent was fascinated by the possibilities of the then state-of-the-art technology which enabled him to create 351 largely color prints within the space of 10 years. Much of his work portrays his bohemian lifestyle spent in the cafés, cabarets and brothels of the Parisian district of Montmartre. This presentation of the complete collection of graphic works is rounded off with paintings, pastel works and sketches by the artist. The exhibition, which is open daily at Munich's Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung, runs through to May 1.

Be carried away by Johann Strauss and his wonderful operetta "Die Fledermaus." This gem of the Vienna operetta scene, with songs such as "Glücklich ist, wer vergisst, was doch nicht zu ändern ist" (Happy is he who can forget what can#t be altered anyway), plays at the Cologne opera house until April 8. Strauss wrote his lively piece, which quickly won a place in the international repertoire, in just four months. On the closing night of the operetta, the opera house is offering the audience the chance to take part in a complementary waltz dance class with the Breuer Dance School. Information under + 49 221 - 221 28400.

Tune in to the MaerzMusik international festival for contemporary music at various venues across Berlin. Until March 13, under the umbrella of the Berliner Festspiele, the festival serves as a platform for the diverse trends in the contemporary music scene. In the comparatively short time since its foundation, the festival has been able to paint a complex and vivid picture of present-day musical creation. The Festspiele, which include theater, music, literature, exhibitions and youth competitions, are meant to encourage dialogue among innovative artists and different cultures across the world.

Settle down for a thespian experience at Hamburg's English Theater. Established in 1976, this week the English-language venue is staging a new play entitled "Men's Singles." With sneak previews on March 7-9, the curtain will rise for the premiere of D.B. Gilles' comedy on March 10. The play takes an amusing look at the modern American male through the eyes of three men with different love and relationship problems who get together once a week to thrash out their anxieties over a tennis match. The daily Variety described the show as "a stirring explosion of humor with laughs a mile-a-minute."

Soar off into the imaginative world of young thought in a children's story-telling competition. From March 7-9, Hesse State Theater in the city of Wiesbaden opens its doors to children who like to talk and have been waiting for the opportunity to hold forth on a subject of their choice. Without books or help of any kind. Whether they talk alone, in pairs or in groups is up to them; The only condition is that participants talk without prompters.