Elisabeth The Musical -- info please

[kec]

Posted: 5/30/06 at 11:08am

This musical is going to be playing at the Lake Thun Theatre in Switzerland July 30-August 30. I seem to recall that people here have talked about this show in the past. Would you recommend it? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[exedore]

Posted: 5/30/06 at 11:24am

SEE IT.

Elisabeth is the story of the Austrian Empress of the same name (the beloved Sisi), but with far less sacchrine and nostalgia than you get from the old Romy Schneider films. The score and lyrics (Sylvester Levay and Michael Kunze, respectively) are incredible, and the show provides a fresh look at a fascinating historical figure.

Just note that if you don't speak German, you should try to find a full synopsis online in advance. Depending on the staging, it can get quite abstract in its presentation so you'll want to have an idea of what's going on up front.

[kec]

Posted: 5/30/06 at 11:28am

Thanks. I did know it was about the Empress Elisabeth, but that was the extent of my knowledge. My German is limited at best, sadly. I did find a synopsis, in German, here: www.thunerseespiele.ch . I should be able to get it translated.

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 5/30/06 at 11:28am

I second that - great show. There's an english mini-site about it here:
http://www.theatre-musical.com/elisabeth.html

[beuk-et-moi]

Posted: 5/30/06 at 12:22pm

It will be a whole new, more modern version of the musical and not the original Vienna version nor the current German and Dutch one, but will be really worthwhile if only because of the great story and the songs !

Last month i saw the current version of the production with the original staging in Stuttgart, it was all really impressive and a wonderful Elisabeth played by Wietske van Tongeren, and a superb death by Olegg Vynnyk.

It was really worth the trip from Antwerp to Germany
You can listen to the superb title song of the musical on this youtube link

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Ripperzipper

[kec]

Posted: 5/30/06 at 5:38pm

Thanks Eastwickian... the English site is very helpful!

[Elphaba]

Posted: 5/30/06 at 6:58pm

SEE IT. I saw in Vienna (same trip I saw Tanz der Vampire in Vienna, and the Ludwig musical in Fuessen).

It is an excellent show.

and if you happen to be in Munich, go o the Sisis museum, very kitsch, but some interesting articles she owned.

Lake Thun is beautiful. Do not waste any time in Interlaken, it sucks....but if you can go up to Lauterbrunnen, the town of waterfalls, a most amazing place. Also, if you can make a visit to Gruyeres, and also to Chillon Castle just south of Montreux

The pix is of Chillon

Updated On: 5/30/06 at 06:58 PM

[Elphaba]

Posted: 5/30/06 at 7:08pm

keep in mind that Sisi, being a Wittelsbach, was a bit um...wacko. That family was so inbred that many of them, including Ludwig II went a bit nuts.
Also, she NEVER, EVER would have shown that much "boobage"....included here is the dress that the clip on youtube is supposed to be.

The bottom pix is a different dress, BUT it shows the amount of "boobage" an empress would have shown in Hapsburg Austria.

Updated On: 5/30/06 at 07:08 PM

[kec]

Posted: 5/31/06 at 5:06pm

Elphaba, thanks. I actually live in Switzerland (work reasons), and have been to the most of the places you mention -- Chillon, Interlaken, and Gruyeres. Haven't yet been to the Thunnersee, but it's right down the road a ways, so soon. I made a short visit to Lauterbrunnen, using the funicular there to take me to the train that goes from Grutschalp (?) to Mürren, then up to the Schilthorn. I recently visited Luzerne, where I attended a concert of American music. Gershwin (including Rhapsody in Blue), Ellington, Leroy Anderson, and music by both Richard Rodgers and Frederick Loewe. Most of the music from the former was his works with Hammerstein. Only non-R&H song was "My Funny Valentine." The Loewe music was all from My Fair Lady.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 5/31/06 at 5:34pm

And as you can see, the Opera Populaire, as led by Joel Schumacher, was a huge fan of Empress Sissi.

