| Elisabeth in Berlin |
[May. 5th, 2008|12:20 pm] |
I saw two shows in Berlin, May 1 and May 2. The cast was almost the same - the only exception was Sophie, with the understudy the first time and Christa Wettstein (first cast) on Friday. The shows, however, were dramatically different, mostly because on Thursday, Bruno Grassini (Lucheni) was phoning in his role, while by Friday he had recovered.
( Detailed review )
End verdict: I'm glad I've gone, for reasons of Uwe (and to a lesser extent, Annemieke and Oliver), but this production is craft rather than art. And I'm very happy I have tickets booked to Elisabeth in Budapest next month, with the full second cast (Máté, Bernádett and Nikolett, Ádám Bálint and Tamás Szaraz) confirmed for both shows I'm attending. |
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| Elisabeth in Berlin |
[Feb. 17th, 2008|10:22 am] |
So, cast for Elisabeth in Berlin is all but set. It's less dreadful than what I was fearing, but again they went for people who know the musical by heart.
Death: Uwe (who's looking and sounding very good on the promo clip) will be later replaced by Felix Martin, with Oliver Arno as understudy to both. Tried and true, but I like them both enough.
Elisabeth: Pia in the beginning, later to be replaced by Annemieke van Dam. I have to admit I'm in two minds about Annemieke - I've seen her in clips of 3 Musketiere, and while she's got great acting skills and a sweet voice, voice control could use work, and I'm not sure she's up to being first cast for such a demanding role.
Franz-Joseph: Markus Pol - he was FJ in last year's Japanese tour. Decent, though not one of my favourites. Cover's Peter Stassen, Louis and Richelieu in Stuttgart.
Rudolf: Oliver Arno - looks like a high point of the cast, judging by previous performances. I wouldn't mind seeing him as Death, either! Cover Rudolf is Martin Markert, cover on the Japan tour - looks decent, can't find any clips.
Still no news of Sophie or Max. Guess I should get around to reserving tickets... |
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| Elisabeth-related incoherence |
[Jan. 5th, 2008|07:38 pm] |
I think ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) fyrie called dibs on the post title of "Warning: Low-Flying Lucheni", so this one is going to be much less coherent ;)
I didn't get to see Máté Kamarás, because the git went and got a cold. Hopefully he'll be on tomorrow, so if the stagedoor people are as friendly as they were today, we can get them to haul him in by the ear. But still, not all was lost.
I am more convinced than ever that Máté's bounciness is due to a special drug, because it looked like Szilveszter Szabó drank it by mistake. I mean, I've seen this guy on video at least three times, and he's always been nice, but very muted and aloof. This time... not so much. Crackling energy, emotional spill-over and an actual dynamic with Rudolf. Either he was on crack or someone took him over telepathically ;)
And then there was the Amazing Bouncing Lucheni. Honestly, the guy should have a circus act. And it didn't hurt that he's handsome, has a great voice and a charisma that means you look at him exclusively. (Unless Death is onstage, in which case their interaction is - let's just say I have bunnies with very sharp teeth.) But hey, don't take my word for it:
( Youtube: Tamás Száraz in Milch )
Bernadett Vago was a lovely Elisabeth (and her voice is gorgeous!), Ádám Balint was the best-acting Franz-Joseph I have ever seen, and Dávid Szabó presented a Rudolf with believable power, which is a first.
More impressions later, I think. Once I have a comparison ;) Not like I'm seeing the show tomorrow again... oops. |
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| Recommended reading |
[Dec. 30th, 2007|02:17 pm] |
At the seaside, I was purposefully out of my usual reading material, and thus raiding the grandparents' collection of Important Works of Literature. Isaac Singer's The Estate is a very nice insight into Belle Epoque Jews if only one can look past the characters, which are the whiniest bunch I've seen since Neon Genesis Evangelion. The Godfather would be a perfect read if at least three characters in my head weren't ogling Michael Corleone with illicit purposes. Mann's Buddenbrooks faltered a bit in the middle, but the teenage slash at the end redeemed them (okay, the other bits were interesting, too). Doctor Zhivago caused me to facepalm over my Russian ancestry.
All in all, it was a relief to come back to an open ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) yuletide archive.
This year I've been damnably lucky with my gifts - I received two full-length stories and a vignette. No idea yet who they're from, but all are gorgeous:
Ourobos - Tanz der Vampire behind the scenes; a different interpretation than my own, but I can imagine Thomas Borchert and Jakub Wocial in these roles far too easily.
