(Warning, long comment :P Sorry) Before addressing some things about your criticism, let me explain the lyrics thing: Michael Kunze actually first wrote this show in English because the show was supposed to have its world premiere in Britain. It was a deal he had with the Du Maurier estate for getting the rights to the show, which were very hard to get (apparently Andrew Lloyd Webber had already tried and failed). He had an English Demo recorded in around 2002 with the cast of the German production of his show "Elisabeth" (Uwe Kröger, Pia Douwes, André Bauer, etc). The lyrics you know are from that demo (which was used in the Broadway promos and is still used by the VBW in their English Trailer for the musical. It's available here on UA-cam). When that production didn't materialise, he approached the VBW and they said "sure, let's stage it!". So the libretto was translated by him to German (well...re-written really. The German lyrics are far better). This libretto now is a re-re-translation. And it's bad. I agree. Heck, I'm not a native English speaker and I can come up with better lyrics to some of the songs. As for the English version...yeah. It's VERY different from the German one. For the worse. There are far too many cut songs, far too many nonsensical changes in the positions of songs (Beatrice's song about Maxim, for example, makes no sense in the 2nd Act), and far too many dumb changes to songs themselves. For example, "Der Ball von Manderley" is a far better Ball song than using the previous music from Monte Carlo as the song for the party. Even if you changed it to have the servants sing it rather than the party guests for budget reasons, you could have kept the superior music. The cutting of "The New Mrs. de Winter" in half also makes no sense, and the servants being made to constantly badmouth their new boss is also very nonsensical. Both in the book and the original libretto, the servants are fairly neutral towards Ich, and only Mrs. Danvers is a true antagonist. Making the entire staff hostile just dilutes the clash between Ich and Mrs. Danvers. Another issue is some new songs make no sense. For example, when Maxim and Ich are singing their new "Marriage Song", Maxim is saying that he wants her to remain young and unchanged etc etc. The problem is that in "Are You Happy? / Are You Angry?" a couple of minutes later, he's being angry at Ich because she's precisely young and immature...I mean? Which is it, mate? This version of the libretto should be discarded ASAP. It would have worked, even in an intimate setting, far better with a simple plain translation of the German libretto rather than an adaptation. Because it HAS been done in smaller scales (OK, not 200-seat small but still). The Finnish production was small. Heck they made an OPEN-AIR production of the show in Tecklenburg , Germany. They were all a success. Why? Because they kept the Vienna libretto intact. This show is amazing when well staged with its proper libretto. Yeah, it will benefit from the grandiose sets. And a West End production should absolutely go with those and with the big orchestra. BUT the libretto must remain intact. And this wasn't it. I feel like they started to cut and change things left and right just to fit the budget more than anything else. Which is a shame.
Oh some more things 😅: First, the staging of the hairbrush and nightgown scene on the 2nd act makes no sense. In the German production, that happens in the 1st instance of the song, when Mrs. Danvers is showing Ich the room that belonged to Rebecca and all of Rebecca's things. Second, regarding the last "Rebecca" reprise, the English version is based on the revised German lyrics. Which weren't a good change in the German version either. In the original Viennese production, the lyrics were far more subdued and didn't acknowledge any "betrayal". They simply said (in an increasingly maniacal tone) "I hear you singing with the sea, I hear your voice coming from the dark, your spirit is still in Manderley, and no one will take your place. NEVER! Rebecca, wherever you might be, etc etc". This, to me, worked better because it was also a call back to the first lines you hear from Mrs. Danvers in the show during the first part of "The New Mrs. de Winter" (which was stupidly cut in Britain) that go "Even if she was a princess, what does she want from Manderley? To me there is, in this world, just one Mrs. de Winter. Her body may be in a grave but her spirit is still in Manderley, and no one will take her place, never". By the way, it's not the wind calling "Rebecca". It's the surf. That "Rebeccaaaaa" is mimicking the sound of waves crashing.
@@trixiftube small scale doesn't necessarily mean small venue. Tecklenburg productions have a large venue but are limited in their staging capabilities due to the nature of the venue itself. Because it's open air, you're immediately deprived of a theatre wings and ceiling. So there's no hiding sets in the wings or above the stage. If you recall the shows you've watched, they all worked with a single background set and then detachable things being brought up in front of it. Same thing applies to Charing Cross. Because the theatre has limited capabilities, you can't have sets hidden under the stage, or behind it, or above it. Hence being a small scale production.
@@___David__ Just wanted to say I'm so happy to find another person who prefers the original Ich hör' dich singen -- Rebecca, and a huge part of it is both the callback and that desperate "Niemaaaaaals~" (When I sing I usually do the original, or I mash up the original with the new chorus)
I've seen both the Vienna production last year as well as the Charing Cross production last week, and I have to say, even though the production and stage is about four times as grand in Vienna, the actors themselves really did a fantastic job making this version as could as it can be with all the limitations. My guess is that the higher-ups wanted to try a small and less risky route when it comes to monetary investment, to test the waters so to speak, and I really hope that the show outperforms expectations so the next english production can be as grand as it deserves to be.
Speaking as a massive fan of Michael Kunze's work in German, I'd probably say the main reason for the slight shallowness in the translation is that it was co-written by someone who doesn't speak English as their first language. Even though he does speak English fluently, it would be pretty impossible to write professional sounding lyrics to a piece as complicated as this when you don't have such a deep connection with the language as you would when you're writing in your native tongue. I suspect that Christopher Hampton's contribution helped to slightly save this one but I've heard other English lyrics written by Kunze and they always lack the depth and beauty that can be found in the German Rebecca and most of his other work. I don't blame him but I do think it would have made more sense for the translation to be left entirely to someone who doesn't speak English as a second language (be it Hampton or someone completely new). Everyone should check out some of Michael Kunze's incredible German musicals with English subtitles. Special recommendation for 'Elisabeth' which could be one of my favorite musicals of all time!
He should have asked Charles Hart to take a look at the lyrics. They've collaborated before and Hart did the new English translation for "Ich Gehör Nur Mir" in Pia Douwes' last album.
@@pinkiBaerchen It's always nice to know there are others out there. Most people just look at me blankly when I say that my favorite musical is in German. And that's before I try to explain the plot... 🤯
Kunze was so burned by Broadway butchering Tanz that he hasn't been at all hands off with English productions since and I can't blame him that nonsense was horrendous.
@@___David__this is exactly what I was thinking. The translations Charles Hart did for Pia Douwes are actually very good imo. They should’ve brought him on board instead of Christopher Hampton.
So that point where "I" is basically nonchalant about the confession of DeWinter plays very well in the book and the movie is because her thoughts are so tortured by Rebecca. She is constantly lambasted by her maid and he husband seemed to still worship her. So the revelation that DeWinter might have killed her because Rebecca wasn't as perfect as she seemed comes off as the best news "I" coyld have received in her most miserable time at the manor. I love it, because it kind of shows how she fell in the trap of that manor, she became just as cursed and mean as her husband and maid. She is a part of this now. (Also love that you don't know if you can trust in what Mr. Dewinter says about Rebecca, he could be lying)
If you are ever looking for the older translations, i believe there are some versions available on Pia Douwes solo albums, some of which are on streaming services.
I agree with you, Some of the translations need improving. Personally I would like to see it in a west end venue. Maybe as a staged concert. I also found the trains running overhead distracting too.
This is one of my favourite reviews by you! I am german and have seen a lot of Rebecca content in my life, I also saw the new vienna production, and you perfectly voiced all of the problems I always had with this show! And you also explained it so entertainingly! Like: "She is greeted by a very passive aggressive staff" killed me XD That's why you are my favourite theatre channel! Btw: my personal favourite Levay and Kunze Show is Mozart. The orchestrations are also a bit camp sometimes but I think the show is just so much more deep than Rebecca and it is very metaphorical driven. I hope you get to see it one day! I think you would enjoy it!
A truly great example of how even one crucial element such as the staging being so poorly executed can rob all other elements from their quality. Real shame
The most important part in a play IMO is the performance of the actors which should be believable and not overacted. Actors need to be able to play a room without any staging props if necessary and thus props and certain routines are only there to help the actor to enhance the play. If the props are used as a selling-option or wow-factor then it usually takes away from the actors abilities to create a desired picture in the head of the audience as the viewer rather uses that prop instead. Sure, a picture (or prop) can spare 1000 words to be said and thus may allow actors to focus their play on the more essential things, but as mentioned props can also distract viewers in the same vein. As such, given the circumstances I am sad to disagree here. The truth though is, that play is and was designed for the big stage and who knows, maybe in a couple years from now we will be able to witness that. As someone who has seen the original Viennese production back in 2006 and 2007 like 4 times, I'd love to see those actors performing a guest vistit in Vienna. In their Instagram posts they mentioned that they plan to visit the Viennese rendition late in December. Who knows, maybe there is a chance that the "Vereinigten Bühnen Wien" allow them to perform some of the scenes on stage after the actual show. Would really love to see that. From what I've seen from various clips though, the chemistry among the artists seem to be next level and more of a true friendship than of just coleagues.
Thank you Mickey…..good to have expectations managed …..have been longing to see this show for many years and got my tickets / booked a trip to London as soon as I heard about this production. Realised that it wasn’t going to be a replica of the staging in Vienna but would have hoped for more creative/ effective staging at the Charing Cross and being a fan of Christopher Hampton’s work had hoped for more from the book and lyrics. I’m sure I’ll still enjoy the show and who knows it might even exceed expectation😊
I have to say I was astounded by the vocal performance of the cast! I’ve been lucky enough to see most west end shows but there was something special about the acting / vocal performance of that cast that has stuck with me despite the more disappointing aspects of the show. I sincerely hope you enjoy it !
@@fangdelabang178 I was blown away by Lauren Jones. Such vocals. I was a bit underwhelmed by Kara Lane though. She is not bad by any means she just did not wow me...
