As a German (and Tanz der Vampire Fan from age 8) I want to make it clear that the Broadway production was very, very different from the original German version and essentially fully rewritten and reworked in a not-so-good way (apparently a lot of it had to do with giving Michael Crawford, cast to play the Count creative control and him wanting to make it as different from Phantom as possible, as well as giving him all the "good bits" if I remember the lore correctly) - something I'll forever be salty about, because it means English-speaking countries will never experience the same show we can in Germany. Yes, it is very campy in out version as well, but it does so in a way more earnest way I think.
Totally get what you mean, I've been doing a deep dive on Tanz Der Vampire since seeing it lol I am a tad obsessed now and the Broadway production just seems to totally miss what European audiences loved about the show and Michael Crawford was definitely miscast, especially with excessive creative control. I hope to see it again in Hamburg before it ends its current run X x x
That's correct. Crawford wanted to add a lot of "comedy" to the production - which made it just plain silly. They also had issues with direction and lyrics, it was just a complete mess. TdV is one of my favorites - though I've never seen it live. Do you have a favorite cast?
@theatrefanofficial don't worry about it ending its current run. They will be re-born immediately, flying around for the past 25 years. I can't remember how many "closing nights", "the very final shows" ,"the now really final show" and "this time they will definitely not return shows" I've attended over the years... and I'm saying that with all my love for this show...they are indeed immortal😂
As someone who has been working my ass off trying to get a faithful English version off the ground for over a decade, thank you for explaining that. It saves me time.
I had been a huge fan of Tanz after friends of mine on tour in Germany turned me on to it. I was so excited to see it come to broadway. Couldn’t fathom the choice of Michael Crawford. He was waaaaaay too old to play the part. And they put him in similar costumes, including some platform boots at one point. Nothing ruins the image of the “perpetually virulent and youthful vampire” image than watching a man in his early seventies gingerly clomp around in boots! He also demanded an exorbitant fee to record the cast album, which the producers couldn’t afford (especially with the show not doing well), which is why we don’t have a Broadway cast album! Crawford aside, which honestly was a horrid choice cause it gave American audiences an expectation of a more gothic love story, than farcical romp, since most Americans are only familiar with him because of Phantom. The other main issue was the original German production had the benefit of the original director, who had directed the movie that the show was based on. So the original German creatives were intimately familiar with the tone and quality of the comedy. Which the American crew, in particular with Crawford’s influence because he was a “name,” was not! I had loved everything about the original German production and was heartbroken seeing the broadway version!
With all the praise for the Hamburg public transport, I wanna let people travelling to Germany for a longer time know that there is 49 Euro/month ticket that allows you to use public transport in the whole country (regional trains included, but long-distance excluded). The process of buying it can be a bit complicated (as it is a subscription you have to cancel in advance before they charge you for another month), but in the end it is very good not to think about tickets even if you are visiting multiple cities or going outside of town.
It looks like they only take SEPA payments, so if you have a non EU bank account I don't think the subscription works. I tried it with one of my English friends once.
@@Southenislandactually, you can pay for it with other methods of payment when you don't buy it from Deutsche Bahn but from some of the regional providers. I know a friend has a ticket from Munich MVV paid with Mastercard. I think Hamburg HVV also accepts cards. the ticket still applies to the whole country. yeah, the whole process around this ticket is an unnecessary complication, but "it is meant for commuters not tourists", oh well
Towards the end you mentioned that to you it felt like for a lot of theater goers the visit to the shows was a real 'event' - and that is true. What I am about to write is subjective of course so take it with a grain of salt: A lot of the big shows (Frozen, Hamilton, ...) are only ever played in Hamburg, sometimes Stuttgart and are usually very expensive. That's the case for London shows as well of course but towards the lower end, tickets can be cheaper in the UK. I just checked Frozen for a Sunday matinee and the cheapest ticket in Hamburg starts at 80€ - family discount considered. London starts as low as 30 pounds - you would never see that in Hamburg. Comparable results for the past production of Hamilton or the current run of Moulin Rouge in Cologne (not Stage Entertainment). Granted, the seats might not be the best but at least there is the possibility of attending. So, going to a musical is definitely something very special for a lot of people and you better think twice about it. That, in my opinion, is also the reason why we don't have a lot of big 'experimental' shows in Germany and get 'safe' ones instead. The fact that Hamilton came to Germany at all was a big surprise to me and a lot of other people, too. And unfortunately, it didn't do too well. We get a lot of Disney musicals and some evergreen musicals like Tanz der Vampire. A lot of the other successful musicals are also of the jukebox-y variety like Moulin Rouge, MJ, Mamma Mia, Tina or the upcoming & Juliet since they are easier to advertise for. It's rare we see international productions with an original score + script and the ones we do get are usually costly.
