The first stages of 2015 have been quite a joy for musical theatre fans in Austria, writes Ludovico Lucchesi Palli. Aside from a real Austrian classic in Salzburg and a little bit of Sondheim in Linz, a crime musical also opened in Kottingbrunn, just outside Vienna.
Picture: Christine Canaval
Im Weissen Rössl – Salzburger Landestheater
Star rating: 4 stars ★ ★ ★ ★
Following the success of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music, the artistic director of opera at the Salzburger Landestheater and renowned director Andreas Gergen (Shrek, Der Besuch der alten Dame) and choreographer Kim Duddy (The Wiz, Ich war noch niemals in New York) bring another classic closely related to Salzburg, namely Im Weissen Rössl. The Benatzky/Gilbert-penned operetta about inn owner Josepha Vogelhuber and her butler Leopold is presented as a colourful but modern revue, packed with jazzy arrangements (unlike some of the more classical ones), electrifying choreography and a stellar cast.
Franziska Becker as Josepha Vogelhuber is the star of the show; she has an incredible stage presence throughout and impresses with her comic ability and singing, giving the role a lot of humour and depth.
Sascha Oskar Weis as Leopold Brandmeyer is strong throughout too and harmonises well with Becker, but rather than trying to find his own way of portraying this role, he tries to sing it like Peter Alexander, who played the part in the 1960 film.
Norbert Lamla as Wilhelm Giesecke is solid throughout, while Lucy Scherer as his daughter Ottilie is enchanting acting-wise and impresses vocally, particularly towards the end of the evening.
Simon Schnorr, playing as Dr. Otto Siedler, might have a decent stage presence and possess a strong voice, but he is way too loud at times. Marco Dott delivers a comic performance as Sigismund Sülzheimer.
The role of Klärchen is portrayed by Hannah Kastner (with alternate Laura Nicorescu). The performance I saw was performed by Nicorescu and she was funny and knew how to deal with this rather tricky role, without overdoing it.
The emperor, in the form of a puppet (a great addition to the show), is played by Georg Clementi. The role of Piccolo is portrayed by Lukas Blaukovitsch (with Dominik Tiefgraber alternating). Musical director Peter Ewaldt conducts the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchester.
Andreas Gergen has managed to create a production which is modern but at the same time works well with the rather old fashioned piece. There are elegant colours in the sets (by Stephen Prattes), costumes (by Regina Schill) and fast-paced choreography by Kim Duddy, all of which make this Berlin version of the classic a stunning production, which will hopefully run for a long time.
Im Weissen Rössl continues in rep until 9 April 2015.
www.salzburger-landestheater.at
Rob Pelzer in Company at Landestheater Linz. Picture: Reinhard Winkler
Company – Landestheater Linz
Star rating: 4 stars ★ ★ ★ ★
Sondheim shows in Austria and Germany have been quite a rarity in the past, so I am more than thrilled that Matthias Davids has decided to include the Sondheim/Furth penned Company as part of the 2014/15 season. This production is a real joy, despite the fact that the show is presented in German in a translation by Michael Kunze.
Rob Pelzer leads the cast as Robert, with members from the musical theatre ensemble as well as from the acting ensemble and guests.
Pelzer delivers a splendid performance, bringing charm to the role and singing beautifully throughout, particularly when it comes to his big moment ‘Lebendig zu sein’ (‘Being Alive’).
Further musical highlights of the show include Daniela Dett as Amy performing ‘Die Hochzeit fällt heute aus’ (‘Getting Married Today’) during which the actress proves that she is as brilliant an actor as she is a singer, Barbara Obermeier (April), Ariana Schirasi-Fard (Marta) and Ilia Vierlinger (Kathy) singing ‘Du treibst einen glattt zum Wahnsinn’ (‘You Could Drive a Person Crazy’).
In addition to this trio, where I must admit that the translation is a bit shaky compared to the original version, Schirasi-Fard delivers a stunning performance of ‘Und wieder kommen hundert’ (‘Another Hundred People’), as does Gaye MacFarlane (Joanne) singing ‘Auf all die gnädigen Frauen’ (‘The Ladies Who Lunch’).
Matthias Davids directs this show in a very minimalistic way, with some fairly naked sets by Guido Petzold, costumes by Richard Stockinger and decent choreography from Kurt Schrepfer. Kai Tietje serves as musical director. This is another triumph for Linz.
Company continues in rep until 14 May 2015.
Picture: Nilz Boehme
We Will Rock You – Vienna Stadthalle and Touring
Star rating: 2 stars ★ ★
It seems that there is the desire to turn everything into a musical these days, and while a lot of movies actually can be quite amusing on stage, when it comes to rock and pop music, writers always try to create stories that can accommodate the songs and therefore end up having weak books. The Queen/Ben Elton penned musical We Will Rock You is a good example.
However, while the book is probably the weakest part of the show, the strongest is the cast: Brigitte Oelke as Killer Queen delivers a wonderful performance. She has great stage presence and impresses with her strong voice. Her new album The Private Session – Musicals Vol. 1, which features acoustic interpretations of show tunes in German and English, will be released on 27 March 2015.
Martin Berger as Khashoggi is vocally strong and impresses acting wise too, as does Christopher Brose who plays Galileo. His Scaramouche (Jeannine Michéle Wacker) is a bit shaky vocally at first, but her voice gets better as the show progresses and she delivers the role with humour and determination.
Markus Neugebauer as Brit and Linda Holmgren as Ozzy (Meat in the UK – not sure why they had to change the name) deliver solid performances on all levels. Jeff Frohner serves as musical director.
Fotos © Gerhard Maly
Nicole Rest-Lankmayer and Bernhard Viktorin in No Way to Treat a Lady at Kulturszene Kottingbrunn. Picture: Gerhard Maly
No Way to Treat a Lady – Kulturszene Kottingbrunn
Star rating: 4 stars ★ ★ ★ ★
Following the success of last year’s production of Tomorrow Morning, the Kulturszene Kottingbrunn brings another exciting musical, namely Douglas J. Cohen‘s musical No Way to Treat a Lady. This is a rare piece of musical theatre that not only features a delightful score, but also has an interesting story that grabs your attention from the very beginning.
The show, which is performed in a German translation by Holger (book) and Frank Felicetti (lyrics), has a cast consisting of Christian Graf (Der Zauberer von Oz) as Morris, Bernhard Viktorin (Go West Again) as Kitt, singer Tini Kainrath (known for being a member of The Rounder Girls) in various roles including Flora and Mrs Sullivan, and Nicole Rest-Lankmayer as Sarah.
Graf delivers a stunning performance throughout. He is a divine singer and actor and here has a chance to display both skills equally, Viktorin is vocally strong too and gives a lot of depth to the role of the murderer Kitt. Rest-Lankmayer brings plenty of charisma and determination to her role and sings well throughout, despite not hitting all the notes. Kainrath surprises with her acting skills, but it is a shame that she isn’t given a lot to sing.
Peter W. Hochegger directs once again and does so with a lot of humour, managing to create a small yet exciting production. A live band is led by musical director Helmut Strobl.
It is always a joy to see rare musicals on stage, and I must say that the cast and creatives have put together a lovely production. I look forward to next year!
Ludovico Lucchesi Palli
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