This insane because I don't have any friends that watch or are willing to get to know this musical so I've never had anyone to talk to about my whole life. This was the most surreal thing to watch because I knew*exactly* what you were going to say about something before you even said it like "something that really brought me out of the show was-" and I would be like "the wind saying Rebecca's name" and then or when you were like "the one thing really distracting about the score is-" and I'd be like "the pop beat underneath it." Like, I love how in sink we seem to be in our thinking and also how vindicated I feel after watching 😂
I’m just commenting about the peals of laughter and my horrible impersonation of Peter o toole saying clever lad! Your essay was on actual fire. Thanks
My favorite part of this video is when Maxim tells his wife he never loved Rebecca, & we're supposed to feel relief that his new wife is his real true love, which is supposed to be a touching romantic moment bet. them; but instead you say 'this is a big red flag, you need to get outta the house!' lol
Rebecca has been one of my all time favorite books since I was in high school. I’m disappointed that they changed the ending. In the book, Max shoots Rebecca. And you don’t feel bad. You understand where the narrator is coming from. I’d have shot her too. Also, adaptations make a big deal of showing you that Max & the narrator fall in love in Monte. But the book does not. You can see that she’s probably falling for him, but you’re super surprised when he proposes. You’re supposed to be asking yourself throughout the book, why did he marry her? While she asks herself the same thing. It doesn’t all come together until the end. Idk why adaptations do this, as the book is a masterpiece. Still hope this does well & transfers to NYC.
I just read the book and, while it's great, I disagree about some things. I didn't like Rebecca, but it's still murder. I care that "I" is convinced she loves someone who's recovering from his awful marriage, sure, but who killed someone. Max groomed an impressionable "I." He's not a good person. You know the kind of person to fall for him? A 20yo, that's who. There's Jane Eyre vibes. Now I love that book, but let's be real. You have to root for him to get away with it because I don't see any other way out for "I." Also, I wasn't surprised at all when he proposes. He obviously has to if the book is about her being the second wife. I assumed he wanted her in the position while he was a grieving widower. She's surprised cuz she doesn't know book tropes lol.
The ending was originally changed for the first movie adaptation by Alfred Hitchcock. This was because at the time, it was against Hollywood sensibilities to have a character to seemingly get away with murder. The musical just follows that route
@@KaiserinErzsi I know why it was changed for the Hitchcock film. But the musical doesn’t have to go by the codes. No one does, since they don’t exist anymore. So, is it an adaptation of the book or the Hitchcock movie?
I've watched the austrian vesion multiple times on youtube. I have the cast album, albeit the shortened one, not the full length. I've watched countless videos from the korean versions. (Ok, Joo Hyun as Mrs Danvers!) What a disappointment that the english version can't attain the heights of its fellow productions. I'm not european or even cosmopolitan, but I love big european musicals (what I've seen. on youtube.) I guess my taste is just different. I had kind of hoped the rest of the world would come round and see what I see in it, but I guess it won't be for this one. Sad.
The old English demos are still floating around(they have the wonderful irony of "I'm an American Woman" being sung with the thickest European accent you'll ever hear). Here are a couple of them: ua-cam.com/play/PLA7ACAFE45C62B263.html Weirdly, they're not the ones I have in my music library. Go figure.
Hopefully this production does well enough that further iterations can have a set more like what people expect from this show. They've more-or-less called the Charing Cross production a stepping stone, so I'd keep that in mind as well
I feel like I not having a name is a bonus. The story is called Rebecca, it’s named after this character who doesn’t even appear, her presence over the I and the story as a whole is set from just her being the first name in the story and our protagonist doesn’t even get one
I went to see it last night and I 100% agree with everything you've said. If not for the incredible performances of the cast, it would have felt like AmDram - if for no reason than the amount of smoke they pump on stage). And yet, I still have so many of those songs ringing round my head and wish there was an English cast recording!
A very good in depth review ,you didn’t leave anything out .I went to the matinee last Wednesday . The white curtains could have been used in a more clever way and the lack of any artwork on the walls was a mistake ,in Rebecca’s bedroom it looked as though gigantic roots had been painted on the wall behind what looked like a divan bed and the only other piece of furniture was a desk tucked into a corner where apparently Rebecca sat and wrote her letters ( in the dark ) I know it’s only a small thing but after mrs VanHopper left the stage I thought ,that’s a tiny part until in the next scene she was in the welcoming with the servants as the cook with the same brown shoes on .And the chorus singing was so loud ,just for that scene . The fire scene was handled in a interesting way with buckets and buckets of water being passed to the characters,but would have been better if they had not been ice buckets .on the whole I enjoyed the production ,( apart from nit picking ). I wasn’t too sure about the Tables in the first scene in doubling as the edge of the cliff with the pink table cloths still on .I suppose that was to disguise the two waiters hiding under the tabes for their next scene . Then suddenly two chairs were over turned to represent rocks when they were walking on the beach .entrance was a let down at the costume ball ( with only two in costume ) and badly lit as she came down the staircase and disappeared round a corner upstage very quickly . There were only two fancy dress costumed characters at the ball ,a missed opportunity and I’s entrance on the staircase was badly lit . And she just disappeared round the. Corner up stage .
the original Hitchcock movie was so perfect (maybe one of my favorite movies ever). it would be hard to be totally open to what a theatrical production could add to experiencing the story. I can imagine a musical score working but I do wish that new musicals could be written without relying on past movies for material. i would encourage anyone who has not seen the movie to watch it.....and yes there is a camp element to miss danvers but she is so deliciously twisted
So I am only watching this because I love behind the scene stuff on all kinds of media (which started from knowing a lot of the video game development stuff) so I have heard about the history of this show... But I just have to say your charisma is through the roof.
The direction problems you mention are so prevalent in current opera productions and really have been for years. There's a heavy tendency (especially the bigger the house is) to be completely disconnected from the period the piece is set in, not the period through a specific lens (e.g. 1930s Hollywood does 18th c French-Louisiana or 1950s does gothic medieval), it comes across as not even trying. They suffer from a sort of cold, pretentious form of minimalism (characterized by how you described the set being lacking to the point of distraction), and generally are very cold and disconnected. You see these problems in some of the opera-house productions of Phantom in more recent years. When bringing in an opera director to do a musical, there's a clash of structural worlds. Operas have their main and supporting cast, a giant chorus (sometimes even big enough to cast two full-blown productions of 1990s Beauty and the Beast), and then you have dancers and supernumeraries. They're giant! Even your prima donna may have only one costume for the whole show. It often won't cross such a director's mind to have a smaller ensemble doubling as different types of characters as is appropriate for the scene. In musicals, in comparison, you're often doing a lot more with less and that's some major culture-shock for an opera director.
I loved this production but I did find the set lacking. I didn't notice any lighting issues. I really hope this transfers to a larger theatre so we can get a more Vienise style set.
My hubby and I were planning on flying to UK to see this as soon as it was announced; but then when we discovered in that tiny theater, I knew something was off. Truthfully, I'm glad we didn't end up going. I wouldve been so MAD if his first exposure to this show was a toned down version.
….update to my comment a month ago….saw the matinee this afternoon - expectations were exceeded by a very wide margin and I loved the show 💖 the staging was much better than expected - everyone was perfect in their parts and the orchestra was amazing.
Saw this on Friday and loved it!! Wish I could see it again before I closes but don’t think I’ll get the chance :( It is my favourite novel and I’ve never even watched any film/tv adaptations for fear of tarnishing it for myself. But I was so intrigued by this I had to! The lyrics are a bit clunky and the music isn’t amazing. I enjoyed the performances though, and I got goosebumps when Lauren Jones started singing, such an angelic voice. You could tell the cast were loving it and having a great time too. Shame about the theatre tbh, tatty chairs and the trains were distracting! I liked the ensemble coming through the audience, mainly because my mum sat on the aisle and it was hilarious to watch her avoiding making any eye contact 😅😅😅
A truly superb review! Everything you said was spot on. Yes, there are some excellent elements in the score but the English lyrics are often awful and the direction was totally misconceived. As for that set…. Mmm, it’s best not to think about it. My heart went out to the cast who tried their best, against the odds, to deliver acceptable performances. It’s the producers who are surely to blame for their bad decision making. I hope, that with massive reworking, a suitably spectacular version is eventually staged in the West End, so that memories of this sorry production can be forgotten. In all events, keep up the good work M.J. your reviews are terrific!
I can tell you, as a a german i didnt think any of the german lyrics to really be good. So maybe its not a problem of translation, but of the material itself
I WAS going to see it, but it was canceled on the day. The weird thing was, ticket holders got no email about it whatsoever, and they were quiet about it on social media and their website. Just a sheet of paper stuck to the entrance of the theater... weird!
Curiously, I've read the book, but I've never watched the movie. I feel curious about the musical, because I have a soft spot for Austrian things and I thought that the combo would be something I can get behind. I still do and still might to watch it.
