Elisabeth September 2012-2014 Vienna

[Havanah]

www.wmo.at/elisabeth-tickets-139884-de.html

Elisabeth is returning to Vienna for a run.

Hopefully, I will manage to 'pop' over and see a show.

Don't think any casting etc has been announced yet but I look forward to it!

[Deleted]

Nice! Maybe I'll be really lucky and go see it. Just maybe.

[Havanah]

The cast was announced this morning.
Although there was a livestream it didn't work XD

www.musicalvienna.at/index.php/de/aktuelles/article/107043

"Dr. Michael Kunze, Buch

Sylvester Levay, Musik

Prof. Harry Kupfer, Regie

Koen Schoots, Musikalische Leitung

Dennis Callahan, Choreographie

Prof. Hans Schavernoch, Bühnenbild

Yan Tax, Kostümdesign

Hans Toelstede, Lichtdesign

Thomas Strebel, Sounddesign

Thomas Reimer, Videodesign

Doris Marlis, Associate Choreographer



Elisabeth Annemieke van Dam

Der Tod Mark Seibert

Luigi Lucheni Kurosch Abbasi

Erzherzogin Sophie Daniela Ziegler

Kaiser Franz Joseph Franziskus Hartenstein

Erzherzog Rudolf Anton Zetterholm

Herzogin Ludovika Carin Filipèiæ

Herzog Max in Bayern Christian Peter Hauser



In weiteren Rollen:

Jörn Felix Alt, Oliver Arno, Anja Backus, Juliane Katharina Maria Bischoff, Bettina Bogdany, Silke Braas, Riccardo Greco, Dagmar Hellberg, Emma Hunter, Kai Hüsgen, Karsten Kammeier, Jerôme Knols, Linda Konrad, Alice Macura, Marle Martens, Katrin Mersch, Stefan Mosonyi, Max Niemeyer, Wolfgang Postlbauer, Gernot Romic, Barbara Schmid, Jakob Semotan, Rory Six, Caroline Sommer, Christoph Sommersguter, Niran Straub, Katharina Strohmayer, Marianne Tarnowskij, Johan Vandamme, Janneke van Duijnhoven, Dean Welterlen"

[digne]

Sounds like a good cast. I hope they kick it off with a really good 20th Anniversary celebration of some sort.

[Havanah]

Just so long as they don't try to livestream it again XD

[Havanah]

The cast presentation. A bit late in posting it. Although it's mainly the cast introducing themselves one by one (and in German) it's a really good video with song too.

Also....
I've booked to see it in Vienna! 30th October hehe

[Havanah]

www.musicalvienna.at/index.php/de/bildergalerie_elisabeth

Fantastic photo gallery with other productions and stuff.

[Havanah]

There's been an interview with Sylvester Levay re this anniversary revival (it includes some other stuff)
In German: kurier.at/kultur/4508685-musical-elisabeth-kehrt-nach-wien-zurueck.php

My quickly done, shoddy translation:
"Musical 'Elisabeth' returns to Vienna
Elisabeth is coming back to Vienna, Rebecca to Broadway. Interview with their composer, Sylvester Levay.[/i]


Elisabeth director Harry Kupfer certifies that the musical is "a good story which is free of kitsch and uses highly emotional music to have a direct impact on the audience".


Vienna celebrates 20 years of Elisabeth (Premier 5.9, Raimund Theatre). Musical composer Sylvester Levay tells how it all began, nightmares, and why My Fair Lady makes him freak out.

Interviewer: Do you know where in the world your music will be played tonight?
Levay: No. However, my biggest joy is that in February Elisabeth started to play in Seoul for the first time and was beautifully staged and a huge success. Mozart has been running in Korea for three years - currently it's in one of their largest theatres, with more than 3000 seats.

Why are musicals from Europe so successful in the Far East?
Asians, especially Japanese but Koreans too, are very interested in European history and also the Austrian imperial family.

What are you working on?
Other than visiting the rehearsals of Elisabeth, I'm finishing the last lines of the new score for Rebecca on Broadway. Because we have a smaller orchestra in New York I'm re-orchestrating it a bit so that the music retains its character.

Why is it a smaller orchestra? For cost reasons?
Yes. The musicians on Broadway sometimes earn more than the leading man. Their unions are very powerful. Nevertheless, I've retained the classic instruments with Rebecca: woodwind, two horns, trumpet, trombone, and two string ensembles. They're being reinforced by synthetic instruments and I am confident that it will work. I have partially made it less pop and more modern-classical. But ahead of New York, I admit, I'm really scared!

Where did Elisabeth come from?
That's an interesting story. Michael Kunze talked to me about Elisabeth however, as I'd just accepted jobs in Hollywood film music, I had to decline at first. Moreover, I had never done a musical before.

And it is thanks to your wife that you composed Elisabeth?
Yes, my wife kept saying that I had to do Elisabeth. I knew that I would be giving up Hollywood so I had to do something really great.

Did your experience in film music help?
Yes. What I learned in Hollywood partially translated into musicals. It's not simply writing a string of songs but writing musical themes that run through. I did learn a lot from film about writing emotional, thematic music.

It's amazing that even the at the début the musical was a big success - there's been almost nine million visitors worldwide in 20 years.
Yes. We never dreamed of this. Michael and I joked at the premier in Vienna that we should have a taxi waiting for us in the interval so we could run away if we needed to. We were very nervous but nothing like later with Rebecca, Mozart or Marie Antoinette since the pressure of people's expectation was so great.

But Elisabeth had scathing reviews?
Yes. When the first negative reviews came I was still too full of the adrenalin of the 30 minutes of applause and general success of the premiere. But the next morning... it really hurt. You never really get used to bad reviews though.

