| Good feline news |
[Nov. 22nd, 2009|10:18 pm] |
After five days of twice-daily IVs, my dearest Tonio's results are much improved. And so is he - annoyed about the cannula, surely, but shiny and happy and jumping and eating ♥ His vet says it's going very well, and while there will be twice daily IVs for another week, I'd do them for months if it meant I can keep his furry self this happy. I know it's a serious, lifetime condition, but one day, one week at a time - he's only six years old :)
(And I think I owe Tomomin a four-page letter full of "OMG your fanclub mail saved my sanity", only then she'll think I'm really insane...)
In other news, here's the Phantom and Rock Phantom on Youtube - sound only, but you can see why I was so happy with my Phantom, the first Phantom I ever saw live, mesmerising 1300 people with a single note :D |
|
|
| Review: Benefiz-Gala in Oberhausen |
[Nov. 13th, 2009|10:43 pm] |
After three days of Roman angelic overload, I'm finally up to a review of Tuesday's gala.
To get bad things out of the way first: the concert was advertised with posters and annoucements featuring only Jan Ammann and Kevin Tarte, leading me to assume that they'd feature in at least half the concert. Instead, in a three-hour concert Kevin got one solo, Jan two, and there were two duets between the two of them, out of thirty-seven songs. I think that if the poster for a concert features only two stars, one can reasonably expect them to take up more than 13.5% of its duration. (One can also expect, say, drama musicals rather than crossdressing and Disney. One can be wrong.)
( But there was still crack. And Jakub! My favourite Herbert and Phantom is all grown up and playing to audiences of thousands! )
Audio bonus
And to save you from the wall of text up there:
Jan Ammann - Nature Boy
Jan Ammann and Kevin Tarte - Stars (demonic version)
Jakub Wocial, Jan Ammann - Phantom / Rockstar Phantom
Kevin Tarte and Jan Ammann - The Winner Takes It All |
|
|
| Ded of Krolock |
[Nov. 8th, 2009|11:27 pm] |
In Oberhausen. Just saw the git (no, not that git. The other other git. I have a lot of them) play Krolock, finally.
Review upcoming. For now, let it suffice to say that my lifelong ambition to see a Krolock fall into the orchestra pit has finally been realised, at least for values of Krolock-leg, Krolock-cloak, and frantic clutching at the ledge ♥ |
|
|
| 30s musicals |
[Oct. 31st, 2009|11:09 am] |
Found this for the grandparents, but oh, why don't they make movies like this anymore? :)
|
|
|
| Fiddler on the Roof (Gdynia, Poland) |
[Oct. 25th, 2009|01:49 pm] |
Since the Gdynia musical theatre obligingly rotates their shows every week or so, I ended up catching Fiddler on the Roof.
It was my first time seeing it live, and I was rather ticked off that a Certain Someone was supposed to be playing Perchik, but ended up being a random ensemble member instead, at the last moment - to the point where the ushers were all "What? He's supposed to be on as Perchik tonight!" and the night's cast list had him as well. I suspect a sudden sore throat, because he was inaudible as well, where he usually drowns everyone out. Still, I got to see him prancing about in amusing ways :)
My two other quiet favourites from this theatre's stable cast were in it as well, Bernaciak playing the Rabbi's son (flaming prancing gay, which I've come to expect from him...) and Michalski as Fiedya - dammit, the guy has a show-stopping voice ♥ I saw him as Beast a year ago, but he's been working on it since.
The show was good - good staging, great sets (simple black shapes with projections of Chagal paintings) and very nice choreography. There was also an energetic vibe in the ensemble, and I had great fun people-watching. The mute Fiddler in particular was used in ways that reminded me a lot of Mozart. And the accents! I know all those accents both from movies and from real life, and it was all authentic Jewish and Russian accents. So much love for the voice coaches.
My problem with it is that the musical isn't particularly good. It's all a one-man show revolving around Tevye, with other characters barely sketched. The music's brilliant, but it doesn't always fit the action - the most striking example is the celebratory L'Chaim (IMHO the best song in the show along with Sunrise, Sunset) being the celebration of an engagement that gets tossed aside the next day. I think I'm spoiled for good musicals, but dear heavens, this book could use a rewrite.
(This staging did attempt to lead the emotional arc a bit more, but it was haphazard. I wasn't particularly fond of the way they dressed the Fiddler in an Auschwitz striped outfit at the end.)
