C’est la vie, a new revue written by Peter Turrini, will be staged at the Theater in der Josefstadt
Ludovico Lucchesi Palli looks forward to a packed season ahead in Austrian theatre.
With the 2013/2014 season slowly coming to an end, theatres in Austria are getting ready for the upcoming season, which promises to combine classics from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Stephen Sondheim to a Disney favourite (for the first time in German) and some musical theatre delights in the style of Franz Wittenbrink.
* The Vereinigte Bühnen Wien will bring the German-speaking premiere of Disney’s Mary Poppins from 1 October 2014 at the Ronacher. The show, which premiered in the West End in 2004, features music by Robert and Richard Shermann, with additional songs by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe.
The Vienna cast includes Annemieke van Dam (Elisabeth) in the title role, David Boyd as Bert, Reinwald Kranner as Mr Banks, Milica Jovanovic as Mrs Banks, Maaike Schuurmans as Miss Andrew, Dirk Lohr as Chairman and Niklas Abel as Robertson Ay. Further casting is yet to be announced.
* The Kammerspiele der Josefstadt presents its third collaboration with director and arranger/composer Franz Wittenbrink with the premiere of Schön schön schön on 11 September 2014. The play with songs will have a closer look at beauty, plastic surgery and everything that comes with it.
The cast consists of Ruth Brauer-Kvam (who currently can be seen in her show Die Unschuld vom Lande, which continues in rep until 15 June), Maria Köstlinger, Marika Lichter, Sona MacDonald, Ljubiṧa Lupo Grujcic and Martin Niedermaier. The show features music by Wittenbrink, with lyrics by Peter Ahorner, sets by Miriam Busch and Christian Frank as musical director.
The acclaimed director Stephanie Mohr returns to the Theater in der Josefstadt with a brand new revue written by Peter Turrini, who has previously worked very closely with the venue and celebrates his 70th birthday this year. The revue is called C’est la vie and promises a stellar cast including Alexander Pschill, Hilde Dalik and Erich Schleyer. The show features sets once again by Busch and costumes by Alfred Mayerhofer. Wolfgang Schlögl serves as musical director and will compose music especially for the show which opens on 17 September.
Erwin Steinhauer brings his new programme to the Kammerspiele der Josefstadt from 16 October. Entitled Hand aufs Herz (Hand On the heart), it sees the acclaimed actor singing and playing guitar, with sets by Enid Löser, Georg Graf on saxophone, clarinet and guitar, Joe Pinkl on guitar and tuba and Peter Rosmanith on percussion.
On 8 May 2015 another play with songs opens at the Kammerspiele der Josefstadt, namely the Austrian premiere of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (Aufstieg und Fall von Little Voice), in a translation by Ursula Grützmacher-Tabori. It stars Eva Mayer in the title role and Sona MacDonald as her mother. The show is directed by Folke Braband.
* The Opera Graz will present two musicals this season, a modern classic by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice and the premiere of a new family musical by the writing tea Zaufke/Lund.
The Osnabrück production of Evita will transfer to Graz from 2 October. It will feature Bettina Mönch (Im weißen Rössl, Anything Goes) in the title role, Marc Lamberty as Che, Guido Weber as Juan Peron, Martin Fournier as Magaldy and Nazanin Ezazi as the mistress.
The family musical Grimm!, a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, will open on 7 December as a co-production with Next Liberty, the youth theatre in Graz. The show features music by Thomas Zauke (Die unendliche Geschichte) and book and lyrics by Peter Lund (Leben ohne Chris). Helge Stradner directs, with Maurizio Nobili serving as musical director. The sets are by Marlies Pfeifer and costumes by Isabel Toccafondi. No casting has been announced yet.
* December 6 sees a very special show opening at the Vienna Volksoper, namely Der Zauberer von Oz (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz). The stage version of the famous film with music by Harold Arlen and EY Harburg, originally conceived by the Royal Shakespare Company in 1987, translated by Klaus Eidam, will be directed by Henry Mason.
It will feature choreography by Francesc Abos and sets and costumes by Jan Meier. Lorenz C Aichner (Kiss Me, Kate) will serve as musical director. The cast consists of Robert Meyer and Boris Eder sharing the role of the Wizard, Johanna Arrouas and Franziska Kemna as Dorothy, Martin Bermoser and Markus Meyer as the Lion, Peter Lesiak as the Scarecrow, Oliver Liebl as the Tinman, Regula Rosin as the Witch of the North, Wolfgang Gratschmaier and Gernot Kranner as Uncle Harry, Christian Graf (known from many productions at the Theater der Jugend) as the Wicked Witch of the West and Daniel Jeroma as Toto.
Aside from the return of hit shows Guys and Dolls, Sweeney Todd and Kiss Me, Kate as part of their Musicalwochen running from December to March, the Volksoper will bring back their acclaimed production of Hello, Dolly! in March 2015. The show is directed by Josef Ernst Köpplinger and will reunite Sigrid Hauser with Robert Meyer, who were last seen in Guys and Dolls together, as Mrs Dolly Gallagher Levi and Horace Vandergelder respectively.
It will also feature Peter Lesiak and Jeffrey Treganza as Cornelius Hackl, Oliver Liebl as Barnaby Tucker, Johanna Arrouas as Minnie Fay, Julia Koci as Irene Molloy, Boris Eder and Jeffrey Treganza as Ambrose Kemper, Claudua Goebl as Ermengarde, Sulie Girardi as Ernestina Money, Previn Moore as Rudolph and Gerhard Ernst as the judge. The show features sets by Sam Madwar, costumes by Rainer Sinell and choreography by Richard Ludigkeit. David Levi serves as musical director.
On 10 April 2015, Sigrid Hauser will present her new show Sigrid Hauser: PUR.
* The Bühne Baden will present two shows that are rarely seen in German speaking theatres. The Strouse/Meehan/Charnin-penned show Annie will open on 15 November. It will be presented in a translation by Holger Hauer and Jürgen Hartmann.
The cast includes Dagmar Hellberg, Otto Jaus, Erwin Windegger and Peter Kratochvil. It will be directed by Alexandra Frankmann, with sets by Sam Madwar, costumes by Friederike Friedrich and choreography by Marcus Tesch. Oliver Ostermann will serve as musical director.
The second show is Das Lächeln einer Sommernacht (A Little Night Music). The Sondheim classic, in a translation by Eckhart Hachfeld, will open on 14 February 2015. Robert Herzl, who recently retired from his role as artistic director of the Bühne Baden, will direct, with Franz Josef Breznik serving as musical director, sets and costumes by Pantelis Dessyllas and choreography by Michael Kropf. The cast includes favourites such as Kerstin Ibald, Marjan Shaki and Lukas Perman.
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