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Elisabeth
Original Essen Cast
Starring Pia Douwes, Uwe Kröger
Music by Michael Kunze
Lyrics by Sylvester Levay
16 Tracks
Read my Synopsis of the show.
Elisabeth is one of the most amazing musicals I have ever heard. It's in German, but it's easy to fall in love with the musical without speaking the language - I did! The music is fantastic, the story is compelling and true (sort of) and the performances are mind-blowing.
At first glance the plot seems a little strange, but trust me – it's incredibly powerful. Just sample some of the music; you'll see what I mean. For me, the story's basis in truth even makes it extra meaningful. And the absolutely gorgeous music of Michael Kunze is a joy to listen to. You really don't need to understand German; even just an idea of what's going on in the song is enough. In most cases the actors do their job so well you can tell what's going on without understanding.
In the Essen Cast, Pia Douwes is absolutely fantastic as Elisabeth. She goes rather high without ever getting the least bit shrill, and the emotion she puts into all her songs is astounding. I find it amazing that she manages to sound so young for "Wie Du" at the beginning, and sound older as the show progresses.
Uwe Kröger is equally wonderful as Death; sinister yet attractive, and that's all conveyed his voice, mind you. His voice glides likes silk over the words, and yet many of his numbers are reminiscent of rock songs - part of the metaphorical image of "Death as a rock star" that the show conveys. His "Der Letzte Tanz" is not to be missed.
Carsten Lepper is an excellent Lucheni; I only wish we could hear a bit more of him. He doesn't seem to have quite as much personality as Ethan Freeman on the OVC, but I think it might be because some of his songs are missing. Michael Lewis is great as Elisabeth's husband Franz-Joseph; I've heard complaints that he doesn't sound as if he aged much, but frankly I think that's splitting hairs. The other performer I want to mention is Kaj Binder, who plays Rudolf as a child. His rendition of "Mama, Wo Bist Du" is breathtaking. It's so sad, it brought tears to my eyes, and I was able to understand what was going on in the song even before I found a translation. His voice is beautiful. Hopefully when it changes it will become a beautiful baritone or whatever, because this kid is talented. Jesper Tyden, who appears as the adult Rudolf, also has a marvelous voice. He really gets across the vulnerability of the character. I only wish we could hear more of him - I would love to hear him as Der Tod. (He understudied Kröger in the role.)
My favorite song on this CD, "Wenn Ich Tanzen Will" (When I Want to Dance) was added at this production and does not appear on any previous CDs of the show. It is a duet between Elisabeth and Death in which Elisabeth says she controls her own life and Death sort of eggs her on but with one important difference: he claims it's he who controls her.
I find that I actually like listening to German better than listening to English. I'm not sure why; I just love the way the language sounds.
In short? If you like musical theater, and especially if you like dark stuff like The Phantom of the Opera, Jekyll and Hyde, etc., you MUST check this musical out right now! I recommend this CD heartily to everyone.
For those of who who, like me, don't speak German, there are some websites out there with translations. The site Elisabeth: The Musical is designed to introduce English speakers to the show, and it is a great resource although still under construction. Ich Gehör Nur Mir is also a good resource, with the partial translations from the Vienna Cast CD libretto and an introduction to the musical in general.
