| The whirlwind of shows |
[Jul. 2nd, 2009|11:50 pm] |
Cirque du Soleil Corteo = wonderful. And may have a follow-up.
We only showed up for toujitsuken at 10, but we got B seats at a steal of a price :) BaraAme - not as confusing as people make it out to be. Tani impressed me with her fire, and Micchan's hair was messily adorable, but Tomu stole the show for me. She needs to do more comedy ♥
And then there was the revue, in which Ume-chan rocked the house. You have to respect a musumeyaku who can dance with a stage-ful of otokoyaku and pwn every single one of them. (Also, was Tomu speaking in sign language while singing? It looked that way.)
Also, Takarazuka-An is very dangerous for fans of OGs. I am now the proud owner of an autographed photo of my girl ♥
Next is Tuesday. Tanz der Vampire. With a guy I've been starry-eyed about for over four years.
This is a good trip :D |
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| Elisabeth: Moon Troupe demachi report |
[Jun. 20th, 2009|11:14 pm] |
The actual show report will take a few days, or until I get back home (because it only gets better from here), but we did end up staying for our first demachi.
(For the non-Takarazuka: demachi is official stagedooring. When the stars come out, they take letters from their fanclub members, but they generally don't talk to other people, and you're not allowed to bother them. Not so much with the Kevin Tarte style of "who wants to glomp Krolock? :D)
( Demachi report )
( And this would be what never happens at demachi ) |
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| FIC: Fairytale/Cinderella: "Complications in advice-giving" (PG) |
[May. 17th, 2009|07:44 pm] |
So, so much ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) fyrie's fault. This has so much sugar, I am not responsible for the well-being of any diabetics.
Title: Complications in advice-giving
Author: Beth Winter, bwinter
Fandom: Cinderella
Pairing/characters: Fairy Godmother, Cinderella
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: This particular interpretation based on the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical.
Prompt: 128: Any science fiction or supernatural fandom, any characters, Humans' rigid ideas about gender and sexuality make falling in love with one difficult.
Summary: Before her wedding night, Cinderella asks her Fairy Godmother for advice. It turns out that fairies have different ideas about things.
Warnings: None.
Author's Notes: Entirely fyrie's fault as usual. Also dedicated to the kind soul who subtitled the Japanese version of the Cinderella musical, in which the Fairy Godmother and Stepmother are both played by actresses who some years earlier were very famous for playing male roles. The sheer sugar content of the Fairy's scenes with Cinderella, especially fulfilling the wish, put this story in my head.
( Even in fairytales, not everything's simple ) |
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| Eaten by work again |
[May. 12th, 2009|07:07 pm] |
Three weeks until my exam, and I'm nose-deep in studying. (And planning for Japan.)
In the meantime, have Pretty von Krolock:
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| FIC: The end of Summer (Original/Tanz, PG) |
[May. 7th, 2009|05:00 pm] |
Written for ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) lgbtfest:
Title: The End of Summer
Author: Beth Winter, bwinter
Fandom: Loosely based on Tanz der Vampire (musical based on the movie Fearless Vampire Killers)
Pairing/characters: Graf von Krolock, Original Character
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Roman Polanski and Michael Kunze have my congratulations. This particular version is based on the original Vienna production.
Prompt: 35. Any fandom, any character(s), In a world that contains vampires one of them is utterly depressed. No matter who he/she loves, be it man or woman, the second her/his bloodlust takes over he/she destroys what he/she loved about them in the first place. How would meeting someone who is immortal (and therefore immune to the vampire's bite) in a completely different way change his/her perspective on (un)life?
Summary: The nature of curses may not be what we believe.
Warnings: Death, angst, religious themes (Catholicism).
Author's Notes: All you need to know about this canon is that it's 1617 in Transylvania, and Graf Stephan von Krolock, scientist and magician, has recently been turned into a vampire.
( The vampire and the stranger )
( And bonus epilogue ) |
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| A really, really good amateur Krolock |
[Apr. 6th, 2009|08:44 pm] |
Unstillbare Gier is the favourite song for amateur musical singers to record on Youtube - probably because it has less hard notes than Music of the Night ;) Imagine my amazement when I found a 20-year-old at a Gymnasium concert who's actually good. And I mean better than some Krolocks I've seen in actual professional productions. I think I've got a newbie to keep an eye on:
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| Takarazuka: El Halcon (Star, 2007-2008) |
[Mar. 22nd, 2009|09:46 pm] |
Takarazuka is my mainstay for when I'm feeling down, but not every show is a gem. Since I've just giggled myself silly through El Halcon, I think it is one.