I am disheartened to hear that the overwhelming critical response to this show has been much less than steller! In my opinion, it was so important to nail this one. I wish they’d had another creative team!! I am a HUGE (!!) fan of Sylvester Levay’s music. For me, he’s as great a melodist as Richard Rodgers or Andrew Lloyd Webber. His “Boote in der nacht” (or “Boats in the Night”), from Elisabeth, is perhaps my favourite song of all-time (ua-cam.com/video/pqcPOd_tOBs/v-deo.htmlfeature=shared). I was already fearing the worst when WhatsOnStage posted a couple of Rebecca’s new English translations to their channel. I found the new lyrics on-the-nose and sometimes unintelligent. From what I heard, the translation is VERY faithful to the German libretto, to the point where the grammatical structure of the translation is questionable. A line that sticks out in my mind is: “these are the orchid pots of Mrs De Winter.” Structurally, this is a perfect sentence in German. However, as a native English speaker, fluent Dutch speaker and preliminary German speaker (a very similar language to Dutch), I find this jarring. I have had to learn to restructure my sentences when speaking Dutch or German - “these are Mrs De Winter’s orchid pots,” becomes “these are the orchid pots of…,” and vice-versa when translating. Perhaps I’m being pedantic. I am no expert, after all, and it could be that the English sentence is grammatically sound. But it’s something that’s been bothering me 😂 I remember reading some years ago that Christopher Hampton’s lyrics for Sunset Boulevard were also poorly received. I, myself, have found them jarring at times, too. Maybe they should’ve gone with a different translator 🤷♀️ Anyway, it’s a real darn shame. Sylvester Levay deserves the cult-status he’s received in Europe and Asia. The English-speaking world is missing out on his genius 😢
As much as I love hearing your thoughts and thought this was an interesting review (thank you for taking the time!), and also I genuinely love your channel and love watching your reviews, there has been something that's been really noticable in all your conversations about Rebecca that I would like to point out: it really sometimes sounds like you don't have a lot of respect for european theatre or other international stuff not originally from the west end/broadway. I don't know if you mean it as such, but that's how it comes off. This show is insanely popular throughout the world, the idea that the material needs to 'prove itself' is ludicrous to me. The translation, sure (and I believe you on that it might not be as good as it could be, that happens very often when it comes to non-english shows getting translated unfortunately), but the material is obviously plenty popular elsewhere... would you put it that way if someone exported a famous English-language show elsewhere in the world? I also don't know why you think european theatre is somehow inherently more campy (not considering camp positive or negative but just As A Thing)... like, are you telling me that Phantom of the Opera isn't campy (christine....christine....chriiiistiiiine), or Bad Cinderella, for that matter...
have you watched any of the videos Mickey has done from the Edenborough fringe? there have been lots of very positive and supportive reviews of productions not from the west end. He has also done many positive reviews of productions outside of london from smaller theaters.
Thank you for this assessment of unconscious West end Broadway bias. MJ is utterly convinced that anything from beyond these overpriced overhyped territories has to prove itself. MJ needs to broaden his horizons and embrace in an inclusive and less judgemental way the brilliant work that comes out of Europe. Try Rudolf, Tanz der Vampire and Elisabeth as an introduction
he always points out that theater is subjective. Everyone brings their own biases , taste, history to what ever piece of theater or art they are viewing. in my opinion his reviews are well thought out and fair...even when i do not agree with him. @@Nymwhen
@@charliehorey9886 yes, of course theatre is subjective, and if you'll notice in my comment I'm not saying anything about his opinion on the show or how its performed, he's perfectly allowed to have that opinion (I was quite curious to hear it) and if he didn't love it or have problems with it its totally valid, I also said I very much believe him regarding the translation because that is a very common problem. That is *not* what I am talking about. I'm talking about the dismissive tone I feel is being taken regarding foreign shows having to somehow 'prove their worth' like they are somehow inherently less-than, when they are quite literally just as much of a blockbuster musical in mainland Europe as well as Asia as Phantom is in the UK and the US. MJ is, obviously, allowed to express his opinion, and I am allowed to express mine, right? I don't mean to imply ill intent on his part (as I have said), I am just saying that is how the conversation around Rebecca specifically has come across to me, and that I think that perhaps he should be aware of that. Not out of any ill feeling, but rather in the hopes that maybe he considers how he sounds to people who do consume more mainland theatre.
As someone who‘s seen the Vienna production and knows several of Levay‘s works - that power ballad beat is always there. Imo a lot of the time it‘s very very cheesy. But Austrians seem to love ot lol
Please be kind, I have seen this show in Vienna stuttgart and Helsinki. It can be and is a fantastic piece of theatre and deserves to thrive in English as it has done in so many other tongues. I am seeing it next weekend
@emhu2594 selfish, no just hoping for balanced views based on the material not the band wagon of "have you heard what happened to the Broadway attempt ". Irrelevant sensationalist disingenuous condemnation by association
i find this comment confusing since almost every review he does breaks down what he likes and doesn't like about the production. the reviews always seem very balanced and thought out. even in productions he does not like there are elements or actors that he compliments. he also always points out that theater is subjective and encourages people to see the productions themselves and make up their own opinion. With theater tickets being so highly priced I appreciate having some idea of what i am getting into@@davidhume6363
I think the lead actress's voice is amazing. I have seen the production yesterday and it was well worn in by this time and it sounded amazing from her part. I loved the immersive bits and I missed the giant revolving staircase that we had in Hungary. I also sorely missed Ms Van Hopper's big ensemble number at the ball. That was tremendous fun. She has this whole flirting going on with the Colonel and she has all this confidence that she is everyone's type I loved that number and sadly I think because of the scale of it it must have been cut. And then there were the additions, which served a purpose but did not jive with the original music. The songs inserted only so that the stage crew can reshuffle the set behind the curtain. I am glad the hairbrush scene was jarring for others too, not just me LOL.... :D I fully agree about the set criticism. I have seen people do more with less. The Hungarian production had such an atmosphere to it. The entire play was kind of blue except the monte carlo scenes. There were these iridescent setpieces and I loved the ensemble playing ghosts of water drowned corpses behind mirrors and dancing with them it added to the whole gothic thing, down to the bit they could have easily done here during she's invincible Mrs Danvers could have crushed the orchid petals and slowly sprinkling them from her hands it looked so amazing for such a trivial thing.
I am not sure if links are allowed here in the comments feed. Funnily all the various casts are online on youtube of the Hungarian production. The theatre it was staged in is not particularly big but they staged it so well. ua-cam.com/video/s4l5eX_Nyfk/v-deo.html I particularly like the atmospheric bits and the costumes. They are stunning and kinky... Mrs. Danvers in that dominatrix-evoking outfit is quite intimidating. In the other cast it is worn by a much thinner lady and it looks even kinkier to me with those shoulderpads and all. It just works for me.
Oh this is my favourite Mrs. Danvers riff... ua-cam.com/video/awKMXN0h2Jg/v-deo.html Oh and the translation is completely wrong in English. What she says here is essentially: That Mrs. Danvers failed Rebecca's memory and she can hear her from beyond the grave blaming herr not the other way around. The English translation was jarring to me because it is not Mrs. Danvers who should be feeling betrayed, it is her who did not fulfil the wishes of her mistress and so she sets the house on fire. Amazing nervous breakdown on stage I love every bit of it and that note on the top of it is just amazing. Gives me the shivers reliably all these years later every time.
"friends" oh come ON let the woman be gay !!! Danvers doesn't burn the house down because she's doing it *for* Rebecca or as revenge on her behalf, she burns the house down because she has met her ultimate form of betrayal in realising Rebecca didn't care for her as much as she needed her to and in turning out to be fallibly mortal after all, and so she's destroying the only thing that ever really mattered to her beloved in peak spiteful unhinged lesbianism, rather burning herself to death in Rebecca's bedroom than living another day in a now entirely hopeless world devoid of the devotion or blind faith she was so desperate for. Also Rebecca was never actually pregnant. She couldn't get pregnant. She was using the threat of it to manipulate Maxim into making him so angry, he'd kill her, which he did - no more.
The changes from the book (i.e. Maxim accidentally pushing Rebecca instead of shooting her) really confuse me. In the book, you really get the feeling that Maxim is hounded by the memory of his late wife, who he has to pretend to mourn despite the constant emotional abuse she directed at him. In "I", he finds someone who is sweetly pure, and regrets dragging her into his world of darkness and death. When he confesses killing Rebecca to her, it's a really great ending to their arcs: "I" finally gets to hear the truth from someone and stops feeling like Maxim's inferior, and he gets to divulge the abuse he was under and the catharsis he felt after killing her. Something about it being a maybe-accidental push instead of the finality of a gunshot just really undermines that IMO. Also, this is a personal thing, but after hearing about the shortcomings of the English translation, it just makes me wish the Jane Eyre musical got more love. It's honestly one of my favorite ever musical albums (especially with the way it incorporates lines from the novel) and it's so disappointing that seems to have fallen off most people's radar 😥
When you're in New York, you should try to see MJ and/or Back to the Future as well. (I know your schedule for your trip is a little uncertain, so I'm throwing this suggestions your way).
I hate to say it but without the spectacle of the large stage production this musical will never catch fire. What I think it needs for the English language audience is a few backers with deep pockets and star power, like Idina Menzel as Mrs. Danvers. Also a bit more depth to the script might help.
wait wait wait. did i hear this correctly Beatrice and Giles give Ich a GUN???? I saw the Austrian production multiple times and uuhh that does NOT happen there???
No, they suggest giving her one as a wedding present so she can accompany them in their next hunt. They replaced "Die lieben Verwandten" song with a new one where they sing this.
Excellent observations on REBECCA as a show and this production (which struck me more as a workshop staged to attract prospective investors than a legitimate Off-West-End production). Ultimately it confirmed to me the feeling I had long had that, regardless of the physical production, had the Broadway production avoided the scandal in 2012-13 and "gotten up," it might have run a while but would have lost every dime. It is probably marginally better than Lloyd-Webber's follow-ups to PHANTOM..., ASPECTS OF LOVE or LOVE NEVER DIES, but the time for that sort of power ballad Gothic romance has past. REBECCA may have a life in community theatres with more people to cast than money to spend, but as a major musical, it isn't a serious prospect.
I should note that my comment is regarding REBECCA in the English speaking theatre. As others have noted, the expectations/standards of other traditions can vary widely. At least REBECCA got a better hearing in our theatre than the utterly distorted DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES!
I like how u mentioned the amateurish feeling it had sometimes. The set/ curtain and ensemble moments did feel very A level drama to me. I know this production was meant to be scaled down but I think without the grand set it's hard to get the proper mysterious atmosphere needed to fully engage the audience in the gothic drama. If they are not going to have the grand set then they need to take a leaf out of the women in blacks staging. From what I remember that has very minimal set but still creates a great tense atmosphere. Overall the performances were good but it was a little bit of a damp squib.