Still, a good show, and a good cast :) And my machine didn't give out for once, which is a joy - I'm not fond of the cast recordings available for it, and the voices and music were stellar. Good times.
Bonus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OZLoyY8PiQ - second section of L'Chaim. The guy who defies human lungs at 0:55 would be Michalski. |
|
|
| Spamalot wonder |
[Oct. 11th, 2009|01:02 pm] |
So, my favourite joke about a certain Herbert von Krolock is that he could sing Phantom of the Opera as a duet with himself, ending included.
This is him doing The Song That Goes Like This, both sides of it:
( Read more... )
No words. |
|
|
| Musical wisdom from Michal Kunze |
[Sep. 17th, 2009|10:57 am] |
A lot of scriptwriters should follow this ♥
In my translation:
Seven deadly sins of writers of musicals:
1. The story is predictable
2. The audience feels no empathy with the protagonist
3. The protagonist learns nothing from the story and remains unchanged
4. The theme isn't explored/analysed
5. Songs tell the audience what they already know
6. All characters act and sing in the same way
7. Ten minutes in, you still don't know what's going on |
|
|
| Raindrops fall on Roses / Amour, it's something like... (Cosmos, July 2nd 2009, evening performance) |
[Jul. 22nd, 2009|10:10 am] |
We got toujitsuken (same-day tickets) to see this show, and I was surprised to find them still available when we arrived at the Tokyo Takarazuka Theater at 10 AM, since it was only a few days before the end of the run and the joint graduation/retirement of both Top Stars and eight other performers. The same-day tickets are the very back row of the balcony, and I can confirm that even from there, the view is stellar - binoculars helped, of course.
( And here I thought it wasn't possible for me to be impressed by a Cosmos show )
Out of all we saw during our stay in Japan, this was the show for which I had the least expectations. I'm happy to report I was very pleasantly surprised. |
|
|
| Legend of the Four Gods ver. 2 (Star Troupe, July 9 2009, Takarazuka Grand Theatre) |
[Jul. 21st, 2009|09:49 am] |
The review's a bit late (though not as late as the Elisabeth one!), so to make up for it, I added pictures :) Life's been crazy since I got back.
This was another show with a plot famous for confusing people. I'm rather proud of myself - with rudimentary Japanese and no knowledge of the original Korean drama, the only part of the plot I wasn't able to follow was the actual Four Gods thing, and that was the one thing I'd read up on before. Overall, this was a gorgeous show - perfect cast, perfect energy, gorgeous visuals and engaging characters. I'll be buying this one on DVD!
( With pictures, courtesy of Asahi.com ) |
|
|
| Dead on account of dancing vampires |
[Jul. 7th, 2009|08:34 pm] |
So, not only am I in Japan for Tanabata (and I have the Google!Japan logo to prove it), but I just saw my favourite musical in the world, with the one performer that a, I adore in every role on account of his voice making me melt, and b, that I was never expecting to see because, well, Japan.
Yuichirou Yamaguchi, live, is enough to make your brain melt with the first note. For most of the show, he's a Japanese demon, a bunraku puppet, inhuman and only moving when he chooses to. Then came Unstillbare, and the way he came out and leaned on a gravestone, suddenly human, broke my heart even before he sang. And he did sing, and it left me gasping for breath. The stage presence alone, and that voice!
(Yes, I did have my faithful Olympus gadget. And I wasn't the only one melting. We were on the balcony, among an all-female crowd, and we all gasped in unison. As ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) fyrie put it, that voice bypasses the brain altogether to lodge much lower.)
( The rest of the Tokyo version of Tanz der Vampire was also much improved )
We're going back to Osaka tomorrow, via Nagoya and Cirque du Soleil (again, this time for free in 12,000 yen seats). I think I may have trouble sleeping long enough today. Falling asleep at Me and My Girl would be embarrassing. |
|
|
| 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 |
|
|
| 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 ) |
|
|
| FIC: Fairytale/Cinderella: "Complications in advice-giving" (PG) |
[May. 17th, 2009|07:44 pm] |
So, so much 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 ) |
|
|
| 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:
|
|
|
| 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 ) |
|
|
| 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:
|
|
|
| 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 ) |
|
|
| 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. |
|
|
| 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 ) |
|
|
| 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 :) |
|
|
| 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. |
|
|
| 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! |
|
|
| 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.) |
|
|