Fans of From Eroica with Love will recognise Tyrian Persimmon, Klaus's ancestor, and let's just say the show starts with the baby Tyrian stabbing the man who raised him as a son to facilitate the escape of the pirate he suspects is his real father. It gets downhill from there, because there's seemingly no depth Tyrian won't stoop to (though I admit Aran Kei looks very at home when throwing women on a bed and pinning them there). The revue has lovingly adapted Yasuko Aoike's penchant for creating memorable backup teams for her heroes, and therefore Tyrian gets not one but two male sailors who keep being posed in typical musumeyaku worship poses, and Asuka's Gilda has her posse of girl pirates.
But I have to admit I'm on the side of Luminous "Red" Benedict. Let's see - he's noble, rash and needs a knock on the head. He has a crazy pirate mentor, and he manages to "kidnap" Tyrian's ward only to get tackled by her as she giggles about (I think) how cool he is. (I believe this would be where Eroica gets his enthusiasm from.) And oh, Hoshigumi have so many lovely actresses there - Yuzuki Reon and Kazu Ryouka work beautifully together, it's such a pity that Kazu's retiring just before Chie becomes top. Other people I'll definitely keep an eye on are Suzumi Shio (she does anger very well) and Tenju Mitsuki - just a baby, but she's got the otokoyaku fire in spades.
The show is... more on crack than From Eroica with Love, which is an achievement. It chiefly earns this distinction via the appearance of the disco-dancing Queen Bess.
( Clip from the prologue, which does a good job of introducing all characters ) |
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| It's alive |
[Mar. 10th, 2009|02:57 pm] |
Just a quick note to let people know I survived Oberhausen, albeit with a damnable cold. In point form:
- Cologne and Düsseldorf are both pretty. And wet.
- The Roman-German museum in Cologne remains as amazing as ever.
- According to the guy in the theatre box office, Jan Ammann broke his leg.
- However, Kevin Tarte was not in good form on the Hamburg proshot. Now, he is. The difference is dramatic.
- I got to make him snicker onstage and got a picture with him at stagedoor.
- The Oberhausen run of Tanz der Vampire just got extended to January. And it's worth it.
Now, not to fall over at work. It's going to be a challenge. |
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| FIC: Entracte (Seal of Roses, R/NC-17) |
[Mar. 3rd, 2009|07:01 pm] |
*sighs* My devil twin♥ wanted. She got. 1500 words of vampire smut.
What you need to know: Francis is a Knight Templar. After the order's dissolution, he fled to a valley run by a family of good vampires. The goodness was guarded by a monastery with a magic cross. The monk Mikhail, driven mad by the fact the family's daughter preferred Francis, broke the seal and became an evil vampire. Through the River of Time (cue song), Francis searches for the jewel-roses that formed the seal. And in the palace of Louis XIV, he stumbles on a vampire plot.
TITLE: Entracte
RATING: R/NC-17
FANDOM: Seal of Roses: Vampire Requiem (Takarazuka)
PAIRINGS: Francis/Mikhail
WORDS: circa 1500
SUMMARY: In the night of Paris, Mikhail catches Francis unawares. He is made to regret it, if only for the sake of his dress.
Entirely fyrie's fault. Hankyu owns everything, Takarazuka Revue are goddesses, and needless to say, this is not quite pure and proper. (Beauty can be argued.)
( Between the acts ) |
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| A good weekend for musicals |
[Feb. 23rd, 2009|09:49 am] |
After the last few weeks, I really welcomed an off weekend. Due to several packages and events, it was better than I expected :)
First, the Elisabeth programme from the Toho production is absolutely gorgeous. While Maki remains my firm favourite, both the new Elisabeths look more than up to the task. Alas, my DVD of the first act with Komu and Yamaguchi is just half a full stage shot (no zoom and lots of obscuring heads), but the one of Kaname and Takeda is a good full-stage shot and features both acts - she handles herself very well, though her voice will always be Kenshin to me.
(And I have the Mizu-Tonami chirashi for Zorro! Three of them :D)
I also watched Rose of Versailles: Oscar (the 2006 Snow Troupe version, Mizu!Andre digest), which I think may warrant its own post, just because of how strong Komu's Oscar is, and how well they get through the madness that is the poisoning scene. With a crystal pegasus and assorted pink and glitter, this was a good antidote to the movie I watched just before that - The Nightmare Before Christmas. Which got bonus points for a Jack Skellington being voiced by a guy who did both Phantom of the Opera and Abronsius. (Yes, I watched the English version first. Then just the songs for the Japanese dub, because I adore Masachika Ichimura.)