This review doesn't surprise me at all. I have been to Vienna twice, and each time make sure to see what musicals (there are usually two--two theatres) the brilliant VBW company, who commissioned and premiered Rebecca, are putting on, and so saw Rebecca in its first run I believe (and it's actually being revived now--Mickey Jo can't you go to Vienna for a theatre visit?) Anyway, long story short--this was a case where why I found the musical so involving and such a theatrically fun night was down primarily to director Francesca Zambello, her brilliant design team, and an impeccable large cast and orchestra. The production itself is just flat out magnificent and the kind of thing London hasn't seen, probably, since Sunset Blvd. I grew to like a lot of the material itself (it probably helped that instead of Hampton's English lyrics I was relying on the English surtitles that were projected,) but it was just one of the most on-key, WOW productions I have ever seen. Frankly, as soon as I heard that the London version would NOT be using that production (and was scaled back, to boot) I asked myself "Why bother?" and it sounds like on top of that, this simply wasn't well directed even at its small scale. I'll give another shout out to VBW. While the over the top 90s megamusical style of musical they do isn't my favourite, I think consistency wise they probably are the world's best musical theatre company in terms of production and performance level (it helps that a lot of the company works a bit like a rep theatre.) They grew from a desire in the 80s to have domestic company staging the UK megamusicals (Les Miz especially was big) but starting at least 30 years ago were creating their own hits--with the wonderful Elisabeth. Which is extremely derivative as a sort of mashup of Les Miz/Evita with a touch of Phantom, but works (I saw one of many of its revivals on one of my trips there.) It started the partnership of those former Eurodisco geniuses Sylvester Levay and Michael Kunze as musical theatre composers, and also the VBW practice of hiring top tier opera and musical directors for their productions. Of course this is how they created Rebecca too, though I think Elisabeth is a much stronger score (they've done one other musical for VBW, Mozart! which you can see the filmed version of and is ridiculous but a lot of fun.) Besides Rebecca and Elisabeth I've been lucky to see VBW's Roman Polanski version of Dance of the Vampires (I know, I know--and yes, the original production is just pure WTF brilliance.) But also another VBW commission Stephen Schwartz's Schikanader (about the librettist of The Magic Flute,) which Trevor Nunn directed in his full scale megamusical mode that he hasn't been able to use in London for decades. I thought it was *brilliant* with Schwartz' best score since at least Children of Eden, and I think that would have a strong London chance (as they keep hinting at) if only the subject matter wasn't so Vienna based (it would need a new title at least.) This is one reason that Elisabeth has been a mammoth success throughout continental Europe and Asia, but not even tested in English yet--Empress Sisi Elisabeth is deemed too obscure a subject matter, so I think Schikanader would be even more so. Still--there is some great great work being done there. ua-cam.com/video/CYNt-6UsKeY/v-deo.html
Very interesting comment. I had no idea Stephen Schwarz wrote a musical about Schikaneder.....I'm flabbergasted that I missed this. (Huge opera fan as well and this started (of course) with Die Zauberflöte which I first saw for the first time in Salzburg as a child, so this seems like two worlds colliding)
Despite the credentials (Stephen Schwartz as well as Trevor Nunn) it didn't seem to get all that much talk among musical fans--though as the clip I posted gladly advertises it did get some glowing English language reviews. The website used to have demo samples of the songs with their original English lyrics, but the full English demo hasn't leaked, that said the cast album is wonderful even with the language barrier. (When I saw it live they had surtitles--and the surtitles were better than the ones for other VBW musicals because they could use Schwartz' original English lyrics.) It was a success in Vienna, playing out its planned 8 month run, but hasn't had an afterlife as of yet. So I heartily suggest checking it out if you are a fan of Schwartz, opera, etc (and it seems you are ;) ) A LOT of it is is on UA-cam if you know what I mean... The title role was played by Mark Seibert who seems to be VBW's current leading man go-to guy and has to be one of the best in the world at the moment, but the entire cast was perfect.@@epicemuchilz
@@Chibbykins I know that it's a limited run. But it does also give a wrong impression of the show with such a small set. I hope the original production will transfer to London soon.
@@waynew4726 I think/hope theatre fans will know this isn't the 'real' Rebecca' and just save to see it somewhere else. Or see this version with an open mind. Maybe someone who knows nothing about it will have lower expectations and end up really loving it
I've seen some very clever set designs at Charing Cross, with designers really making the most of the space (Zorro was great for that). Shame that they've missed the mark here.
I LOVE this musical, tbh I would have loved to have gone to seen it but saw it has closed (I am so pissed I am a huge fan of this musical why didn't I hear about this til today!) Tbh I like the music from it, I don't mind the power balladness and don't see all the 'campness' although I do really like the sound of a lot of the other English versions, incl the version of Rebecca Pia Douwes had on her album. Tbh I just wish they would cast Ramin Karimloo as Maxim, he would be PERFECT (ironically Sierra Boggess was originally gona be I, but imo she was miscast cos she's too glamorous and beautiful and charismatic, so wrong for I who is supposed to be super insecure (I felt the same about Lily James playing her in the new film), imo Sierra would be better if Rebecca was an existing character, or even her as Beatrice or Mrs Danvers).
I saw this today... oh, dear... The Direction and Design of the show are HORRENDOUS, a shame because the actors and musicians involved are all very very talented. And yes, I agree, that set should have been set on fire.
@@dirkandi it is something I feel. There is something operatic about it. But everyone can have their own opinion. That's just mine and I was first introduced to it in German
@@susanpolastaples9688 I didn't mean to invalidate your opinion, I was curious as in my opinion the music is quite forgettable and without all the tricks and action on stage sounds really dull. I'm glad you like it!
Have you read Variety’s review? Makes the some of the same points as you do - but more devastatingly. It wouldn’t get one star - how did it get a standing ovation? Everything does nowadays - which cheapens them
this feels like a weirdly… mean review?? much more than normal for mickey jo. it’s a bit odd, ngl, especially when half the video is just talking through his various issues with the material itself, which we already know is successful (he says himself at the beginning that Rebecca is a classic novel, several films, and an international musical hit, so it’s not like it’s ever been a question of if the material could be a success??) also, i’m sure this is unintentional, but there’s a couple parts that are weirdly insulting toward europeans? his rating is subjective and no one can or should change that, but this video just feels strange to me.
I saw Rebecca last night and I must confess I was thoroughly disappointed. Now that I know the plot I can see that it would be impossibly hard to set this to music without it becoming extremely melodramatic (and not in a good way) in places if not throughout. That said I agree with the comments regarding the libretto being predictable and cliched and where I disagree is that none of the score was particularly brilliant, original or memorable. And yes the addition of the "Pop Rock" beat to all the 4/4 ballad numbers greatly distracted from any dramatic affect.
Wow I haven't seen a MickeyJo review divide the room this much. Although I did not see the original production of Rebecca, I did see the large scale Dutch production of Elisabeth and listened to the Rebecca soundtrack in German. But I'm not a big fan.. There is a lack of nuance, depth and sophistication in the score and especially the arrangements. The guy can write a good melody (some are extremely catchy earworms)and some of the harmonic progressions he comes up with are kinda slick but it seems like he is not able to develop those musical ideas into a coherent narrative. There's so many literal repeats and cheesy modulations it almost seems like it is pastiche (Great examples are: Ich gehör nur mir and Sie ergibt sich nicht both are exremely catchy meldodies that are put in a musical ballad cookie cutter machine). The shows aspire to be something they're it's not and that is cringe. I didn't know Levay made his own arrangements, but all of his shows might benefit from finding somebody to completely start from scratch with orchestral arrangements. Start with getting rid of the pop drum kit and replacing with more classical percussion, getting a more nuanced approach to modulations and finding better transitions.
I watched the show in Vienna this year and thought the songwriting (especially the lyrics, but also the orchestration) was poor at best. Very generic, shallow, repetitive. Many nonsensical lyrics, very much on-the-nose without any layers added. I couldnt connect to the characters on any level. IMO way too many unnecessary side characters. Overall the show felt very outdated, and also at points ableist. I caught myself wanting to leave about half an hour in (and actually saw many people right around me cringe as often as me at some of the lyrics/developments - i honestly dont understand how all reviews i can find for the Vienna production are favourable). The performances/quality of the cast were immaculate tho, I just thought book, music, and lyrics were, well, not on any way en par with many Broadway productions. Even a great cast and massive sets cant overshadow thin material. I honestly dont understand the hype.
Saw Rebecca Tuesday. Brilliant sound quality superb lead performances but all the ensemble set pieces didn’t fit the tone & felt ‘off’ like the tone was wrong Creepy cousin character was also odd & hes song felt like it didn’t belong in the show. Think this could possibly do a UK tour but not a true west end musical imo.
Europop does not succeed on Broadway. For me, a huge fan of the novel and the Hickcock film (Dame Judith Anderson was brilliant as Mrs. Danvers!!) Europop seems the antithesis of Rebecca Michael Kunze's work has been some of the worst shows I've seen on Broadway, I mean, not to the level of awful of Joseph Brook's "In My Life.". Perhaps, Michael Kunze's work doesn't translate well to, American English.
(Warning, long comment :P Sorry)
Before addressing some things about your criticism, let me explain the lyrics thing: Michael Kunze actually first wrote this show in English because the show was supposed to have its world premiere in Britain. It was a deal he had with the Du Maurier estate for getting the rights to the show, which were very hard to get (apparently Andrew Lloyd Webber had already tried and failed).
He had an English Demo recorded in around 2002 with the cast of the German production of his show "Elisabeth" (Uwe Kröger, Pia Douwes, André Bauer, etc). The lyrics you know are from that demo (which was used in the Broadway promos and is still used by the VBW in their English Trailer for the musical. It's available here on UA-cam). When that production didn't materialise, he approached the VBW and they said "sure, let's stage it!". So the libretto was translated by him to German (well...re-written really. The German lyrics are far better).
This libretto now is a re-re-translation. And it's bad. I agree.
Heck, I'm not a native English speaker and I can come up with better lyrics to some of the songs.
As for the English version...yeah. It's VERY different from the German one. For the worse. There are far too many cut songs, far too many nonsensical changes in the positions of songs (Beatrice's song about Maxim, for example, makes no sense in the 2nd Act), and far too many dumb changes to songs themselves. For example, "Der Ball von Manderley" is a far better Ball song than using the previous music from Monte Carlo as the song for the party. Even if you changed it to have the servants sing it rather than the party guests for budget reasons, you could have kept the superior music.