Hi Mickey Jo, As a fan and a follower of your content plus an actor/singer who worked and lived in Hamburg multiple times, I really enjoyed following you around my beloved city and the theaters I have worked at. And since I get so much information and trivia from your videos, I thought I'd return you the favor here, and answer some of your questions or expand on some of the things that you mentioned in your video with what I know. I think it's wonderful that you guys traveled to Hamburg to get a taste of the German musical theatre culture. I'd advise you to come to Vienna next and enjoy some of the shows over here. There's quite a big fanbase over here and Vienna has so much to offer. Keep up the good work! All the best. Greetings from Vienna, Mark * There was actually an easier connection from the airport to the Boston Hotel. It's by S-train with only one transfer on Hauptbahnhof (central station). * They only had Ampelmänchen in East Germany. Berlin simply kept them after the wall came down. * The poster on the left on the boat in Miniatur Wunderland, is a poster of the musical DAS WUNDER VON BERN. This an original German musical from 2014, based on the German movie from 2003 with the same title. It's about how a Germany dealt with the struggles of post WW2 as seen through the perspective of a broken family, and how Germany unexpectedly won the World Football Cup in 1954 in Bern - Switzerland, which is why it is called "The Miracle of Bern". The Theater an der Elbe where DIE EISKÖNIGIN/FROZEN is currently playing, officially opened with DAS WUNDER VON BERN. * The TANZ DER VAMPIRE T-shirt only mentions the German productions of the show, as produced by Stage-Entertainment. The show was created and originated in Vienna - Austria back in 1997, where it had two revivals (2009, 2017) since. All of these were produced by Vereinigte Bühnen Wien (United Stages Vienna). * The name "Stage-Entertainment" is actually pronounced in English. 😉 * Taking multiple bows, with or without music, is a very Austrian/German thing to do. You'll see this a lot in original productions from there. * Almost the entire score of TANZ DER VAMPIRE exists of previously written and produced material for different projects and recordings by Jim Steinman, such as the song "Original Sin" by Pandora and tracks on Meat Loaf's "Bat out of Hell" albums. * According to Hape Kerkeling, the actor who synchronized Olaf in the German version of the DIE EISKÖNIGIN/FROZEN franchise, they replaced Samantha with Hildegard because it simply was funnier in German that way. However it is theorized that it was very cleverly placed as a joke for the more grown up audience who know Hape Kerkeling from his variety of famous comedy characters he created. One of his more well known characters is the German schlager singer Uschi Blum, who's real name is Hildegard Sterczinski.
you translated the writing on the poster at 9:00 correctly as ‘only on until September‘ but the ‘biss‘ is red because ‘bis’ means until and ‘Biss’ with the second s stands for bite, some fun word play! 😁 and I’m really enjoying the vlog so far!
24:30 The "Elephants" are 'Ottifanten' (a wordplay on "Otto" - the creator (and the comedian on stage) and "Elefanten" - Elephants) as you may have recognized… You summoned whole Germany (or the every single German Subscribers of yours) also Rob Fowler (The Graf von Krolock) was the OG Falco from Bat out of Hell
A notable difference of Frozen GER to the US tour is the stairs. The US tour only has a little podium on which Elsa's quick change happens while the German production has the full stairs from the UK/Broadway production and the quick change is done on the "floor"
Moin! Thank you so much for this great vlog from my beloved hometown! I'm so glad you liked it. I actually work at "Die Eiskönigin" but I saw this too late. Otherwise I would have invited you on a backstage tour. ;-) A few things (I'm quite late for this so probably someone already mentioned those): - It's not an island where the two theatres are located. It's just the other side of the river. You can also get there by car over a bridge, but the easiest way of public transportation is the boat. - They used to sell the Program and the souvenir brochure separately (for every show) until not so long ago. For some reason they stopped... Well you might guess why. I think it's a pity, too. - I'm afraid they will translate the lyrics from "& Juliet" into German. They did that with Moulin Rouge (Cologne), Bat out of Hell (Oberhausen) and even Tina (although in this case only some of the songs that are part of the narrative). MJ however will stay in English. Thank goodness! - "Moin" doesn't stand for "Good morning". It comes from the northern "flat German" language and is short for "Have a good day" (moi=good). So we say it at every time of day.
😂 yes, we Germans are terrible at queuing. Everybody wants to be first, because they’re always in fear of missing something/being too late. I always very much enjoy the British queuing method when I am in London 😊 one tip about the boats on the Elbe: there is a ferry system on the Elbe (similar boats like the one you took to the musical island) and it’s part of the public transport. So if you have a HVV day pass or the Hamburg ticket, taking a ride on a ferry is included in that. Best scenic route is the 62, which goes a good way down the Elbe with several points of interest and possibilities to get off (or on the ferry). It’s a „round trip“ that takes about an hour. Great way to get around without walking 😊 (and much cheaper than the tourist boat trips!) Love it that you guys enjoyed „my“ city so much, cheers from Hamburg 🎉 PS: I love your channel! As I can’t go to London and see plays as much as I would like, I thoroughly enjoy your videos! Gives me a feeling of participation 😊 and your reviews help me to decide what to see (and what to avoid) when I am visiting London 😎
I hope you’ll get a chance to see Elisabeth at some point, that’s an austrian musical. not sure if it’s currently running anywhere but I recommend you check it out if you ever get the chance.
In germany, there are always several bows. In classical theatre even up to ten times, in Musical Theatre mostly 2. They changed the Hamilton Bows to going twice after a few weeks since german audiences were confused, as well when i saw the uk and international tour of six in munich, they added another bow for the german audiences. As a german, i prefer the english version xD
I can appreciate the idea behind giving the performers the applause they deserve at the end but I, too, prefer the English custom of 'one bow and out'. Some theatres are really overdoing it in Germany and you sit there for ages. Applause becomes a chore then and the feeling with which you leave the theatre is 'Bows took waaay too long' and not 'Awesome show!'. I really dislike that.
Nice Video - glad you enjoyed it. The Musical scene in Germany is - sadly - dominated by one theatre group which produces all the blockbuster musicals and - in my opinion - it's very clear that they are only in it to make as much money as possible. Which is, of course, good to see all the big hits, but when it comes to non-disney musicals, new and interesing musicals or new interesting productions of hit-musicals...they are hard to find in germany. Mostly it comes down to some local productions or a couple of touring musicals. Tanz der Vampire is one of my fav musicals and - as somebody already pointed out - the broadway production was totally different and much worse. And as much as I love this musical, I do think that the production company in Hamburg did miss a HUGE chance to revamp this brilliant musical (again, they only want to make money, so they always go for safe bets and blockbuster musicals). A few years ago, St.Gallen Theatre (in switzerland) did a production of this musical and got permission to do some changes - and it was absolutely fabulous and gave this musical a new, modern spirit - you can find the trailer on youtube. I know there are a lot of fans of the "never change anything!" version...but I think it's always interesting to see some new interpretations.
