Mozart! musical

[Theatreboy33]

Posted: 4/20/05 at 12:40am

I know this is a German show, but I recently saw the CD at Colony and wondered if anyone has seen/heard it. How is it?

[Elphaba]

Posted: 4/20/05 at 12:56am

I own it........it's ok, nothing outstanding.......(neither was the musical)

[Quasi]

Posted: 4/20/05 at 1:37am

I think it's a good score! There are really some great songs in it. I saw the show in Hamburg, it was a little different to the Vienna version. In fact the problem of the show was the second act who wasn't dramatic enough.

[queenie2]

Posted: 4/20/05 at 5:09am

I really love Mozart the musical especially the vienna version with yvgne gasoy rohmdal, uwe kroger and thpmas borchert. There are some beautiful songs on this cd like gold von den sternen.

It is worth buying it!

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 4/20/05 at 5:14am

I agree with Elphaba - nothing special. It's by the same team that wrote 'Elisabeth' (which I love), but this was much less sucessful, and the score sounds like it was made out of trunk songs. That's not to say that it's bad, but I've only listened to the CD once all the way through - it just doesn't do anything fo me.

Mind you, I've only listened to The Producers once all the way through, so make of my opinion what you will

[Feodor Sverdlov]

Posted: 4/20/05 at 5:17am

I have heard the German and the Hungarian Mozart too but it isn't a very good musical or score. You can't match then with the Broadway musicals.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 4/20/05 at 9:10am

exactly eastwickian....nothing memorable. I saw the Vienna production of both Elisabeth and Mozart. E was far superior.

[Phantom05]

Posted: 4/20/05 at 9:54am

I personally think that Mozart is a very uneven show. I absolutely love the majority of the music, but when you try to compare it to Kunze and Levay's "Elisabeth", there's no comparison! Elisabeth is a stunning musical, and the creative process that must have gone into this show's creation is amazing. It's so unique! The musical in Elisabeth, in my opinion can easily rival any musical that Broadway may have to offer. I would love to see a proper translation of this show, provided that Michael Kunze pens the book and lyrics himself. I would prefer not to see another DOTV....The German production which I LOVE, was completely trashed for the Broadway opening. Elisabeth would be the in the top list of the ultimate female roles ever. I think Broadway is ready for a musical like Elisabeth, we have so many shows opening that are of such a sub-standard quality. The jukebox musical revolution is starting to get frustrating, and I am just dying to see something new and creatively original on Broadway. With Frank Wildhorn working on the musical Vienna based on Crown Prince Rudolf's life, the suicidal son of Elisabeth, I would MUCH prefer to see Elisabeth on Broadway. What do you think about a Broadway opening of Elisabeth? If you know the show, who would you cast in it? Anyhoo, just my two cents....LATER!!!

ELISABETH ROCKS!

See Ya!

Phantom05

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 4/20/05 at 10:29am

Surely Pia Douwes is the only choice for the lead. She's opened nearly every other production We've had Uwe Kröger over here in the UK playing Napoleon (albeit briefly!), so I couldn't see any problem with him reprising the part of 'Der Tod' either. I'd have to think about the other roles though...

[exedore]

Posted: 4/20/05 at 11:01am

I have the feeling that Pia Douwes is sick of playing Elisabeth. After all, she did it for three years in Vienna plus another year or two in Holland before another year or two in Germany. I love her voice, and she's a tremendous actress, but there has to be a sense of boredom associated with the role.

That said, I wouldn't want Maya Hakvoort anywhere near a production here. Nice voice, but I saw her three times in the revival, and her interpretation of the character just left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Phantom 05:
I like the Vienna staging, but I think that it's a bit too surreal for the American audience, especially as most people over here don't know squat about Austrian history, and the adding the surreal aspect to the production would hinder its acceptance versus a straightforward historical piece. If I were the director, I'd use the staging and direction (as well a modification from the revised book) from the Essen production. It's a bit more emotional, and the song order flows a bit nicely ("Nichts, nichts..." is further in, giving the show a big number where it starts lagging in the Vienna script). That said, I'd want to bring in the Eljen and Lucheni's summoning of Franz Joseph in the nightmare.

Also, as much as I adore Kunze's work, I'd really want to make sure that there's someone to look over the adaptation. There are a handful of tracks (Kitsch, Ich gehör nur mir, and one or two others) which have been officially translated into English for concerts, promotional singles, etc. by Kunze, and the lyrics are a little on the clunky side. That said, I'd prefer clunky Kunze to anything Wildhorn. Ideally, though, I'd like to see a group like the DC National Opera or Met produce it in the original German. IMHO it's a built in audience.

/Wants to see Barbarella come over to the US too
//Hopes this was a satisfactory first post
///should learn how to quote if the code allows it...

[sanda]

Posted: 4/20/05 at 11:47am

I am surprised how people are fasinated with Pia Douwes . Her voice never impressed me. She sounds so cold, harsh and unsexy.

[exedore]

Posted: 4/20/05 at 11:55am

"She sounds so cold, harsh and unsexy. "

I don't get that impression from hearing her sing. I do from Maya Hakvoort, but Douwes can do both the ice queen and the tender female depending on the material. I don't know which Elisabeth CDs you have (or if/when you saw her perform), but she's granted a much larger emotional range on the 2001 Essen CD vs. the original 1992 recording (where *everybody* had to sound cold and harsh except for Uwe Kröger).

[sanda]

Posted: 4/20/05 at 12:01pm

I have both. I listen to Essen 2001 a little more though.
She can sing that "I belong to mÿself" in a rocket-high way. That is impressive but not in a pleasant way to me.

Don't know. Maybe it is my problem. I don't care Sissi much.

[exedore]

Posted: 4/20/05 at 12:08pm

"She can sing that "I belong to mÿself" in a rocket-high way. That is impressive but not in a pleasant way to me."

I tend not to care for the song much in general, regardless of who's singing it (although I do like how it's reprised at the end of Act One). "Nothing, Nothing" ("Nichts, nichts") does a better job of showing off her softer vocal tendencies IMHO.

Taking this a bit further off topic, I still have to wonder who on Broadway could play the role of Elisabeth. I can see Raul Esparaza or Alan Cumming as Lucheni, but the title role eludes me.