The cutting of "The New Mrs. de Winter" in half also makes no sense, and the servants being made to constantly badmouth their new boss is also very nonsensical. Both in the book and the original libretto, the servants are fairly neutral towards Ich, and only Mrs. Danvers is a true antagonist. Making the entire staff hostile just dilutes the clash between Ich and Mrs. Danvers.
Another issue is some new songs make no sense. For example, when Maxim and Ich are singing their new "Marriage Song", Maxim is saying that he wants her to remain young and unchanged etc etc. The problem is that in "Are You Happy? / Are You Angry?" a couple of minutes later, he's being angry at Ich because she's precisely young and immature...I mean? Which is it, mate?
This version of the libretto should be discarded ASAP. It would have worked, even in an intimate setting, far better with a simple plain translation of the German libretto rather than an adaptation. Because it HAS been done in smaller scales (OK, not 200-seat small but still). The Finnish production was small. Heck they made an OPEN-AIR production of the show in Tecklenburg , Germany.
They were all a success.
Why? Because they kept the Vienna libretto intact.
This show is amazing when well staged with its proper libretto. Yeah, it will benefit from the grandiose sets. And a West End production should absolutely go with those and with the big orchestra. BUT the libretto must remain intact. And this wasn't it. I feel like they started to cut and change things left and right just to fit the budget more than anything else. Which is a shame.
Oh some more things 😅:
First, the staging of the hairbrush and nightgown scene on the 2nd act makes no sense. In the German production, that happens in the 1st instance of the song, when Mrs. Danvers is showing Ich the room that belonged to Rebecca and all of Rebecca's things.
Second, regarding the last "Rebecca" reprise, the English version is based on the revised German lyrics. Which weren't a good change in the German version either. In the original Viennese production, the lyrics were far more subdued and didn't acknowledge any "betrayal". They simply said (in an increasingly maniacal tone) "I hear you singing with the sea, I hear your voice coming from the dark, your spirit is still in Manderley, and no one will take your place. NEVER! Rebecca, wherever you might be, etc etc". This, to me, worked better because it was also a call back to the first lines you hear from Mrs. Danvers in the show during the first part of "The New Mrs. de Winter" (which was stupidly cut in Britain) that go "Even if she was a princess, what does she want from Manderley? To me there is, in this world, just one Mrs. de Winter. Her body may be in a grave but her spirit is still in Manderley, and no one will take her place, never".
By the way, it's not the wind calling "Rebecca". It's the surf. That "Rebeccaaaaa" is mimicking the sound of waves crashing.
A lot of good points! I just don’t get the Tecklenburg one? I didn’t see Rebecca there, but all productions I did see were anything but small-scale!
@@trixiftube small scale doesn't necessarily mean small venue. Tecklenburg productions have a large venue but are limited in their staging capabilities due to the nature of the venue itself. Because it's open air, you're immediately deprived of a theatre wings and ceiling. So there's no hiding sets in the wings or above the stage. If you recall the shows you've watched, they all worked with a single background set and then detachable things being brought up in front of it. Same thing applies to Charing Cross. Because the theatre has limited capabilities, you can't have sets hidden under the stage, or behind it, or above it. Hence being a small scale production.
@@___David__ Just wanted to say I'm so happy to find another person who prefers the original Ich hör' dich singen -- Rebecca, and a huge part of it is both the callback and that desperate "Niemaaaaaals~"
(When I sing I usually do the original, or I mash up the original with the new chorus)
ua-cam.com/video/TaSjsTIeT24/v-deo.htmlsi=oWUI-v6e-5cYtOnV
I've seen both the Vienna production last year as well as the Charing Cross production last week, and I have to say, even though the production and stage is about four times as grand in Vienna, the actors themselves really did a fantastic job making this version as could as it can be with all the limitations.
My guess is that the higher-ups wanted to try a small and less risky route when it comes to monetary investment, to test the waters so to speak, and I really hope that the show outperforms expectations so the next english production can be as grand as it deserves to be.
Speaking as a massive fan of Michael Kunze's work in German, I'd probably say the main reason for the slight shallowness in the translation is that it was co-written by someone who doesn't speak English as their first language. Even though he does speak English fluently, it would be pretty impossible to write professional sounding lyrics to a piece as complicated as this when you don't have such a deep connection with the language as you would when you're writing in your native tongue. I suspect that Christopher Hampton's contribution helped to slightly save this one but I've heard other English lyrics written by Kunze and they always lack the depth and beauty that can be found in the German Rebecca and most of his other work. I don't blame him but I do think it would have made more sense for the translation to be left entirely to someone who doesn't speak English as a second language (be it Hampton or someone completely new). Everyone should check out some of Michael Kunze's incredible German musicals with English subtitles. Special recommendation for 'Elisabeth' which could be one of my favorite musicals of all time!
Yaaay another Elisabeth fan. My favourite musical of all time
He should have asked Charles Hart to take a look at the lyrics. They've collaborated before and Hart did the new English translation for "Ich Gehör Nur Mir" in Pia Douwes' last album.
@@pinkiBaerchen It's always nice to know there are others out there. Most people just look at me blankly when I say that my favorite musical is in German. And that's before I try to explain the plot... 🤯
Kunze was so burned by Broadway butchering Tanz that he hasn't been at all hands off with English productions since and I can't blame him that nonsense was horrendous.
@@___David__this is exactly what I was thinking. The translations Charles Hart did for Pia Douwes are actually very good imo. They should’ve brought him on board instead of Christopher Hampton.
So that point where "I" is basically nonchalant about the confession of DeWinter plays very well in the book and the movie is because her thoughts are so tortured by Rebecca. She is constantly lambasted by her maid and he husband seemed to still worship her. So the revelation that DeWinter might have killed her because Rebecca wasn't as perfect as she seemed comes off as the best news "I" coyld have received in her most miserable time at the manor. I love it, because it kind of shows how she fell in the trap of that manor, she became just as cursed and mean as her husband and maid. She is a part of this now. (Also love that you don't know if you can trust in what Mr. Dewinter says about Rebecca, he could be lying)
If you are ever looking for the older translations, i believe there are some versions available on Pia Douwes solo albums, some of which are on streaming services.
I agree with you, Some of the translations need improving. Personally I would like to see it in a west end venue. Maybe as a staged concert. I also found the trains running overhead distracting too.
OK, very happy I took the trip to Vienna and watched Rebecca with Willemijn Verkaik and the staging as it was supposed to
“The wind went to RADA”😂😂😂😂”
This is one of my favourite reviews by you! I am german and have seen a lot of Rebecca content in my life, I also saw the new vienna production, and you perfectly voiced all of the problems I always had with this show! And you also explained it so entertainingly! Like: "She is greeted by a very passive aggressive staff" killed me XD That's why you are my favourite theatre channel! Btw: my personal favourite Levay and Kunze Show is Mozart. The orchestrations are also a bit camp sometimes but I think the show is just so much more deep than Rebecca and it is very metaphorical driven. I hope you get to see it one day! I think you would enjoy it!
A truly great example of how even one crucial element such as the staging being so poorly executed can rob all other elements from their quality. Real shame
ua-cam.com/video/TaSjsTIeT24/v-deo.htmlsi=oWUI-v6e-5cYtOnV
The most important part in a play IMO is the performance of the actors which should be believable and not overacted. Actors need to be able to play a room without any staging props if necessary and thus props and certain routines are only there to help the actor to enhance the play. If the props are used as a selling-option or wow-factor then it usually takes away from the actors abilities to create a desired picture in the head of the audience as the viewer rather uses that prop instead. Sure, a picture (or prop) can spare 1000 words to be said and thus may allow actors to focus their play on the more essential things, but as mentioned props can also distract viewers in the same vein. As such, given the circumstances I am sad to disagree here. The truth though is, that play is and was designed for the big stage and who knows, maybe in a couple years from now we will be able to witness that.
As someone who has seen the original Viennese production back in 2006 and 2007 like 4 times, I'd love to see those actors performing a guest vistit in Vienna. In their Instagram posts they mentioned that they plan to visit the Viennese rendition late in December. Who knows, maybe there is a chance that the "Vereinigten Bühnen Wien" allow them to perform some of the scenes on stage after the actual show. Would really love to see that. From what I've seen from various clips though, the chemistry among the artists seem to be next level and more of a true friendship than of just coleagues.
Thank you Mickey…..good to have expectations managed …..have been longing to see this show for many years and got my tickets / booked a trip to London as soon as I heard about this production. Realised that it wasn’t going to be a replica of the staging in Vienna but would have hoped for more creative/ effective staging at the Charing Cross and being a fan of Christopher Hampton’s work had hoped for more from the book and lyrics. I’m sure I’ll still enjoy the show and who knows it might even exceed expectation😊
I have to say I was astounded by the vocal performance of the cast! I’ve been lucky enough to see most west end shows but there was something special about the acting / vocal performance of that cast that has stuck with me despite the more disappointing aspects of the show. I sincerely hope you enjoy it !
@@fangdelabang178 I was blown away by Lauren Jones. Such vocals. I was a bit underwhelmed by Kara Lane though. She is not bad by any means she just did not wow me...
This insane because I don't have any friends that watch or are willing to get to know this musical so I've never had anyone to talk to about my whole life. This was the most surreal thing to watch because I knew*exactly* what you were going to say about something before you even said it like "something that really brought me out of the show was-" and I would be like "the wind saying Rebecca's name" and then or when you were like "the one thing really distracting about the score is-" and I'd be like "the pop beat underneath it." Like, I love how in sink we seem to be in our thinking and also how vindicated I feel after watching 😂
I’m just commenting about the peals of laughter and my horrible impersonation of Peter o toole saying clever lad! Your essay was on actual fire. Thanks
My favorite part of this video is when Maxim tells his wife he never loved Rebecca, & we're supposed to feel relief that his new wife is his real true love, which is supposed to be a touching romantic moment bet. them; but instead you say 'this is a big red flag, you need to get outta the house!' lol
Rebecca has been one of my all time favorite books since I was in high school. I’m disappointed that they changed the ending. In the book, Max shoots Rebecca. And you don’t feel bad. You understand where the narrator is coming from. I’d have shot her too. Also, adaptations make a big deal of showing you that Max & the narrator fall in love in Monte. But the book does not. You can see that she’s probably falling for him, but you’re super surprised when he proposes. You’re supposed to be asking yourself throughout the book, why did he marry her? While she asks herself the same thing. It doesn’t all come together until the end. Idk why adaptations do this, as the book is a masterpiece. Still hope this does well & transfers to NYC.