[Sisi]

Posted: 5/31/06 at 6:16pm

Sorry if I'm getting at something someone already said, but the clip on that youtube account isn't from the show - it's from a 2002 arena concert, Musicals in Ahoy. The costumes in the concert were largely stylized and that one was only meant to make a small nod toward the show. The show costumes referencing that portrait (seen in the pictures above) are far more appropriate.

And, for what it's worth, "Mijn leven is van mij" ("Ich gehör nur mir") isn't sung in the Winterhalter gown (though the reprise in the Act One finale is) - it's done in a nightgown. There's a montage from the Dutch production intertwined with that particular scene here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU7uGUfLeik&search=Pia%20Douwes

~Sisi

[kec]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 2:16am

Lizzie, when I saw a preview clip of the "Think of Me" scene in POTO, and saw the dress and the stars in Emmy's hair, my first thought was the Empress Elisabeth portrait dress!

[kec]

Posted: 6/22/06 at 6:38am

My boss has come up with a question -- is this musical completely sung through? Or is it like a regular musical with some dialogue?

Thanks.

[YessicaB]

Posted: 6/22/06 at 6:57am

I have only heard a couple of songs from the show and seen a few snippets on TV, but I can't say I was crazy about it...
I know it has a huge fanbase in Germany though.

[FranklinShepard-Inc.]

Posted: 6/22/06 at 7:05am

I think it has some spoken dialogue in it, but not too much as far as I think. So it's not like Lloyd Webber

The CD's fine, but well, can't guarantee that you like it...

[YessicaB]

Posted: 6/22/06 at 7:11am

You should check out Y**T***.com and type in Elisabeth Musical, there are tons of clips.

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 6/22/06 at 7:18am

There has also been a DVD of the full show released - it's mostly sung with odd bits of dialogue interspersed. However, the song list seems to change a fair bit between productions in different countries!

[Quasi]

Posted: 6/22/06 at 7:59am

Yes thats right. The show and songs change mostly a bit regarding to the background knowledge of the people in the country where it will be shown. The musical is also really successful in Japan. Its a great piece with the right cast.

[GuyfromGermany]

Posted: 6/22/06 at 8:08am

The version on Lake Thun will be the same as the DVD version (concerning the songs).
I personally enjoyed the show on stage and CD very much and would highly recommend seeing it!

[clarky]

Posted: 6/22/06 at 9:17am

I recommend you go to Stuttart (which is close to Munich) and watch the ELISABETH Production there. From Mid-July till Closing (September) Pia Douwes will reprise her role as Elisabeth. She created the role in 1992 for the original Vienna Production and she is wonderful in that show.

However, the staging of the Vienna, Stuttgart and Thun productions will be totally different. Songs are the same, just the rest will be diffrent.

[kec]

Posted: 6/22/06 at 10:56am

GuyfromGermany: Veilen Dank! By the way, does the DVD have English subtitles? Meine deutsch ist nicht so gut.

Clarky -- I'm assuming you mean Stuttgart? It would be nice, but my travelling this summer is somewhat limited -- Thun is about 1/2 hour from where I live in Bern -- much easier for me to get to than to drive all the way to Stuttgart!

[ca_muzikgurl]

Posted: 6/23/06 at 1:55am

It's a crying shame that Jesper Tyden didn't get to record the Der Tod role. He's worlds better than Uwe Kroger or any of the other guys that have played the lead.
Check out the link for a great page on the show -
http://www.theatre-musical.com/elisabeth.html

[exedore]

Posted: 6/23/06 at 7:10am

Kec-- The DVD was originally going to have English subtitles, but they decided not to include them. There *is* an English synopsis in the DVD's booklet, and it goes scene by scene, so it makes following the show pretty easy (although some of the abstractions in the Vienna staging will serve to ruin that ease).

muzikgurl-- Jesper has a nice voice, but I prefer Uwe in the role. Besides, if Uwe is playing Death, Jesper gets to look sexy and dashing in the Rudolf costume. =)