Thomas Borchert performed in concert at the Stadttheater Walfischgasse, Vienna. Picture: Karim Khawatmi
Thomas Borchert in Concert – die schönsten Songs aus Musical und Film was performed at the Stadttheater Walfischgasse, Vienna.
For two nights only, the renowned musical theatre star, actor and singer/songwriter Thomas Borchert – who currently can be seen in the world premiere of the Frank Wildhorn-penned Artus –Excalibur in St. Gallen – premiered his new solo show at the Stadttheater Walfischgasse, Vienna.
The evening was packed with show tunes, mostly from shows he has appeared in including The Count of Monte Cristo, Elisabeth and Tanz der Vampire, as well as songs from movies such as Breakfast At Tiffany’s or the James Bond series.
Highlights of the evening, which saw the German star not only singing but also playing the piano throughout the entire duration of the show, included ‘Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head’ and ‘The Man I Used to Be’ from The Count of Monte Cristo, which in a stripped-back version sounded stunning. I also enjoyed his rendition of ‘Against All Odds’, originally performed by Phil Collins, as well as the moving rendition of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and his James Bond medley, particularly ‘Skyfall’.
A jazzy rendition of ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ was a little disappointing. While I didn’t mind the arrangement, the new lyrics and the fact that it was a solo version (therefore things like “in sleep he sang to me” were changed to “in sleep I sang to you”) didn’t really work. He did the same with ‘Totale Finsternis’ from Tanz der Vampire. The idea of changing a duet to a solo number worked better here though, as did his interaction with the audience.
‘Dies ist die Stunde’ (‘This is the Moment’ from Jekyll & Hyde) is usually one of Borchert’s strongest numbers, but I think it was a mistake for him to sing it right at the beginning of the show when his voice was perhaps not as ready as it was towards the final stages. It might also have been the fact that he had to play the piano as well which didn’t allow him to deliver the number the way he usually does.
However, further highlights included ‘Where Do I Begin’ from Love Story and his hilarious rendition of ‘der letzte Tanz’, although I almost preferred ‘Kitsch’, both of which were taken from Elisabeth.
Borchert was joined by Helge Teschner on drums and Jens Wrede on bass. Together they performed an intimate evening with lots of nice moments that will hopefully be seen more often.
Ludovico Lucchesi Palli
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