I just read the book and, while it's great, I disagree about some things. I didn't like Rebecca, but it's still murder. I care that "I" is convinced she loves someone who's recovering from his awful marriage, sure, but who killed someone. Max groomed an impressionable "I." He's not a good person. You know the kind of person to fall for him? A 20yo, that's who. There's Jane Eyre vibes. Now I love that book, but let's be real. You have to root for him to get away with it because I don't see any other way out for "I." Also, I wasn't surprised at all when he proposes. He obviously has to if the book is about her being the second wife. I assumed he wanted her in the position while he was a grieving widower. She's surprised cuz she doesn't know book tropes lol.
The ending was originally changed for the first movie adaptation by Alfred Hitchcock. This was because at the time, it was against Hollywood sensibilities to have a character to seemingly get away with murder. The musical just follows that route
@@KaiserinErzsi I know why it was changed for the Hitchcock film. But the musical doesn’t have to go by the codes. No one does, since they don’t exist anymore. So, is it an adaptation of the book or the Hitchcock movie?
Have you seen the 2020 adaptation? It has the original ending of him shooting her
@@katiechambers1319 I did see it. Kept the ending, but changed I’s characterization in the beginning. All in all, not a good adaptation.
I've watched the austrian vesion multiple times on youtube. I have the cast album, albeit the shortened one, not the full length. I've watched countless videos from the korean versions. (Ok, Joo Hyun as Mrs Danvers!) What a disappointment that the english version can't attain the heights of its fellow productions. I'm not european or even cosmopolitan, but I love big european musicals (what I've seen. on youtube.) I guess my taste is just different. I had kind of hoped the rest of the world would come round and see what I see in it, but I guess it won't be for this one. Sad.
The old English demos are still floating around(they have the wonderful irony of "I'm an American Woman" being sung with the thickest European accent you'll ever hear). Here are a couple of them:
ua-cam.com/play/PLA7ACAFE45C62B263.html
Weirdly, they're not the ones I have in my music library. Go figure.
Just came from WitW and saw the thumbnail. Can't wait to see what's in store
Hopefully this production does well enough that further iterations can have a set more like what people expect from this show. They've more-or-less called the Charing Cross production a stepping stone, so I'd keep that in mind as well
I feel like I not having a name is a bonus. The story is called Rebecca, it’s named after this character who doesn’t even appear, her presence over the I and the story as a whole is set from just her being the first name in the story and our protagonist doesn’t even get one
I went to see it last night and I 100% agree with everything you've said.
If not for the incredible performances of the cast, it would have felt like AmDram - if for no reason than the amount of smoke they pump on stage).
And yet, I still have so many of those songs ringing round my head and wish there was an English cast recording!
'The Wind has trained for this moment, and they are going to make sure it lands" 😆
A very good in depth review ,you didn’t leave anything out .I went to the matinee last Wednesday .
The white curtains could have been used in a more clever way and the lack of any artwork on the walls was a mistake ,in Rebecca’s bedroom it looked as though gigantic roots had been painted on the wall behind what looked like a divan bed and the only other piece of furniture was a desk tucked into a corner where apparently Rebecca sat and wrote her letters ( in the dark ) I know it’s only a small thing but after mrs VanHopper left the stage I thought ,that’s a tiny part until in the next scene she was in the welcoming with the servants as the cook with the same brown shoes on .And the chorus singing was so loud ,just for that scene .
The fire scene was handled in a interesting way with buckets and buckets of water being passed to the characters,but would have been better if they had not been ice buckets .on the whole I enjoyed the production ,( apart from nit picking ).
I wasn’t too sure about the Tables in the first scene in doubling as the edge of the cliff with the pink table cloths still on .I suppose that was to disguise the two waiters hiding under the tabes for their next scene . Then suddenly two chairs were over turned to represent rocks when they were walking on the beach .entrance was a let down at the costume ball ( with only two in costume ) and badly lit as she came down the staircase and disappeared round a corner upstage very quickly .
There were only two fancy dress costumed characters at the ball ,a missed opportunity and I’s entrance on the staircase was badly lit .
And she just disappeared round the. Corner up stage .
the original Hitchcock movie was so perfect (maybe one of my favorite movies ever). it would be hard to be totally open to what a theatrical production could add to experiencing the story. I can imagine a musical score working but I do wish that new musicals could be written without relying on past movies for material. i would encourage anyone who has not seen the movie to watch it.....and yes there is a camp element to miss danvers but she is so deliciously twisted
To be fair, this musical is an English translation of a German language musical directly based on the book itself, not the movie.
So I am only watching this because I love behind the scene stuff on all kinds of media (which started from knowing a lot of the video game development stuff) so I have heard about the history of this show...
But I just have to say your charisma is through the roof.
The direction problems you mention are so prevalent in current opera productions and really have been for years. There's a heavy tendency (especially the bigger the house is) to be completely disconnected from the period the piece is set in, not the period through a specific lens (e.g. 1930s Hollywood does 18th c French-Louisiana or 1950s does gothic medieval), it comes across as not even trying. They suffer from a sort of cold, pretentious form of minimalism (characterized by how you described the set being lacking to the point of distraction), and generally are very cold and disconnected. You see these problems in some of the opera-house productions of Phantom in more recent years.
When bringing in an opera director to do a musical, there's a clash of structural worlds. Operas have their main and supporting cast, a giant chorus (sometimes even big enough to cast two full-blown productions of 1990s Beauty and the Beast), and then you have dancers and supernumeraries. They're giant! Even your prima donna may have only one costume for the whole show. It often won't cross such a director's mind to have a smaller ensemble doubling as different types of characters as is appropriate for the scene. In musicals, in comparison, you're often doing a lot more with less and that's some major culture-shock for an opera director.
I loved this production but I did find the set lacking. I didn't notice any lighting issues.
I really hope this transfers to a larger theatre so we can get a more Vienise style set.
My hubby and I were planning on flying to UK to see this as soon as it was announced; but then when we discovered in that tiny theater, I knew something was off. Truthfully, I'm glad we didn't end up going. I wouldve been so MAD if his first exposure to this show was a toned down version.
….update to my comment a month ago….saw the matinee this afternoon - expectations were exceeded by a very wide margin and I loved the show 💖 the staging was much better than expected - everyone was perfect in their parts and the orchestra was amazing.
I saw Rebecca in London and as a fan of Daphne du Maurier I really enjoyed it!As did the audience from what I could see on the night
Saw this on Friday and loved it!! Wish I could see it again before I closes but don’t think I’ll get the chance :( It is my favourite novel and I’ve never even watched any film/tv adaptations for fear of tarnishing it for myself. But I was so intrigued by this I had to! The lyrics are a bit clunky and the music isn’t amazing. I enjoyed the performances though, and I got goosebumps when Lauren Jones started singing, such an angelic voice. You could tell the cast were loving it and having a great time too. Shame about the theatre tbh, tatty chairs and the trains were distracting! I liked the ensemble coming through the audience, mainly because my mum sat on the aisle and it was hilarious to watch her avoiding making any eye contact 😅😅😅
A truly superb review! Everything you said was spot on. Yes, there are some excellent elements in the score but the English lyrics are often awful and the direction was totally misconceived. As for that set…. Mmm, it’s best not to think about it. My heart went out to the cast who tried their best, against the odds, to deliver acceptable performances. It’s the producers who are surely to blame for their bad decision making. I hope, that with massive reworking, a suitably spectacular version is eventually staged in the West End, so that memories of this sorry production can be forgotten. In all events, keep up the good work M.J. your reviews are terrific!
I can tell you, as a a german i didnt think any of the german lyrics to really be good. So maybe its not a problem of translation, but of the material itself
I WAS going to see it, but it was canceled on the day. The weird thing was, ticket holders got no email about it whatsoever, and they were quiet about it on social media and their website. Just a sheet of paper stuck to the entrance of the theater... weird!
Curiously, I've read the book, but I've never watched the movie. I feel curious about the musical, because I have a soft spot for Austrian things and I thought that the combo would be something I can get behind. I still do and still might to watch it.
They are currently showing this in Korea. Really pushing it with advertising all over thd subway and on buses.
The old clips of the Korean performances I've seen were fantastic, I hope the latest production is just as haunting!
I am disheartened to hear that the overwhelming critical response to this show has been much less than steller! In my opinion, it was so important to nail this one. I wish they’d had another creative team!!
I am a HUGE (!!) fan of Sylvester Levay’s music. For me, he’s as great a melodist as Richard Rodgers or Andrew Lloyd Webber. His “Boote in der nacht” (or “Boats in the Night”), from Elisabeth, is perhaps my favourite song of all-time (ua-cam.com/video/pqcPOd_tOBs/v-deo.htmlfeature=shared).
I was already fearing the worst when WhatsOnStage posted a couple of Rebecca’s new English translations to their channel. I found the new lyrics on-the-nose and sometimes unintelligent. From what I heard, the translation is VERY faithful to the German libretto, to the point where the grammatical structure of the translation is questionable. A line that sticks out in my mind is: “these are the orchid pots of Mrs De Winter.” Structurally, this is a perfect sentence in German. However, as a native English speaker, fluent Dutch speaker and preliminary German speaker (a very similar language to Dutch), I find this jarring. I have had to learn to restructure my sentences when speaking Dutch or German - “these are Mrs De Winter’s orchid pots,” becomes “these are the orchid pots of…,” and vice-versa when translating. Perhaps I’m being pedantic. I am no expert, after all, and it could be that the English sentence is grammatically sound. But it’s something that’s been bothering me 😂
I remember reading some years ago that Christopher Hampton’s lyrics for Sunset Boulevard were also poorly received. I, myself, have found them jarring at times, too. Maybe they should’ve gone with a different translator 🤷♀️
Anyway, it’s a real darn shame. Sylvester Levay deserves the cult-status he’s received in Europe and Asia. The English-speaking world is missing out on his genius 😢
As much as I love hearing your thoughts and thought this was an interesting review (thank you for taking the time!), and also I genuinely love your channel and love watching your reviews, there has been something that's been really noticable in all your conversations about Rebecca that I would like to point out: it really sometimes sounds like you don't have a lot of respect for european theatre or other international stuff not originally from the west end/broadway. I don't know if you mean it as such, but that's how it comes off.