Conversations with the Dead - Elisabeth, the deaths of Sophie, Rudolf and Franz-Joseph: the amount of historical detail is delightful.
And Black And Black And Blacker Still - Elisabeth, a heartbreaking Rudolf moment that reaches to the core of his character.
And from other stories that I've skimmed, four so far had me glued to the screen and exclaiming with delight:
The Invisible City - a sequel to Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere that should damn well be official. It's like turning a page and finding a lost epilogue to the story. This could be Neil writing.
By No Miracle or Majestic Means - for all that I avoid Vorkosigan fanfiction like the plague, this story of a young Miles's caper is perfectly in tune. It suffers a little from rush - I know well the lack of time to balance the plot at the end - but the language is Ivan's, the characters are vividly themselves.
The Sixth Heaven - the Beauty and the Beast TV series has always remained with me, and this AU with Catherine and Vincent meeting as children captures the magic perfectly.
The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down - You've probably seen this Who Framed Roger Rabbit story recced by others. All I'm saying is, hold on to your hats. |
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| Plans of the musical variety |
[Nov. 23rd, 2007|09:02 am] |
Ohdear. They'll be playing Elisabeth in Berlin from April onwards, so I kind of think I'll be there with bells on sometime in May :> Depending on the cast, I guess - my favourite would be Jan Ammann for Death and Jakub Wocial for Rudolf and second Death, but generally, I like most of the possibles. Except Haldor Laegreid.
So that'll be thrice I'll be seeing Elisabeth next year - got two sets of tickets for Budapest already. (And possible plans for... more far-off regions in the autumn, but those are nowhere near being finalised.) And Tanz der Vampire at least once, Budapest again.
Phantom of the Opera in Warsaw, I'm sorry to say, fizzled out completely. My firm favourites were cut down - one for being unable to attend an audition, fair enough, but the other for "lack of acting ability". Which he does have, on top of an operatic baritone that leaves everyone in the dust.
On the other hand, that does leave him free for Beauty and the Beast in Gdynia (also in the spring), which has the potential for being gorgeous if they finally get their act together - they're a decent theatre, but no magic to it so far. I hope it'll end up being something interesting.
And on top of it all I should probably finally drag my carcass to London for Phantom, Les Mis and anything else that happens to be on. And I still haven't seen some of my must-see people live - currently Stanley Burleson tops that list, followed closely by Pia Douwes and Ethan Freeman.
Say what you want about this hobby, you're never out of places to travel to. |
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| Dear Yuletide Santa |
[Oct. 19th, 2007|06:48 am] |
*looks at Yuletide assignment and kind of falls over* At least I didn't get fyrie. And I do have a challenge like I wanted.
EDIT: Huh. Looks like everyone will get a rematch, which is a pity - I liked that request :/
( Dear Yuletide Santa, as to my own requests.... )
In conclusion: Dear Yuletide Santa. I wish you luck. You may need it ;) |
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| On the musicals front |
[Jul. 26th, 2007|02:08 pm] |
The guy in my icon is the newest - first cast - Abronsius in Berlin. At age 21, without being a German or Austrian, and that's for a role that demands tongue-twisters at breakneck speed O.o
Also, I've spent quite a bit of time happily staring at photos from the new Budapest production of Elisabeth. I am quite frightened by the lengths some people are willing to go to to make this guy look like this guy.
Combined, I would say it means I can look forward to repeat trips to both Berlin and Budapest. Curses :P |
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| Elisabeth: Maki Ichiro, as found on random Youtube trolling |
[May. 11th, 2007|07:44 am] |
*blinks* I was thinking of ripping a certain clip from a DVD I just got, and look, it's already on Youtube. Maki Ichiro playing Death - as a girl. She's even singing in a more female voice, which is a sight.
( DIVA 2001, Death as a girl and Rudolf as a boy )
This is something else I need to save, Maki's last TCA performance, also an Elisabeth song...