Is there a new project, with Kunze, underway?
Yes, we've already given our producers some song recordings. It's a European historical story again but I can't say any more. The producers for Marie Antoinette and our partners in Tokio will be the ones to announce more.

Elisabeth in Vienna. What can we expect from the Anniversary version?
The core is the same as the premiere version and with the songs that were included in the 2004 version. However, for the first time, Death's song in act one "Kein Kommen ohne Geh'n" [No coming without going] will be included outside of Japan. [Note: it was included in Hungary too but he overlooks this]. The costumes by Yan Taxare new as is the cast: Mark Seibert is the Death I've wanted for years. The staging has been modified and refreshed by Hans Schavernoch.

Harry Kupfer...
...is everywhere in the staging of Elisabeth, in Franz Joseph, in Death, in Sophie, and in Lucheni but in more detail. It's become another dimension. I think the so-called Anniversary version will have more life and dramatic depth.

Elisabeth is an established European musical and with that the European musical, Rebecca, goes to America.
There's already a parallel there. Kunze and I had a worldwide hit in 1975 with Fly Robin Fly. We also received a Grammy for it - it's basically it's American R&B music. As Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote: "Michael Kunze sold the Americans Coca Cola"!

Do you sometimes dream of your musicals?
Yes. Elisabeth is mainly nightmares. I get to the Theater an der Wien and the scene is wrong. People get up and leave. Or I must sing Mozart on stage and I don't know the text and can't sing at all. It's terrible!

Forgive the indiscreet question but what do you do with the royalties?
I have a big family. My wife breeds horses for a hobby. We have a large apartment in Schönbrunn Palace. I have a recording studio and two Bösendorfer grand pianos. And Sisi memorabilia such as clothing, letters and riding paraphernalia which we usually loan to exhibitions.

What are your favourite musicals?
Les Miserables, West Side Story, and - you'll never guess - My Fair Lady. I'm freaking out here! Schmaltzy isn't the right word but it's certainly pleasant light music. Genial! There's folk songs, brass parts, it's awesome if it's done right."

Nice little interview ^^

[digne]

Thank you! This is great.

Interesting to hear several things:

1. Kein Kommen Ohne Geh'n -- I thought Kunze aways objected because he thought the song idealized the Elisabeth-Death relationship?

2. I'm also interested to hear that Kunze will be making Rebecca less pop sounding on Broadway. That has been speculated for awhile but when Levay was announced as orchestrator people thought the original pop sound would stay.

I'm going to share this on LJ (and credit you for the translation).

[Havanah]

No problem with the sharing.

As for Kein Kommen Ohne Geh'n (as I wrote on tumblr earlier): I’m a little excited about seeing this song in the production. It could make it clunky if it’s added in badly (as it wasn’t there to start with) however, if done well, it could really add depth to the character of Death. I quite like the fact that it gives him some humanity and some confusion which is something he suggests she caused him. It's the contrast between him actually having feelings for her and wanting to almost protect (?) her and the frustration he feels later.

That said, one assumes that it's going to be the same song we know and not a reworked version!

[Havanah]

Well, I'm back and I've seen it. Wow.
I'll write some stuff properly when I have time (drowning in college work right now).
Kein Kommen Ohne Geh'n was amazing. It is different to the original version as it has a counterpoint with Elisabeth but I loved it. It seemed to tie the production up a lot tighter. It also allowed Oliver Arno (who was playing Death) to play a more threatening Death later on without it seeming weird.

[Havanah]

So, the show has been extended until "at least" January 2014 due to popular demand. Sounds like it might be extended again too as they've said "at least" rather than just stating that it's been extended!

[Havanah]

I was browsing the internet, as you do, and found out that Elisabeth has now got English surtitles. I was really excited as this is a step in the right direction for the English speaking audience. Many people talk to me about wanting to be able to understand the musical in the theatre and we all hope for English subtitles on the actual musical on the DVD.

Googling around however, my mood went swiftly downhill, having found this article.

Translating the bit about the surtitle's mistranslations

German > Actual English translation > What the surtitles say

Reden Sie keinen Unsinn > Don't talk nonsense > Don't be flippant
Vater > Father > Daddy (the blogger complains about this being the wrong tone even if a similar meaning)

kein Kommen ohne Gehen > No coming without going > No shadow without light

Bauernadel > peasant nobility > Pig farmer

könntest du einmal nur durch meine Augen sehen > If you could see through my eyes just once > If I could walk in your shoes

Ich hab dich verpasst > I have missed you. > You are still distressed (although I don't know why they've chosen this at all I would encourage them not to do this one literally as it doesn't work in literal English)

schliesslich ist er abgeblitzt > He's been rejected > Though he's irresistable

Toilette > Toilette > Toilet

Ansonsten geht's ihr gut, der Kaiser hört auf ihren Rat > Other than that, it's going well, the Emperor listens to her advice > Her mother has no time, she helps his father rule the country

ich kann den Kaiser ja verstehen > I can understand the Emperor > But then I'm attracted to her (!!)

und eine Frau mit einer Frau > and a woman with a woman > to fight a witch you need a bitch (!!!!!)

irgendwo in Bellaria > Somewhere in Bellaria > She's stirring up Hungary

Mir fällt nichts ein > I can't think of anything > Well then a few

mama> mama > Mother (definitely the wrong tone!)


Please tell me this is a joke!!!

[Deleted]

? Just who did they get to translate this? Had they any idea what they were doing?

[Havanah]

The only thing I can think is that they wanted things that were rhythmically the same. Of course, that worries me that this was a translation meant to be sung! Yuck!

I am so sad that they've used such a shoddy translation, presuming the blog I've taken this info from is correct, as it's going to give any English speakers who see the musical the wrong impression about it!