Linie 1 is the second-most successful German musical after Bertolt Brecht’s Threepenny Opera. The title refers to Berlin's subway line U1. The musical was first performed by the ensemble of the GRIPS-Theater on 30 April 1986. In October 2017, the troupe put on its 1,800th performance. The music was written by Birger Heymann, the text written by Volker Ludwig, the set designed by Mathias Fischer-Dieskau, and the musical directed by Wolfgang Kolneder. In 1988, a film version was made, and in 2008, GRIPS released a live recording on DVD.