( It's hard to make pale green sequins look good )
And since I'm on a Maki kick, look: Uwe can sing well providing he has the right Elisabeth:
( Bilingual Wenn Ich Tanzen Will, DIVA 2004 )
And now, off to work, so downloading those will have to wait *eyedart* |
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| [FIC] Wanting (NC-17, slash, vampires and Elisabeth) |
[Oct. 6th, 2006|06:06 pm] |
This story is entirely valancystar’s fault. She put up a clip of Jesper Tydén in leather as Rudolf Habsburg in Elisabeth, and my von Krolock decided he wanted to slide his hands around those hips. Then fyrie encouraged him. The rest is – nearly 3000 words of little but kinky crossover smut. All relevant information is given in the story though, except for the historical facts of Rudolf Habsburg and Mary Vetsera in Mayerling lodge.
Fandom: Elisabeth/Tanz der Vampire/Historical
Rating: NC-17 with bells on
Warnings: Dubious consent, bloodplay, mild SM
Pairings: Von Krolock/Rudolf, Death/Rudolf
( Wanting ) |
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| Musical dorks |
[Oct. 6th, 2006|04:10 pm] |
It has been pointed out to me that a lot of my favourite musical people are dorks. Therefore I thought I'd assemble some video proof of the fact ;) Under the cut: musicals might rot the brain.
( Lukasz, Jakub, Mate, Maki, Steve )
And as a bonus, because a clip of the Yukigumi Elisabeth only appeared on Youtube recently, this would be my original androgynous Death, AKA Azrael Thanatos, as played by Maki Ichiro:
( Thanatos in all hir glory ) |
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| [FIC] Bloodmarks 2: Costa (Original/Elisabeth, PG-13) |
[Sep. 30th, 2006|10:02 pm] |
Vlad Draculea: historical character. Death: original based on Maki Ichiro's interpretation of the role of Tod in Elisabeth. Sequel to this.
BLOODMARKS 2: DORSUM
Anno Domini 1447
( The second time they met ) |
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| [FIC] Bloodmarks 1: Manus (Original/Elisabeth, PG-13) |
[Sep. 21st, 2006|08:20 am] |
Am running like a chicken with my head cut off, so I guess I might as well post this for public consumption. This is the first in a series that I've been writing for the past month - I have 4 chapters out of 9 already finished. It's also origific or as close as makes no difference, since one character is historical and one is inspired by Maki Ichiro's performance as Death in Elisabeth (see icon).
So here's Vlad Draculea, age almost-nine, and the world that surrounds and shapes him into legend.
With thanks to fyrie as usual and alice_montrose for beta.
BLOODMARKS 1: MANUS
Anno Domini 1440
( Bored minds are dangerous things ) |
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| Youtube goodness |
[Aug. 21st, 2006|09:58 am] |
Almost caught up on backlog - I still have a mile-long list of fics and longer posts. Alas, my computer is still being a ditz; I think it's the cooling fan, but it means that I can't do anything too processor-intensive. Writing and icons may have to wait a bit :/
In the meantime, here are two things that I've had in hardcopy for a while, but wanted to share on LJ and couldn't find online:
Clips from Yukigumi's 1996 Elisabeth
Maki Ichiro (Death, white-haired dudette) is LOVE. And as soon as I can edit them, I'll have way too many icons of her. Alas, this montage focuses on Rudolf, but there are glimpses.
Jakub Wocial singing Gethsemane
Stupid boy made me cry the first time I heard him sing that. Kind souls have put many clips from his recent recital online, and any Phantom fans are recommended to watch the Phantom ones, but Gethsemane... gah, that voice. That voice. Guy's freaking 20, too. I was technically aware there are people with voices like that, but I didn't expect to meet one face-to-face. You'd never tell it by his out-of-character speaking voice, either. |
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| Creative pursuits in all the wrong venues |
[Aug. 5th, 2006|10:02 am] |
I'm blocked. Not in the frustration sense, but rather a semi-coma that has infected almost all my muses. The only ones hanging around are a human variant of Vlad Draculea and a Takarazuka Death from Elisabeth. Nothing interesting.
On the other hand, when fyrie was here, she brought a set of pastels and drew portraits while I watched. It didn't look that difficult, so I acquired a set for myself. It's a bit time-consuming, but seeing as I hadn't drawn anything for close to five years and was never good at it - my sense of proportions is all wrong - I think my second attempt at a portrait didn't come out too badly.
( Look! I drew a bishie! )
So, yeah. Possibly leaving tomorrow, but I have all my requests lined up and will write them there. I'll also try to get to a net cafe more often. It's much colder now, so the trek should be easier :) |
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| Friday Fic Recs |
[Jul. 28th, 2006|02:27 pm] |
First of all, fyrie's Dance of Death: Obligatto, PWP with breathplay, utterly enjoyable even if you don't know the characters :> And do read to compare with my upcoming PWP with breathplay, which was written because fyrie and Herbert are evil to the extreme.