And then, of course, this morning. Oscars. Hugh Jackman. If you haven't seen the clips of his opening number, or the medley with Beyoncé (who would make a stunning Velma Kelly), please do. They're all over Youtube, anyway :) |
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| Yuletide reveal |
[Jan. 2nd, 2009|12:25 am] |
Author names are now up, which means I can confess to posting the following:
Elisabeth: The Play of the Hand
Three months before Mayerling, Rudolf has to deal with Death, Elisabeth, and a visit from an Emperor younger than him. This is my longest Yuletide story, and the most hermetic one, in that it takes as given that the reader knows that in 1888, Wilhelm von Hohenzollern became Emperor of Germany, and that Rudolf had a love-hate relationship with him, culminating in political quarrels and estrangement during that visit, in October 1888. It was my first attempt at pulling out these two, and I fear I may return to them at some point in the future :)
Elisabeth: Empress of the Mind
After seeing to Elisabeth's fainting spell, Doktor Seeburger returns to the Archduchess Sophie. Inspired by the Yukigumi 2007 production, and by the Hungarian production's scene with Death and Sophie. (And again a historical fact: Sophie witnessed the decline and death of her beloved cousin, Napoleon's son. She was close enough to him that there were rumours that her second son was his. From that moment on, she was familiar with Death.)
Romeo et Juliette: The Wedding Night (R, Mercutio/Tybalt)
Alternate Universe: It is the night of Romeo and Juliette's wedding.
Arthurian legend: Natural Son
Mordred's arrival in Camelot. He's always been my favourite, along with Lancelot, of the Arthurian legends, and in this piece I touch on the reasons why. I think this, together with the fandom's popularity (and the fact so many great fics were written in it this year!) was why this story got the most comments :)
Out of all of these, I think I'm proudest of Empress of the Mind. Mostly because it flowed, and Death still does not want to shut up. |
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| Yuletide and daschunds |
[Dec. 27th, 2008|07:03 pm] |
I'm getting back home tomorrow, and I'll do a full recs post then - just the Vorkosigan fandom has me in so much squee. For now, just the ones I got, in their order from my Yuletide mail. Each of these is a marvel, especially since my original Santa defaulted - all of these are Yuletide Treats!
Shadows and Blood - Tanz der Vampire. I know who wrote this one, but that doesn't stop me from adoring it to itty bitty pieces :D Von Krolock and Herbert, as played by Jan Ammann and Jakub W., and being so them that I almost fell of my chair in giggles.
Taking the Waters - Lord John Grey, a story in which Stephan and John are delightfully them, and a mood that could be written by Diana Gabaldon herself.
Eschewing Protocol - another Lord John story, and this one had me in stitches at how well it gets into John's head. It's the kind of slashy gem I adore so much ♥
Der Untergang - Elisabeth and Death, and the author's grasp on Death is amazing. It's a missing scene from the musical, and makes me want to send this to Michael Kunze for inclusion in the next staging of the show.
And then there is Close as Brothers, which is Lord John again, and lovely and touching, and written by someone who's not even a Yuletider O.o I've no idea who it is, and the very sentiment was jaw-dropping, never mind the fact it's so well-written!
Here's hoping everyone had a happy and joyful winter festival of whatever flavour they prefer! |
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| Yay Yuletide! |
[Nov. 4th, 2008|07:29 pm] |
I don't have to remind anyone that signups are open for Yuletide, do I?
Record number of fandoms this year, and looks to be a record number of signups too. If anyone's considering writing Elisabeth or Tanz der Vampire (or any of the other musicals on offer), please sign up! That means one less chance of myself and fyrie getting each other's requests, which is my one fear ;)
(And I ended up offering 20 fandoms, too. I may be slightly deranged.) |
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| Habsburgs are amusing |
[Oct. 13th, 2008|05:06 pm] |
Back from Vienna, alive. I had an immensely enjoyable weekend, including seeing Rebecca again (more on which, hopefully, later) and fyrie killing my feet with all the walking we did ;)
One of the highlights of the trip was the temporary exhibition on Crown Prince Rudolf that's currently on at the Hofmobiliendepot. He was a deeply disturbed individual. One quote: "I have a deep respect for death. I often seek out dying people, to witness their last breath. Each of them dies differently. I watch dying animals as well..."