The actor who played Hercules was actually germanys Alexander Hamilton, the Actor playing Meg was an amazing Peggy/Maria, and Chasity, one of the Muses, was the German Angelica (whos still my favourite Angelica having seen Hamilton in NYC, London and Germany - such a powerhouse of a voice)
Mickey Jo, I'm a New Yorker whose parents came from Germany and thus was raised speaking both German and English. Most of my relatives are still in Germany and in 2010 while visiting them, I saw the original production of Tanz der Vampire in Stuttgart. It was terrific. Yes, very campy but also really fun and very pleasurable. I was so taken with the show that I bought the CD (something I rarely do). A few years later when I heard the show was coming to Broadway (with Michael Crawford, no less) i was thrilled and excited. It was horrible! All of the fun and much of the campiness was DRAINed out of it. I was never so disappointed in an anticipated show. I agree with the previous commentator @frannysage8892 in that Michael Crawford destroyed the show. If they had only brought an English version of the original German show to Broadway it would have been an enormous success!
I was so lucky to experience the creation of Tanz der Vampire in Vienna/Austria way back and instantly fell in love with the show after the first previews. The biggest fascination, however, was watching Steve Barton making the role of the Count his very own. Steve was pure magic, his stage presence was amazing, he commanded the audience with tiniest little movements, looks or face expressions. Steve had the gift to express all the nuances of a character he portrayed with his acting as well as his singing. If you get a chance please listen to the original Viennese recording or watch old youtube clips of his performance. Just a far cry from the real impression in the theatre, which I was lucky enough to experience more than 60 times with the original Count Krolock, Steve Barton.
Given all my love for the Viennese original of Tanz der Vampire and the first Count Krolock, Steve Barton, I will never forgive Michael Crawford to disastrously ruining the show for Broadway out of pure egocentrism. He knew Steve so well after all their time together on Phantom, but he was not able to take on a well created part that worked perfectly and was beloved by so many. I know about the financial fiasco on Broadway as well, but Crawford made a joke out of the role of the Count and the whole show and that was a bitter pill to swallow.
That was so wholesome to watch! I am a Musical fan from Germany, but I live at the other end of it. Though I am not seeing as many shows as I would like as they are expensive and often far away, so it was so nice to be on a trip with you. I have only been to Hamburg once and watched Tarzan at Neue Flora. At that time the fourth musical theatre (the Theater an der Elbe) did not even exist. Your German pronounciation is pretty good. Expect you pronounced Vampire the english way, because it is the plural form in German, so you pronounce the e at the end, too. The Operettenhaus was home to Cats for a very long time. I have seen Tanz der Vampire twice, one time in Berlin and one time in one of the few not Stage Entertainment versions in Switzerland, which was quite good, too. Die Eiskönigin is coming to Stuttgart in autumn, so I want to see it there. I think both leads were on a TV live show that day, so there were off. The merch is very expensive in that shows. A few years back you could get a Castheft seperately. You would think us Germans would be good at queuing, haha. The hotel room really was large! o.o Please show us also all the merch you bought! So excited to hear all your thoughts on the shows.
Loving the vlog so far (just over halfway through) ♥️ I’m from Germany originally and moved to Sweden 11 years ago. Tanz der Vampire was the first musical I fell in love with when I saw it in Hamburg (at Neue Flora) when I was about 12 years old. I ended up studying musical theatre in Hamburg, worked front of house at the Lion King and at the box office at Operettenhaus while the world premiere of Rocky was on there. Also hopped in and worked a bit at Neue Flora. So I feel so at home watching this video! ♥️ A little detail that’s making me a bit sad: in the Operettenhaus, on the left after entering, where you found the little vampire shrine? And at the Neue Flora where you found the Hercules photo ops? That’s where the box offices used to be where I worked 💔 After the pandemic those were shut completely. I know some of my colleagues got different positions in the theatres (at stage door for example), but it’s still making me sad to see that part gone completely. Thank you for bringing back so many memories for me with this video - I’m feeling so nostalgic
Cool, exciting vlog! Glad you had such a great time 😊 Hamburg is a wonderful city and always worth a visit. I'm going there this weekend with two friends to see Hercules and Die Eiskönigin. I'm already looking forward to your review of Hercules! 🙂
@@MickeyJoTheatre Yes, contact me if you decide to come to Vienna. I'm in one of their shows. I'd love to meet you and perhaps I can show you around a bit.
I cannot wait for your full review of Hercules! Would love your thoughts as to whether this production has the strength to “go the distance” to Broadway?
Oh, I love that you all went to Hamburg. I used to live there and it feels like a walk down memory lane. I still travel to Hamburg frequently to see the musical shows. I missed Willemijn as Elsa as well, so I'm thinking about seeing the derniere. But all alternates at Eiskönigin are phenomenal as well. Vienna also has very good musical productions. And they even do English subtitles on side screens. Maybe for your next trip? 😉 P. S. : I'm impressed by your German pronunciation 😮
Loooooved the vlog it really was like going on vacation with you guys. (Which for the record seems like a freakin blast) the miniatures were really cool I'd def spend hours gawking at the details. All the shows seemed great & Herc seems in a lot better shape than it was at Papermill so *fingers crossed* it keep evolving. One note is they may be using the bridge from the US Frozen Tour but they have a better staircase (we didn't have the wings going off the sides of it so no glam curtain call entrance for the sisters) I ran off right after watching this to find that live recording cause I am a sucker for cast recordings in other languages.
I adored watching you adventures in Hamburg!! I actually want to go there now! Do you know why the've taken the 'Samantha' out of the west end production?
I think he mentioned something in the video about the filming of the London version and taking it out because of that? It's rumored that a proshot is coming. Still I don't know why they would take it out for a filmed version though 🤷♀️ I'm in London in two weeks and will pay close attention to if they took out the Samantha in Frozen.