It's been a while since I recced anything by guede_mazaka, because she's been writing Supernatural lately and I've the vaguest idea about it. But now she's back in POTC fandom with a vengeance, and she's the only person who can make me believe in Sparrington and want more, too. In Judas Kiss she does it beautifully. And Blooded is Will/Norrington as Norrington searches for an anchor and Will's unable to change, stark and violent and confused just like the inside of Norrington's head.
Finally, shezan wrote me a neat little vignette on Vader and imperial bureaucracy, with Piett, my favourite Imperial :D |
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| Heat, Vox and evil people |
[Jul. 24th, 2006|05:45 pm] |
The heat is disturbing my laptop's operation again. After some normal operation, the high-speed fan kicks in and the processor seems to enter some kind of overheat-protection mode that slows everything down something awful. As a result, I'm unable to watch videos or do graphics, which is a pain.
Especially since fyrie wandered off to Sweden and left me alone. (If wolfmoonie happens to read this, all the best on your wedding day :)) Which is a good point as any for me to pimp her recent work so that you people can leave feedback for her once she returns. I think that for once I'm caught up with pimping her Carpe Noctem series, because we got sidetracked there. She wrote an angsty prequel though: Und Alle Engel Müssen Fall'n. Then she temporarily ditched that continuity to write a lovely Herbert-turning fic and Herbert in a modern Goth club (a rather masterful work of bunnying on my part). And then we both got the Elisabeth bug, which on her part turned into a crossover series called Dance of Death (with vampires in it, Prelude, Nocturne and Elegy) - the latter has high slash content of the very attractive kind ;) And an Elisabeth genfic about Sophie's death: On Silent Wings.
And while I'm fyrie-less and bored, I also have more Vox invites than I can shake a stick at. I already gave out 6, have 2 in my account at this point, and each time I get rid of them, a few hours later I have more. So if anyone should want a Vox account like mine, drop me a line and I'll send you an invite as soon as I have it. |
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| [FIC] Closer to the Veil (Elisabeth the musical, R, slash and het) |
[Jul. 23rd, 2006|07:37 pm] |
This was written as a Yuletide fic, or rather a leftover New Year Request, for caithion. I've been looking at Yuletide participation for a while now, and then I saw a request for the very musical that recently ate my brain :)
With thanks to fyrie for encouragement and suggestions. (And yes, this means it's her fault as usual. To be honest, I'm to blame with her obsession for Elisabeth as well as Tanz der Vampire, which has her producing fic for both, separately as well as combined.)
All you need to know is that Empress Elisabeth of Austria (also known as Sisi) and her son the Crown-Prince Rudolf are both prone to seeing visions of Death as a blond man bent on winning their love, or at least their lives. This may as well be historical fic.
Constructive criticism welcome, especially regarding historical details I may have got wrong.
Fandom: Elisabeth the musical / historical
Pairings: Death/Rudolf, Death/Elisabeth
CLOSER TO THE VEIL
( Death plays his dark games whenever Rudolf or Elisabeth come near him ) |
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| My brain has been eaten, again |
[Jul. 20th, 2006|03:25 pm] |
One of these days, I'll learn not to listen to strange musicals in foreign languages, especially if said musicals are written by Michael Kunze.
Elisabeth hasn't consumed my creative brain the way Tanz did, partly because it's a narrative whole rather than the open-ended ending of Tanz and partly because I like von Krolock and Herbert better than the pretty snarly blond guy Death, but the audio and visual layers are rather overrun. The worst thing is, I saw two productions back to back - Vienna revival, with the supremely snarly and vicious Kamaras Mate, and Takarazuka Snow Troupe, with the elegant and slow-poison Maki Ichiro. I have a whirlwind in my brain. And there's an outstanding Yuletide request for Elisabeth fic, which I'll be filling as soon as I sort out the Deaths in my head.
Snow Troupe's the one production that doesn't have clips on YouTube, but here's the Flower Troupe version of Yami Ga Hirogaru with Haruno Sumire as Death. And as a comparison, Die Schatten Werden Länger from the Vienna DVD. See if you can spot all the things Kamaras Mate does differently. |
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