But what slayed me was a pair of photos of Rudolf clinging - there is no other word - on the arm of Wilhelm II of Prussia. Who, before the unfortunate moustache, apparently was a dead ringer for Jesper Tyden. And of all the Rudolf photos in the exhibit, the one with his arm through Wilhelm's was the only one in which he looked comfortable. On top of Wilhelm's documented predilections, I really do not need this plotbunny. |
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| AU meme, and Phantom |
[Sep. 22nd, 2008|08:57 am] |
Phantom of the Opera season opener was on Saturday. The Phantom has clearly been working out, which means he's now of the proper Phantom shape, but leaves his trousers hanging like sacks over his legs :> The Amazing Vampire Raoul got carnations with a card with vampire fangs drawn on it, which he promptly displayed to the rest of the cast. Ooops. Should have drawn a smaller card ;)
I'm also trying very, very hard to kickstart my x2009 story. I hope this meme helps me get my creativity on, if I have any takers *bats eyelashes*
The Hypothetical AU Meme: Take any one of the fandoms you know I write in (or think I should), and give me a type of AU (space opera AU, pirate AU, superhero AU, Ancient Rome, etc). I will then explain what story from your chosen fandom I would write for your chosen type of AU. |
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| Krolock squee!!! |
[Sep. 13th, 2008|10:18 am] |
Muahahaha.
Jan Ammann is Graf von Krolock for Oberhausen. This would Mr Yamaguchi-Voice Male Model. And the guy I saw as Beast a year ago and went, "if he doesn't play Krolock I'll kill someone."
And um. There may be a direct train from Warsaw to Oberhausen. I believe I may just go and see how Westphalia looks when covered in snow. |
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| Elisabeth in Budapest, with pictures! |
[Jun. 30th, 2008|05:21 pm] |
Where to start? I saw four excellent shows, two each of Tanz der Vampire (Vámpirok Báljá) and Elisabeth. I saw them with roughly the same casts. In the case of Tanz, it was the first cast, which I've seen many times and have reviewed extensively. In the case of Elisabeth, while comments from the last time still apply, there was one notable exception. One muscular, blond, Hungarian exception with a rockstar voice and a charisma bigger than the stage.
After two years of fangirling the man, I have finally seen Máté Kamarás in person. And now I really understand the Japanese fangirls who travelled all the way to Budapest to see him. The man is that good.
( Elisabeth, or the Death who stole the show )
And on top of all that, I've finally figured out how to get photos of actors in costume. Curtain calls!
( Death (times 4), Elisabeth, Lucheni, plus Krolock and Herbert for good measure ) |
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| Budapest update |
[Jun. 28th, 2008|11:21 pm] |
My brain is mush. This has a lot to do with the fact I saw the git in my icon today. And then he stole the show.
Full review once I'm home. For now, let it suffice that I am grinning so much, my cheeks hurt. |
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| Beauty and the Beast, seaside edition |
[Jun. 16th, 2008|03:18 pm] |
I saw the Disney musical Beauty and the Beast for the first time in Berlin, with Leah Delos Santos, Jan Ammann, Uli Scherbel and Kevin Kraus, a truly magical cast. I had vague memories of the movie, but the show clinched it for me; not an oh-my-gods, but a lovely musical that I saw twice (mainly on account of Jan) and that the cast loved to bits.
Yesterday, I saw the new production in Gdynia, Poland. Huh. Looks like we've got another international-class production on our hands.
( Except for Belle, but who cares for Belle when you've got an emo Johnny Depp villain? )
All that on top of a very well-translated show, and I think we've got a winner on our hands :) |
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| DVD: Romeo et Juliette, Gerard Presgurvic version |
[May. 17th, 2008|07:12 pm] |
And in the continuing adventures of Beth versus actual commercially available DVDs of musicals, I've finally watched something I've had for a while - Romeo et Juliette, the Gerard Presgurvic version, as recorded in 2001 in Paris. I have to say that even with all the pop music, this is one of the most artistic musicals. The French seem to have a gift for them.
( Amazingly fun musical. Why did no-one tell me it had Death in it? )
Unfortunately, this DVD is out of print at the moment. But the good news is, enterprising people have uploaded all of it to Youtube :) Between them, "selenityrose" and "faelivrinen" have all the tracks. Some samples:
Verone (first song of the musical
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J'ai peur (originally a Mercutio song, given to Romeo because he's the only one not noticeably shorter than Death)
C'est pas ma faute (Tybalt angst) |
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| *sporfle* |
[May. 7th, 2008|09:19 pm] |
Apparently on a talent show on ZDF this spring, they had a musicals theme and Uwe Kröger as a judge. This makes for entertaining clips of him making faces as people torture German and English musicals.
But this is something else. They had Villazon as a guest star, because apart from being Caruso Jr, he's also done Man of La Mancha. Which he did admirably - guy's got a siege weapon of a voice on him.
And then he and the host went and did Always look on the bright side of life. Yes, from Spamalot. Monty Python. My brain!
(Video under cut, because I refuse to be the only one traumatised.)
( Bad and wrong and yay ) |
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