This show is insanely popular throughout the world, the idea that the material needs to 'prove itself' is ludicrous to me. The translation, sure (and I believe you on that it might not be as good as it could be, that happens very often when it comes to non-english shows getting translated unfortunately), but the material is obviously plenty popular elsewhere... would you put it that way if someone exported a famous English-language show elsewhere in the world?
I also don't know why you think european theatre is somehow inherently more campy (not considering camp positive or negative but just As A Thing)... like, are you telling me that Phantom of the Opera isn't campy (christine....christine....chriiiistiiiine), or Bad Cinderella, for that matter...
have you watched any of the videos Mickey has done from the Edenborough fringe? there have been lots of very positive and supportive reviews of productions not from the west end. He has also done many positive reviews of productions outside of london from smaller theaters.
@@charliehorey9886 I'm talking about non-english language shows, sorry if that was unclear
Thank you for this assessment of unconscious West end Broadway bias. MJ is utterly convinced that anything from beyond these overpriced overhyped territories has to prove itself.
MJ needs to broaden his horizons and embrace in an inclusive and less judgemental way the brilliant work that comes out of Europe. Try Rudolf, Tanz der Vampire and Elisabeth as an introduction
he always points out that theater is subjective. Everyone brings their own biases , taste, history to what ever piece of theater or art they are viewing. in my opinion his reviews are well thought out and fair...even when i do not agree with him.
@@Nymwhen
@@charliehorey9886 yes, of course theatre is subjective, and if you'll notice in my comment I'm not saying anything about his opinion on the show or how its performed, he's perfectly allowed to have that opinion (I was quite curious to hear it) and if he didn't love it or have problems with it its totally valid, I also said I very much believe him regarding the translation because that is a very common problem.
That is *not* what I am talking about. I'm talking about the dismissive tone I feel is being taken regarding foreign shows having to somehow 'prove their worth' like they are somehow inherently less-than, when they are quite literally just as much of a blockbuster musical in mainland Europe as well as Asia as Phantom is in the UK and the US. MJ is, obviously, allowed to express his opinion, and I am allowed to express mine, right? I don't mean to imply ill intent on his part (as I have said), I am just saying that is how the conversation around Rebecca specifically has come across to me, and that I think that perhaps he should be aware of that. Not out of any ill feeling, but rather in the hopes that maybe he considers how he sounds to people who do consume more mainland theatre.
As someone who‘s seen the Vienna production and knows several of Levay‘s works - that power ballad beat is always there. Imo a lot of the time it‘s very very cheesy. But Austrians seem to love ot lol
Please be kind, I have seen this show in Vienna stuttgart and Helsinki. It can be and is a fantastic piece of theatre and deserves to thrive in English as it has done in so many other tongues. I am seeing it next weekend
That's selfish of you. I want a honest review not a kind review. Theatre is not cheap and with so many great options, I want to make a good choice.
@emhu2594 selfish, no just hoping for balanced views based on the material not the band wagon of "have you heard what happened to the Broadway attempt ". Irrelevant sensationalist disingenuous condemnation by association
i find this comment confusing since almost every review he does breaks down what he likes and doesn't like about the production. the reviews always seem very balanced and thought out. even in productions he does not like there are elements or actors that he compliments. he also always points out that theater is subjective and encourages people to see the productions themselves and make up their own opinion. With theater tickets being so highly priced I appreciate having some idea of what i am getting into@@davidhume6363
@@davidhume6363 well, that's not what he did. He pointed out the weaknesses of the material and they do exist.
This review, like all Mickey Jo's reviews, was fair and that's what we're here for.
I’m living for the reviews of sunset boulevard
I think the lead actress's voice is amazing. I have seen the production yesterday and it was well worn in by this time and it sounded amazing from her part. I loved the immersive bits and I missed the giant revolving staircase that we had in Hungary. I also sorely missed Ms Van Hopper's big ensemble number at the ball. That was tremendous fun. She has this whole flirting going on with the Colonel and she has all this confidence that she is everyone's type I loved that number and sadly I think because of the scale of it it must have been cut.
And then there were the additions, which served a purpose but did not jive with the original music. The songs inserted only so that the stage crew can reshuffle the set behind the curtain.
I am glad the hairbrush scene was jarring for others too, not just me LOL.... :D
I fully agree about the set criticism. I have seen people do more with less. The Hungarian production had such an atmosphere to it. The entire play was kind of blue except the monte carlo scenes. There were these iridescent setpieces and I loved the ensemble playing ghosts of water drowned corpses behind mirrors and dancing with them it added to the whole gothic thing, down to the bit they could have easily done here during she's invincible Mrs Danvers could have crushed the orchid petals and slowly sprinkling them from her hands it looked so amazing for such a trivial thing.
I am not sure if links are allowed here in the comments feed. Funnily all the various casts are online on youtube of the Hungarian production. The theatre it was staged in is not particularly big but they staged it so well. ua-cam.com/video/s4l5eX_Nyfk/v-deo.html
I particularly like the atmospheric bits and the costumes. They are stunning and kinky... Mrs. Danvers in that dominatrix-evoking outfit is quite intimidating. In the other cast it is worn by a much thinner lady and it looks even kinkier to me with those shoulderpads and all. It just works for me.
Oh this is my favourite Mrs. Danvers riff... ua-cam.com/video/awKMXN0h2Jg/v-deo.html
Oh and the translation is completely wrong in English. What she says here is essentially: That Mrs. Danvers failed Rebecca's memory and she can hear her from beyond the grave blaming herr not the other way around. The English translation was jarring to me because it is not Mrs. Danvers who should be feeling betrayed, it is her who did not fulfil the wishes of her mistress and so she sets the house on fire. Amazing nervous breakdown on stage I love every bit of it and that note on the top of it is just amazing. Gives me the shivers reliably all these years later every time.
"friends" oh come ON let the woman be gay !!! Danvers doesn't burn the house down because she's doing it *for* Rebecca or as revenge on her behalf, she burns the house down because she has met her ultimate form of betrayal in realising Rebecca didn't care for her as much as she needed her to and in turning out to be fallibly mortal after all, and so she's destroying the only thing that ever really mattered to her beloved in peak spiteful unhinged lesbianism, rather burning herself to death in Rebecca's bedroom than living another day in a now entirely hopeless world devoid of the devotion or blind faith she was so desperate for.
Also Rebecca was never actually pregnant. She couldn't get pregnant. She was using the threat of it to manipulate Maxim into making him so angry, he'd kill her, which he did - no more.
This is an exzellent review, I agree with most of it.
The changes from the book (i.e. Maxim accidentally pushing Rebecca instead of shooting her) really confuse me. In the book, you really get the feeling that Maxim is hounded by the memory of his late wife, who he has to pretend to mourn despite the constant emotional abuse she directed at him. In "I", he finds someone who is sweetly pure, and regrets dragging her into his world of darkness and death. When he confesses killing Rebecca to her, it's a really great ending to their arcs: "I" finally gets to hear the truth from someone and stops feeling like Maxim's inferior, and he gets to divulge the abuse he was under and the catharsis he felt after killing her. Something about it being a maybe-accidental push instead of the finality of a gunshot just really undermines that IMO.
Also, this is a personal thing, but after hearing about the shortcomings of the English translation, it just makes me wish the Jane Eyre musical got more love. It's honestly one of my favorite ever musical albums (especially with the way it incorporates lines from the novel) and it's so disappointing that seems to have fallen off most people's radar 😥
When you're in New York, you should try to see MJ and/or Back to the Future as well. (I know your schedule for your trip is a little uncertain, so I'm throwing this suggestions your way).
both are in london
I hate to say it but without the spectacle of the large stage production this musical will never catch fire. What I think it needs for the English language audience is a few backers with deep pockets and star power, like Idina Menzel as Mrs. Danvers. Also a bit more depth to the script might help.
wait wait wait. did i hear this correctly Beatrice and Giles give Ich a GUN????
I saw the Austrian production multiple times and uuhh that does NOT happen there???
No, they suggest giving her one as a wedding present so she can accompany them in their next hunt. They replaced "Die lieben Verwandten" song with a new one where they sing this.
@@___David__ aaah okay, still weird haha
Can you please tell me where should i find English version of Mrs. Danvers’s dong? Thank you so much!!!!!!
Excellent observations on REBECCA as a show and this production (which struck me more as a workshop staged to attract prospective investors than a legitimate Off-West-End production). Ultimately it confirmed to me the feeling I had long had that, regardless of the physical production, had the Broadway production avoided the scandal in 2012-13 and "gotten up," it might have run a while but would have lost every dime. It is probably marginally better than Lloyd-Webber's follow-ups to PHANTOM..., ASPECTS OF LOVE or LOVE NEVER DIES, but the time for that sort of power ballad Gothic romance has past. REBECCA may have a life in community theatres with more people to cast than money to spend, but as a major musical, it isn't a serious prospect.
I should note that my comment is regarding REBECCA in the English speaking theatre. As others have noted, the expectations/standards of other traditions can vary widely. At least REBECCA got a better hearing in our theatre than the utterly distorted DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES!
I like how u mentioned the amateurish feeling it had sometimes. The set/ curtain and ensemble moments did feel very A level drama to me. I know this production was meant to be scaled down but I think without the grand set it's hard to get the proper mysterious atmosphere needed to fully engage the audience in the gothic drama. If they are not going to have the grand set then they need to take a leaf out of the women in blacks staging. From what I remember that has very minimal set but still creates a great tense atmosphere. Overall the performances were good but it was a little bit of a damp squib.