I was so surprised to see your livestream q&a from Hamburg pop up on my UA-cam feed after coming home from seeing the evening show of Tanz der Vampire literally that same day. Super curious to watch your review. A note on the camp nature of it: in my experience, the musical is so popular here because it works well on different levels. The camp of it all and the openly gay character were obviously appealing to queer audiences from the start and are definitely the reason why it's become a cult musical , but it also found an audience in a more conversative corner, with people enjoying the straight love story and the melodrama while being completely unaware or ignorant of its camp elements, which never fails to surprise me. Anyway, hope you three enjoyed your time in Hamburg!
The thought of esteemed theatre critic and campy-ness enjoyer Mickey Jo watching our cult trash classic Tanz der Vampire both delights and terrifies me ngl
I've been following you for quite a while and Tanz Der Vampire is a musical I've been most interested in hearing your opinion on. Because it's my favorite. There are some great recordings of it on UA-cam with subtitles if you want to get more of the story. I seriously recommend Tanz Der Vampire to all my musical theater friends. The Broadway version just didn't live up to that perfect gothic campiness of the original German.
I'm considering going to Spain in a couple years even though I hardly remember any Spanish from high school and seeing you guys make your way through a another country and have a great time is really inspiring! Also I'm seeing the US Frozen tour tomorrow, so that was cool to hear about. I love this travel vlog/theater review combination of videos.
Looks like a very fun trip! This is only tangentially related, but since you mentioned Hamilton not doing well in Germany, my unqualified opinion is that there were a few reasons for it - one is that there's a lot of US (and partially UK) history in there that German audiences on average just do not know and that don't get explained well enough if you've never heard of it. Like, battle of Yorktown gets a bit shoutout in the text but the first time I heard it was in Hamilton, and so overall you lose a lot of context in bringing it here. And then a second issue, at least when I saw it, was that it was really hard to understand. The music was just a little too loud compared to the singing so words or even whole verses kind of got drowned out, and then the translation issues didn't help. They kept some English, which I understand but won't necessarily be understood by everyone, and just in general there was an issue of... cadence? There's more words in a Hamilton song than in the average musical number and that led to a lot of words getting their stress through the music on the 'wrong' syllable. Adding to that was that several of the main cast didn't have German as their first language so now you have singing/rapping that's just a little too quiet delivered with an accent and a cadence that both require just an additional moment to understand, but the songs are so fast you don't get that additional second - and so it becomes exhausting to impossible to follow what's going on. I went with my parents (I knew the English version inside out, they very much did not), and I think afterwards the only part they could properly appreciate was the "relationship drama" in the second act both because it didn't involve history (and tbh US patriotism) they had no connection to and was generally slower sung so it was easier to follow. And then add to that that as you pointed out, here we are used to at minimum two curtain calls, so the lights going on after the first felt just weird and that means the last impression people got was not a positive one. So yeah, all in all I think the musical needed a little more work localizing it (though that may well have been impossible) but for sure some more effort to make the words better audible to the audience Anyway, you reminded me that I would really like to see Tanz der Vampire again, I think I was like 15 the last (and only) time I saw it, and I need to see if I'll still love it
If I remember correctly, the Neue Flora was built for Titanic the Musical, and the corner entrance and round windows are meant to evoke the feel of a prow of a ship! Slightly disconcerting as I saw Tanz der Vampire there, years ago :D Looking forward to a full review!
1:49:50 That's the most British thing I ever heard. xD It's been a while, but could you still do an in-depth review of Dance of the Vampires? Most English speakers only know the nightmare that was on Broadway.
I'm going to Hamburg in the summer to see Hercules and Frozen. Were you happy with your seats? I like being closer to the front to see the faces, but the prices in the middle are crazy. Did you miss much action on the sides and/or would one side be better than the other in terms of missing out?
I love how they have still been using the frozen logo on the cup. First off the design that has Elsa and Anna’s faces was the original logo design for Frozen when it was on tour. It is a pretty cute design
Loooved this vlog and can't wait to see/hear your individual reviews on the shows. Especially Hercules did get a lot of mixed or even negative reviews, praising the actors/singing but saying that the show feels "unfinished", with a rather weak book and the special effects and characters not at all living up to the full potential...
Re Tanz der Vampire: To better understand the whole tragedy of Count Krolock (and the true loss for Broadway), look for the English recording "Steve Barton - Endless Appetite (Confessions of a Vampire)" here on youtube. It's so captivating and heartbreaking at the same time. Our beloved Steve Barton created the role of Count Krolock here in Vienna/Austria, the birthplace of Dance of the Vampires and was and is the measure of all Krolocks to this day! Steve's stage presence was breathtaking, he captivated the audience from the first moment when he walked up to the stage to sing "Gott ist tot" (in English: "Original Sin").
I really love TdV, and wish it was back on in Vienna as that is where I'm heading to later this year. Hopefully, my German will be good enough by then to not need subtitles for whatever production I end up attending (hopefully La Cage Aux Folles).
Completely unrelated to theatre - I am only up to the miniature wonderland (loving this video!) but the miniature miniature golf reminded me of the model village in Bourton on the Water which is a model of the actual village, and has a model village in it. So the model village has a model village. But not only that, the model village in the model village HAS A MODEL VILLAGE IN IT! They couldn't go any smaller than that, but it's rather excellent! Anyway, back to the video...
So I saw the English Tanz Der Vampire on Broadway, and while I was only 11 at the time, I can confirm that the show was *very* different than the German version. While both have an element of camp, the Broadway version felt a lot more forced in terms of its comedy while simultaneously being embarrassed with its existence. As others have mentioned, Crawford's involvement had a lot to do with the changes, but I think the scene that really embodied what didn't work with the translated version was the ending. Rather than having a cool dance focused finale, they showed all of New York's Time Square turning into a vampire world (ex: "Virgin MegaStore" being literal, etc. etc.) and wanted to make it silly rather than cool and sexy? It's hard to explain, but trust me, it was a mess (as was Crawford's TERRIBLE make-up.)
It looked like there were no other audience members behind you during the interval of TANZ. Was that true? Was most of the balcony where you were sitting empty, or did everyone just disappear for the 25-minute interval? That was puzzling to me... but it seems like a great trip. Thanks for the tour.
In Germany it's quite normal to go out into the theater lobby/foyer during interval ans drink something, walk around etc, so I guess there were a few people more than we can see :)
If you have the opportunity, definitely come to Budapest, Hungary. We have a great history in musical theatre. I recommend you the Budapest Operetta Theatre, it has wonderful musicals like Jekyll and Hyde, The man of La Mancha and also hungarian musicals like The Count of Monte Christo or Stephen, the king!
So excited to hear about Hercules! I don't think Dance of the Vampires would be able to get a revival in the US, given it comes from the Roman Polanski movie (a very silly movie which would make a very fun show). this was the most fun of all the travel vlogs, thanks for the vicarious vacation!
MickeyJo's Josh Gad impression is stunning. While historic theaters are cool, I actually like that many of the theaters in Europe are low key contemporary and modern.
Very jealous of you seeing Tanz Der Vampire. We did manage to see an opera in Rome last year, Mefistofele, which was also gothic but marginally less campy (then again, one scene was all set in a giant ball pit). They did have English surtitles which was nice, but I suspect we'd cope with Tanz at least.
The "dinosaur bread"😂 is a "Osterlamm" so a "Easterlamb". It's a sweet bread with hazelnut that is only baked for Easter and is somewhat rooted in Christianity and represents young sheep - spring/new life.
Glad you enjoyed your time in Hamburg. 😊 It’s so funny to hear all the praise for the public transport. Sadly this is only true for some of the bigger cities in Germany like Hamburg or Berlin. 😅
Interesting…in the US, we say “red skies at night, sailors delight. Red skies at morning, sailors take warning.” no idea why because most of the US does not live on a coast or near any big lakes. And, it doesn’t work 😂
One reason a lot of shows don't succeed in Germany is because of language issues. Half of the people wanting the musicals want them in the original english cause translation causes issues and the other half wants them in German cause their English isn't good enough. This also means that musicals that have an original book in German will be around for decades. (Tanz der Vampire, Rebecca)
If only you could have seen the Viennese version of Tanz der Vampire. Compared to that one, the current German one is incredibly watered-down in terms of visuals. Something a few people don't know is that Tanz is actually an Austrian musical, with Germany being the second country it was performed in!
Your confusion about how one gets to Germany is understandable. When my dad went to Germany, he definitely went through France first. Specifically, by way of landing at Normandy.
I’ve been I fan of Dance of the Vampires (in English) for as long g I as can remember only to find the the Broadway version was a huge flop and the too many changes to make it a star vehicle. So happy to got to see Tanz in Germany
I did not plan to watch all of this tonight but whoops! Couple things you mentioned: 1) the Gershwin is the only theater I've seen on Broadway with a merch booth that would be accessible without scanning a ticket (though it was not staffed when I went to see Wicked so maybe that's specifically only open not during shows). 2) I have seen Frozen on tour in the US and I can't even describe how disappointing the touring ice bridge (or edge of a bridge) looks from up close (front row). It literally looks like it's wrapped in plastic wrap. We also didn't get anything as exciting as the double staircase Anna and Elsa used during the curtain call you filmed. As you pointed out, it just didn't look expensive and impressive the way I hoped/expected. Excited to see your thoughts on your upcoming Broadway trip! I will be right behind you the following week!
I’m impressed with your pronunciation. 👍🏻 The only word that you keep saying wrong is „Vampire“. The german „i“ sounds more like your „e“. 😉 Oh and „Stage“ in front of the theatre name is just Stage Entertainment branding. It’s the english word „stage“. No need for a german pronunciation. 😅 And those prices for programs and picture books are just unbelievable. But this is also very typical for Stage Entertainment Germany. 🙈 The same company charges way less in the Netherlands.
They run multiple boat shuttles direct to the theatre about 2 hours before every Show BUT you can either take the normal boatline to the theatre (just takes longer) or you can use other transportation to the theatre (but its not as fast, usefull or cool 😅)
Broadway took all the camp out of Tanz, well, It took the european version of camp out of it. Broadway was all too knowing, too nudge nudge, wink wink. European Tanz took their camp serously,. It's very much a different style, almost panto without the audience participation.
You are seriously misspronouncing "Vampire" every time :D EDIT: Otto the Comedian is known for his drawings of Elephants, which he calls "Ottiphants" That's why they are in the theatre. (you can picture search for "Ottifant" if you want to see them) EDIT 2: I kept wondering why you kept saying "von Zero auf Hero" and now I am shocked and sad that they changed the original lyrics from the movie - in Sekunden auf Hundert", which means "in seconds to 100" which was working well and brought the meaning of the song across without having English words in there. (not that I mind English, obviously. But I appreciate not taking shortcuts and actually finding clever lyrics in whichever language.)
As a German (and Tanz der Vampire Fan from age 8) I want to make it clear that the Broadway production was very, very different from the original German version and essentially fully rewritten and reworked in a not-so-good way (apparently a lot of it had to do with giving Michael Crawford, cast to play the Count creative control and him wanting to make it as different from Phantom as possible, as well as giving him all the "good bits" if I remember the lore correctly) - something I'll forever be salty about, because it means English-speaking countries will never experience the same show we can in Germany. Yes, it is very campy in out version as well, but it does so in a way more earnest way I think.
Totally get what you mean, I've been doing a deep dive on Tanz Der Vampire since seeing it lol I am a tad obsessed now and the Broadway production just seems to totally miss what European audiences loved about the show and Michael Crawford was definitely miscast, especially with excessive creative control. I hope to see it again in Hamburg before it ends its current run X x x
That's correct. Crawford wanted to add a lot of "comedy" to the production - which made it just plain silly. They also had issues with direction and lyrics, it was just a complete mess.
TdV is one of my favorites - though I've never seen it live.
Do you have a favorite cast?
@theatrefanofficial don't worry about it ending its current run. They will be re-born immediately, flying around for the past 25 years. I can't remember how many "closing nights", "the very final shows" ,"the now really final show" and "this time they will definitely not return shows" I've attended over the years... and I'm saying that with all my love for this show...they are indeed immortal😂
As someone who has been working my ass off trying to get a faithful English version off the ground for over a decade, thank you for explaining that. It saves me time.
I had been a huge fan of Tanz after friends of mine on tour in Germany turned me on to it. I was so excited to see it come to broadway. Couldn’t fathom the choice of Michael Crawford. He was waaaaaay too old to play the part. And they put him in similar costumes, including some platform boots at one point. Nothing ruins the image of the “perpetually virulent and youthful vampire” image than watching a man in his early seventies gingerly clomp around in boots! He also demanded an exorbitant fee to record the cast album, which the producers couldn’t afford (especially with the show not doing well), which is why we don’t have a Broadway cast album! Crawford aside, which honestly was a horrid choice cause it gave American audiences an expectation of a more gothic love story, than farcical romp, since most Americans are only familiar with him because of Phantom. The other main issue was the original German production had the benefit of the original director, who had directed the movie that the show was based on. So the original German creatives were intimately familiar with the tone and quality of the comedy. Which the American crew, in particular with Crawford’s influence because he was a “name,” was not! I had loved everything about the original German production and was heartbroken seeing the broadway version!
With all the praise for the Hamburg public transport, I wanna let people travelling to Germany for a longer time know that there is 49 Euro/month ticket that allows you to use public transport in the whole country (regional trains included, but long-distance excluded).
The process of buying it can be a bit complicated (as it is a subscription you have to cancel in advance before they charge you for another month), but in the end it is very good not to think about tickets even if you are visiting multiple cities or going outside of town.
It looks like they only take SEPA payments, so if you have a non EU bank account I don't think the subscription works. I tried it with one of my English friends once.
@@Southenislandactually, you can pay for it with other methods of payment when you don't buy it from Deutsche Bahn but from some of the regional providers. I know a friend has a ticket from Munich MVV paid with Mastercard. I think Hamburg HVV also accepts cards. the ticket still applies to the whole country.
yeah, the whole process around this ticket is an unnecessary complication, but "it is meant for commuters not tourists", oh well
Towards the end you mentioned that to you it felt like for a lot of theater goers the visit to the shows was a real 'event' - and that is true. What I am about to write is subjective of course so take it with a grain of salt:
A lot of the big shows (Frozen, Hamilton, ...) are only ever played in Hamburg, sometimes Stuttgart and are usually very expensive. That's the case for London shows as well of course but towards the lower end, tickets can be cheaper in the UK. I just checked Frozen for a Sunday matinee and the cheapest ticket in Hamburg starts at 80€ - family discount considered. London starts as low as 30 pounds - you would never see that in Hamburg. Comparable results for the past production of Hamilton or the current run of Moulin Rouge in Cologne (not Stage Entertainment). Granted, the seats might not be the best but at least there is the possibility of attending. So, going to a musical is definitely something very special for a lot of people and you better think twice about it.
That, in my opinion, is also the reason why we don't have a lot of big 'experimental' shows in Germany and get 'safe' ones instead. The fact that Hamilton came to Germany at all was a big surprise to me and a lot of other people, too. And unfortunately, it didn't do too well. We get a lot of Disney musicals and some evergreen musicals like Tanz der Vampire. A lot of the other successful musicals are also of the jukebox-y variety like Moulin Rouge, MJ, Mamma Mia, Tina or the upcoming & Juliet since they are easier to advertise for. It's rare we see international productions with an original score + script and the ones we do get are usually costly.
Hi Mickey Jo,
As a fan and a follower of your content plus an actor/singer who worked and lived in Hamburg multiple times, I really enjoyed following you around my beloved city and the theaters I have worked at. And since I get so much information and trivia from your videos, I thought I'd return you the favor here, and answer some of your questions or expand on some of the things that you mentioned in your video with what I know.
I think it's wonderful that you guys traveled to Hamburg to get a taste of the German musical theatre culture. I'd advise you to come to Vienna next and enjoy some of the shows over here. There's quite a big fanbase over here and Vienna has so much to offer.
Keep up the good work!
All the best.
Greetings from Vienna,
Mark
* There was actually an easier connection from the airport to the Boston Hotel. It's by S-train with only one transfer on Hauptbahnhof (central station).
* They only had Ampelmänchen in East Germany. Berlin simply kept them after the wall came down.
* The poster on the left on the boat in Miniatur Wunderland, is a poster of the musical DAS WUNDER VON BERN. This an original German musical from 2014, based on the German movie from 2003 with the same title. It's about how a Germany dealt with the struggles of post WW2 as seen through the perspective of a broken family, and how Germany unexpectedly won the World Football Cup in 1954 in Bern - Switzerland, which is why it is called "The Miracle of Bern". The Theater an der Elbe where DIE EISKÖNIGIN/FROZEN is currently playing, officially opened with DAS WUNDER VON BERN.
* The TANZ DER VAMPIRE T-shirt only mentions the German productions of the show, as produced by Stage-Entertainment. The show was created and originated in Vienna - Austria back in 1997, where it had two revivals (2009, 2017) since. All of these were produced by Vereinigte Bühnen Wien (United Stages Vienna).
* The name "Stage-Entertainment" is actually pronounced in English. 😉
* Taking multiple bows, with or without music, is a very Austrian/German thing to do. You'll see this a lot in original productions from there.
* Almost the entire score of TANZ DER VAMPIRE exists of previously written and produced material for different projects and recordings by Jim Steinman, such as the song "Original Sin" by Pandora and tracks on Meat Loaf's "Bat out of Hell" albums.
* According to Hape Kerkeling, the actor who synchronized Olaf in the German version of the DIE EISKÖNIGIN/FROZEN franchise, they replaced Samantha with Hildegard because it simply was funnier in German that way. However it is theorized that it was very cleverly placed as a joke for the more grown up audience who know Hape Kerkeling from his variety of famous comedy characters he created. One of his more well known characters is the German schlager singer Uschi Blum, who's real name is Hildegard Sterczinski.
you translated the writing on the poster at 9:00 correctly as ‘only on until September‘ but the ‘biss‘ is red because ‘bis’ means until and ‘Biss’ with the second s stands for bite, some fun word play! 😁 and I’m really enjoying the vlog so far!
Oh LOOOVE that thank you for letting me know!
@@MickeyJoTheatreThat play on words is also used in all German titles of the Twilight novels
24:30 The "Elephants" are 'Ottifanten' (a wordplay on "Otto" - the creator (and the comedian on stage) and "Elefanten" - Elephants)
as you may have recognized… You summoned whole Germany (or the every single German Subscribers of yours)
also Rob Fowler (The Graf von Krolock) was the OG Falco from Bat out of Hell
A notable difference of Frozen GER to the US tour is the stairs. The US tour only has a little podium on which Elsa's quick change happens while the German production has the full stairs from the UK/Broadway production and the quick change is done on the "floor"
Moin! Thank you so much for this great vlog from my beloved hometown! I'm so glad you liked it. I actually work at "Die Eiskönigin" but I saw this too late. Otherwise I would have invited you on a backstage tour. ;-)
A few things (I'm quite late for this so probably someone already mentioned those):
- It's not an island where the two theatres are located. It's just the other side of the river. You can also get there by car over a bridge, but the easiest way of public transportation is the boat.
- They used to sell the Program and the souvenir brochure separately (for every show) until not so long ago. For some reason they stopped... Well you might guess why. I think it's a pity, too.
- I'm afraid they will translate the lyrics from "& Juliet" into German. They did that with Moulin Rouge (Cologne), Bat out of Hell (Oberhausen) and even Tina (although in this case only some of the songs that are part of the narrative).
MJ however will stay in English. Thank goodness!
- "Moin" doesn't stand for "Good morning". It comes from the northern "flat German" language and is short for "Have a good day" (moi=good). So we say it at every time of day.
😂 yes, we Germans are terrible at queuing. Everybody wants to be first, because they’re always in fear of missing something/being too late. I always very much enjoy the British queuing method when I am in London 😊 one tip about the boats on the Elbe: there is a ferry system on the Elbe (similar boats like the one you took to the musical island) and it’s part of the public transport. So if you have a HVV day pass or the Hamburg ticket, taking a ride on a ferry is included in that. Best scenic route is the 62, which goes a good way down the Elbe with several points of interest and possibilities to get off (or on the ferry). It’s a „round trip“ that takes about an hour. Great way to get around without walking 😊 (and much cheaper than the tourist boat trips!) Love it that you guys enjoyed „my“ city so much, cheers from Hamburg 🎉
PS: I love your channel! As I can’t go to London and see plays as much as I would like, I thoroughly enjoy your videos! Gives me a feeling of participation 😊 and your reviews help me to decide what to see (and what to avoid) when I am visiting London 😎
I hope you’ll get a chance to see Elisabeth at some point, that’s an austrian musical. not sure if it’s currently running anywhere but I recommend you check it out if you ever get the chance.
It's coming back in the half staged production from Vienna. It will play in München and Frankfurt.
Oh, as you've heard we are SHAKING with anticipation for your visit here in NY!
So I hear! What does one pack for aftershocks?!
@@MickeyJoTheatre Get an I LUV NY hardhat!
Hi how are you doing
24:13 pretty sure that poster is for Das Wunder von Bern - das Musical, it’s about Germanys first win of the men’s football World Cup title :)
Agree, it's Das Wunder von Bern 😊
In germany, there are always several bows. In classical theatre even up to ten times, in Musical Theatre mostly 2. They changed the Hamilton Bows to going twice after a few weeks since german audiences were confused, as well when i saw the uk and international tour of six in munich, they added another bow for the german audiences. As a german, i prefer the english version xD
I can appreciate the idea behind giving the performers the applause they deserve at the end but I, too, prefer the English custom of 'one bow and out'. Some theatres are really overdoing it in Germany and you sit there for ages. Applause becomes a chore then and the feeling with which you leave the theatre is 'Bows took waaay too long' and not 'Awesome show!'. I really dislike that.
So much praise for German public transport😂 you don’t hear that often lol
Thanks!
i highly recommend vienna and budapest for musicals, theyre amazing
Nice Video - glad you enjoyed it. The Musical scene in Germany is - sadly - dominated by one theatre group which produces all the blockbuster musicals and - in my opinion - it's very clear that they are only in it to make as much money as possible. Which is, of course, good to see all the big hits, but when it comes to non-disney musicals, new and interesing musicals or new interesting productions of hit-musicals...they are hard to find in germany. Mostly it comes down to some local productions or a couple of touring musicals.
Tanz der Vampire is one of my fav musicals and - as somebody already pointed out - the broadway production was totally different and much worse. And as much as I love this musical, I do think that the production company in Hamburg did miss a HUGE chance to revamp this brilliant musical (again, they only want to make money, so they always go for safe bets and blockbuster musicals).
A few years ago, St.Gallen Theatre (in switzerland) did a production of this musical and got permission to do some changes - and it was absolutely fabulous and gave this musical a new, modern spirit - you can find the trailer on youtube. I know there are a lot of fans of the "never change anything!" version...but I think it's always interesting to see some new interpretations.
Die St.Gallener Version war echt cool.
The actor who played Hercules was actually germanys Alexander Hamilton, the Actor playing Meg was an amazing Peggy/Maria, and Chasity, one of the Muses, was the German Angelica (whos still my favourite Angelica having seen Hamilton in NYC, London and Germany - such a powerhouse of a voice)
Mickey Jo, I'm a New Yorker whose parents came from Germany and thus was raised speaking both German and English. Most of my relatives are still in Germany and in 2010 while visiting them, I saw the original production of Tanz der Vampire in Stuttgart. It was terrific. Yes, very campy but also really fun and very pleasurable. I was so taken with the show that I bought the CD (something I rarely do). A few years later when I heard the show was coming to Broadway (with Michael Crawford, no less) i was thrilled and excited. It was horrible! All of the fun and much of the campiness was DRAINed out of it. I was never so disappointed in an anticipated show. I agree with the previous commentator @frannysage8892 in that Michael Crawford destroyed the show. If they had only brought an English version of the original German show to Broadway it would have been an enormous success!
I was so lucky to experience the creation of Tanz der Vampire in Vienna/Austria way back and instantly fell in love with the show after the first previews.
The biggest fascination, however, was watching Steve Barton making the role of the Count his very own. Steve was pure magic, his stage presence was amazing, he commanded the audience with tiniest little movements, looks or face expressions. Steve had the gift to express all the nuances of a character he portrayed with his acting as well as his singing. If you get a chance please listen to the original Viennese recording or watch old youtube clips of his performance. Just a far cry from the real impression in the theatre, which I was lucky enough to experience more than 60 times with the original Count Krolock, Steve Barton.
Given all my love for the Viennese original of Tanz der Vampire and the first Count Krolock, Steve Barton, I will never forgive Michael Crawford to disastrously ruining the show for Broadway out of pure egocentrism. He knew Steve so well after all their time together on Phantom, but he was not able to take on a well created part that worked perfectly and was beloved by so many. I know about the financial fiasco on Broadway as well, but Crawford made a joke out of the role of the Count and the whole show and that was a bitter pill to swallow.
That was so wholesome to watch!
I am a Musical fan from Germany, but I live at the other end of it. Though I am not seeing as many shows as I would like as they are expensive and often far away, so it was so nice to be on a trip with you.
I have only been to Hamburg once and watched Tarzan at Neue Flora. At that time the fourth musical theatre (the Theater an der Elbe) did not even exist.
Your German pronounciation is pretty good. Expect you pronounced Vampire the english way, because it is the plural form in German, so you pronounce the e at the end, too.
The Operettenhaus was home to Cats for a very long time.
I have seen Tanz der Vampire twice, one time in Berlin and one time in one of the few not Stage Entertainment versions in Switzerland, which was quite good, too.
Die Eiskönigin is coming to Stuttgart in autumn, so I want to see it there. I think both leads were on a TV live show that day, so there were off.
The merch is very expensive in that shows. A few years back you could get a Castheft seperately.
You would think us Germans would be good at queuing, haha.
The hotel room really was large! o.o
Please show us also all the merch you bought! So excited to hear all your thoughts on the shows.
Looks like you had a great trip. Thanks for sharing your adventures.
Loving the vlog so far (just over halfway through) ♥️ I’m from Germany originally and moved to Sweden 11 years ago. Tanz der Vampire was the first musical I fell in love with when I saw it in Hamburg (at Neue Flora) when I was about 12 years old. I ended up studying musical theatre in Hamburg, worked front of house at the Lion King and at the box office at Operettenhaus while the world premiere of Rocky was on there. Also hopped in and worked a bit at Neue Flora.
So I feel so at home watching this video! ♥️ A little detail that’s making me a bit sad: in the Operettenhaus, on the left after entering, where you found the little vampire shrine? And at the Neue Flora where you found the Hercules photo ops? That’s where the box offices used to be where I worked 💔 After the pandemic those were shut completely. I know some of my colleagues got different positions in the theatres (at stage door for example), but it’s still making me sad to see that part gone completely.
Thank you for bringing back so many memories for me with this video - I’m feeling so nostalgic
You were actually right about that open space, it’s an ice rink during the winter 👍🏻
That miniature place you went to is exactly like little Canada and it goes dark when it’s night and then goes light again and oh man the bunny train!!
Loved this so much! I've seen many musicals in Hamburg (and been there very often in general), so it was a true joy to follow you around ❤
Cool, exciting vlog! Glad you had such a great time 😊
Hamburg is a wonderful city and always worth a visit. I'm going there this weekend with two friends to see Hercules and Die Eiskönigin. I'm already looking forward to your review of Hercules! 🙂
Thanks for taking me along with you. I have watched so many of your videos, I may just have to break down and subscribe...
Please come to Vienna Austria next! We have beautiful theatres!
I'm very eager to!
@@MickeyJoTheatre Yes, contact me if you decide to come to Vienna. I'm in one of their shows. I'd love to meet you and perhaps I can show you around a bit.
I cannot wait for your full review of Hercules! Would love your thoughts as to whether this production has the strength to “go the distance” to Broadway?
1:41:26 Marry Poppins 🙂, Tarzan, Beauty, Lion Kind, Frozen and on the left is Aladdin at the top
This was phenomenal. So glad it finally uploaded. I really appreciate these videos. Learned so much!
Oh, I love that you all went to Hamburg. I used to live there and it feels like a walk down memory lane. I still travel to Hamburg frequently to see the musical shows. I missed Willemijn as Elsa as well, so I'm thinking about seeing the derniere. But all alternates at Eiskönigin are phenomenal as well.
Vienna also has very good musical productions. And they even do English subtitles on side screens. Maybe for your next trip? 😉
P. S. : I'm impressed by your German pronunciation 😮
Love these long vlogs so much, made a fourth of my workday fly by!
Loooooved the vlog it really was like going on vacation with you guys. (Which for the record seems like a freakin blast) the miniatures were really cool I'd def spend hours gawking at the details. All the shows seemed great & