For the Elisabeth Fans: A Discussion on Douwes vs Hakvoort

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 10/2/08 at 12:25am

To start off: Both performances, for me, are outstanding...

There really is no perfect place for this thread (the West End board is just as wrong for it) but I wanted to see if anyone else is interested in the topic: The long standing debate among fans of the musical Elisabeth as to which reigning empress has the more defining performance? Is there one? And what are some of the differences you notice and like? Is the original actress, Pia Douwes, the greatest, or perhaps it is Maya Hakvoort, who was her first and only full-time replacement in the original version.

Yes, there have been many actresses to have played the role throughout the world, but no one else besides these two has made such an impression. Douwes and Hakvoort are seen as *the* Elisabeths...their habitation of the character is so moving and real throughout the performance that it they have been hard acts to follow. Yet they are so very different. Douwes is dynamic and thrilling with her vocals...very extroverted with her audience, whilst Hakvoort is more subtle and internal (not saying Douwes is over-the-top, she is far from it).

Pia Douwes originated the role in Vienna at the age of 28. She spent two seasons there, but in 1999, she returned to the role in a very much different Dutch Stageholding Production, which later transferred to Essen and Stuttgart in Germany. Although Douwes originated the Viennese version (which is directed within a political and abstract context that this writer prefers), the Stageholding version is seen as hers...she appeared in all three engagements of the version, opening the first two (Netherlands and Essen, Germany).

At the age of 28, Hakvoort took over from Douwes in 1994 and stayed with the show until 1998...returning to the role when the Vienna production reopened for a limited (albeit twice extended) 2 1/2 season engagement in 2003 in an updated version. The amount of time she has spent with this production has identified her as the reigning actress of this production. She even appears on the commercially released DVD of the final cast in 2005.

Based on the background information and your experiences with the actresses in the role, whether they be live, on DVD, or on CD, which do you prefer, if either? Try to back up your claims with why one affects you more than the other, or why neither does...

For me personally, there really should be no competition...but a conversation on differences is a wonderful way to learn about acting. I'm excited to hear what others have to say...I'll add my thoughts on the performances later...

Updated On: 10/2/08 at 12:25 AM

[pirrar]

Posted: 10/10/08 at 11:22am

I think Maya and Pia are both great singers/actresses but i prefer Pia.
I don't know exactly why I prefer Pia then Maya. Maybe because Pia created elisabeth en she was the first one that I heard. I like Pias voice more than Mayas.
Sometimes, when I see a video, I have a feeling that Maya is overacting(sometimes!:))

I've seen more videos of Pia and last july i saw her performing elisabeth. That was great! She blown me away When I heard her on a CD- I thought she is great, but when i saw her performing elisabeth- I thought she is really great! Better than I thought!

Last august, Maya and Pia, were at 'sommernacht des musicals' in Dinslaken and I think it was really nice to see those 2 performing 'ich gehör nur mir'. I like that The two best Elisabeths singing together:)
Like I said at the beginning: They are both great.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 10/10/08 at 11:34am

Pia is better! Whenever I listen to Maya sing selections from Elisabeth (and I have three different recordings of her), it always sounds like she's struggling with the score.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 10/10/08 at 2:53pm

I found something rather interesting with Maya Hakvoort...she was either on vocally, or she wasn't. Her way of speaking German is arguably more severe than Pia's, and that can get in the way of her voice coming through clearly.

For me, Douwes is my favorite, but I'd be hard-pressed to answer this question: If you could see Elisabeth only once, would you see Douwes or Hakvoort? Yes, Douwes is my favorite, but Hakvoort has something interesting to bring to the table as well.