This review doesn't surprise me at all. I have been to Vienna twice, and each time make sure to see what musicals (there are usually two--two theatres) the brilliant VBW company, who commissioned and premiered Rebecca, are putting on, and so saw Rebecca in its first run I believe (and it's actually being revived now--Mickey Jo can't you go to Vienna for a theatre visit?)
Anyway, long story short--this was a case where why I found the musical so involving and such a theatrically fun night was down primarily to director Francesca Zambello, her brilliant design team, and an impeccable large cast and orchestra. The production itself is just flat out magnificent and the kind of thing London hasn't seen, probably, since Sunset Blvd. I grew to like a lot of the material itself (it probably helped that instead of Hampton's English lyrics I was relying on the English surtitles that were projected,) but it was just one of the most on-key, WOW productions I have ever seen. Frankly, as soon as I heard that the London version would NOT be using that production (and was scaled back, to boot) I asked myself "Why bother?" and it sounds like on top of that, this simply wasn't well directed even at its small scale.
I'll give another shout out to VBW. While the over the top 90s megamusical style of musical they do isn't my favourite, I think consistency wise they probably are the world's best musical theatre company in terms of production and performance level (it helps that a lot of the company works a bit like a rep theatre.) They grew from a desire in the 80s to have domestic company staging the UK megamusicals (Les Miz especially was big) but starting at least 30 years ago were creating their own hits--with the wonderful Elisabeth. Which is extremely derivative as a sort of mashup of Les Miz/Evita with a touch of Phantom, but works (I saw one of many of its revivals on one of my trips there.) It started the partnership of those former Eurodisco geniuses Sylvester Levay and Michael Kunze as musical theatre composers, and also the VBW practice of hiring top tier opera and musical directors for their productions. Of course this is how they created Rebecca too, though I think Elisabeth is a much stronger score (they've done one other musical for VBW, Mozart! which you can see the filmed version of and is ridiculous but a lot of fun.)
Besides Rebecca and Elisabeth I've been lucky to see VBW's Roman Polanski version of Dance of the Vampires (I know, I know--and yes, the original production is just pure WTF brilliance.) But also another VBW commission Stephen Schwartz's Schikanader (about the librettist of The Magic Flute,) which Trevor Nunn directed in his full scale megamusical mode that he hasn't been able to use in London for decades. I thought it was *brilliant* with Schwartz' best score since at least Children of Eden, and I think that would have a strong London chance (as they keep hinting at) if only the subject matter wasn't so Vienna based (it would need a new title at least.) This is one reason that Elisabeth has been a mammoth success throughout continental Europe and Asia, but not even tested in English yet--Empress Sisi Elisabeth is deemed too obscure a subject matter, so I think Schikanader would be even more so. Still--there is some great great work being done there.
ua-cam.com/video/CYNt-6UsKeY/v-deo.html
Very interesting comment. I had no idea Stephen Schwarz wrote a musical about Schikaneder.....I'm flabbergasted that I missed this. (Huge opera fan as well and this started (of course) with Die Zauberflöte which I first saw for the first time in Salzburg as a child, so this seems like two worlds colliding)
Despite the credentials (Stephen Schwartz as well as Trevor Nunn) it didn't seem to get all that much talk among musical fans--though as the clip I posted gladly advertises it did get some glowing English language reviews. The website used to have demo samples of the songs with their original English lyrics, but the full English demo hasn't leaked, that said the cast album is wonderful even with the language barrier. (When I saw it live they had surtitles--and the surtitles were better than the ones for other VBW musicals because they could use Schwartz' original English lyrics.) It was a success in Vienna, playing out its planned 8 month run, but hasn't had an afterlife as of yet.
So I heartily suggest checking it out if you are a fan of Schwartz, opera, etc (and it seems you are ;) ) A LOT of it is is on UA-cam if you know what I mean... The title role was played by Mark Seibert who seems to be VBW's current leading man go-to guy and has to be one of the best in the world at the moment, but the entire cast was perfect.@@epicemuchilz
I feel like I need to hear some of the versions from this production before I judge but yeah good translations are needed.
This show should have been in it's original form. Not in such a small setting. Because it is such a beautiful piece of art.
It's a very expensive show. They couldn't have staged it in its original form. This is just a trial run
@@Chibbykins I know that it's a limited run. But it does also give a wrong impression of the show with such a small set. I hope the original production will transfer to London soon.
@@waynew4726 I think/hope theatre fans will know this isn't the 'real' Rebecca' and just save to see it somewhere else. Or see this version with an open mind. Maybe someone who knows nothing about it will have lower expectations and end up really loving it
I've seen some very clever set designs at Charing Cross, with designers really making the most of the space (Zorro was great for that). Shame that they've missed the mark here.
I LOVE this musical, tbh I would have loved to have gone to seen it but saw it has closed (I am so pissed I am a huge fan of this musical why didn't I hear about this til today!)
Tbh I like the music from it, I don't mind the power balladness and don't see all the 'campness' although I do really like the sound of a lot of the other English versions, incl the version of Rebecca Pia Douwes had on her album.
Tbh I just wish they would cast Ramin Karimloo as Maxim, he would be PERFECT (ironically Sierra Boggess was originally gona be I, but imo she was miscast cos she's too glamorous and beautiful and charismatic, so wrong for I who is supposed to be super insecure (I felt the same about Lily James playing her in the new film), imo Sierra would be better if Rebecca was an existing character, or even her as Beatrice or Mrs Danvers).
I saw this today... oh, dear... The Direction and Design of the show are HORRENDOUS, a shame because the actors and musicians involved are all very very talented. And yes, I agree, that set should have been set on fire.
I enjoyed it, and think your comments are spot on. Someday I'll see it in German!
Such a shame. The proper original Gernan-language production is stunning.
Please, please, do Sunset Blvd. New production.
Do you think it will do well enough to move to a larger theatre? The music is beautiful
What exactly do you find beautiful? I find the music to be underwhelming and not memorable at all!
@@dirkandi it is something I feel. There is something operatic about it. But everyone can have their own opinion. That's just mine and I was first introduced to it in German
@@susanpolastaples9688 I didn't mean to invalidate your opinion, I was curious as in my opinion the music is quite forgettable and without all the tricks and action on stage sounds really dull. I'm glad you like it!
@@dirkandi ok
Have you read Variety’s review? Makes the some of the same points as you do - but more devastatingly. It wouldn’t get one star - how did it get a standing ovation? Everything does nowadays - which cheapens them
this feels like a weirdly… mean review?? much more than normal for mickey jo. it’s a bit odd, ngl, especially when half the video is just talking through his various issues with the material itself, which we already know is successful (he says himself at the beginning that Rebecca is a classic novel, several films, and an international musical hit, so it’s not like it’s ever been a question of if the material could be a success??) also, i’m sure this is unintentional, but there’s a couple parts that are weirdly insulting toward europeans? his rating is subjective and no one can or should change that, but this video just feels strange to me.
I saw Rebecca last night and I must confess I was thoroughly disappointed. Now that I know the plot I can see that it would be impossibly hard to set this to music without it becoming extremely melodramatic (and not in a good way) in places if not throughout. That said I agree with the comments regarding the libretto being predictable and cliched and where I disagree is that none of the score was particularly brilliant, original or memorable. And yes the addition of the "Pop Rock" beat to all the 4/4 ballad numbers greatly distracted from any dramatic affect.
Thanks!
Wow I haven't seen a MickeyJo review divide the room this much. Although I did not see the original production of Rebecca, I did see the large scale Dutch production of Elisabeth and listened to the Rebecca soundtrack in German. But I'm not a big fan.. There is a lack of nuance, depth and sophistication in the score and especially the arrangements. The guy can write a good melody (some are extremely catchy earworms)and some of the harmonic progressions he comes up with are kinda slick but it seems like he is not able to develop those musical ideas into a coherent narrative. There's so many literal repeats and cheesy modulations it almost seems like it is pastiche (Great examples are: Ich gehör nur mir and Sie ergibt sich nicht both are exremely catchy meldodies that are put in a musical ballad cookie cutter machine). The shows aspire to be something they're it's not and that is cringe. I didn't know Levay made his own arrangements, but all of his shows might benefit from finding somebody to completely start from scratch with orchestral arrangements. Start with getting rid of the pop drum kit and replacing with more classical percussion, getting a more nuanced approach to modulations and finding better transitions.
Im the film when she decends stsircase the guest havent arr only beatrice giles and frank
I really wish I could see it
I watched the show in Vienna this year and thought the songwriting (especially the lyrics, but also the orchestration) was poor at best. Very generic, shallow, repetitive. Many nonsensical lyrics, very much on-the-nose without any layers added. I couldnt connect to the characters on any level. IMO way too many unnecessary side characters. Overall the show felt very outdated, and also at points ableist. I caught myself wanting to leave about half an hour in (and actually saw many people right around me cringe as often as me at some of the lyrics/developments - i honestly dont understand how all reviews i can find for the Vienna production are favourable). The performances/quality of the cast were immaculate tho, I just thought book, music, and lyrics were, well, not on any way en par with many Broadway productions. Even a great cast and massive sets cant overshadow thin material. I honestly dont understand the hype.
Saw Rebecca Tuesday. Brilliant sound quality superb lead performances but all the ensemble set pieces didn’t fit the tone & felt ‘off’ like the tone was wrong Creepy cousin character was also odd & hes song felt like it didn’t belong in the show. Think this could possibly do a UK tour but not a true west end musical imo.
💖💖
I don't understand why anyone would think rebecca the musical would be a good idea?
Watch Szabó P. Szilveszter playing Maxim in Hungarian and you'll get it.
Uh oh
Europop does not succeed on Broadway. For me, a huge fan of the novel and the Hickcock film (Dame Judith Anderson was brilliant as Mrs. Danvers!!) Europop seems the antithesis of Rebecca Michael Kunze's work has been some of the worst shows I've seen on Broadway, I mean, not to the level of awful of Joseph Brook's "In My Life.". Perhaps, Michael Kunze's work doesn't translate well to, American English.
I found it boring I left at the break!
First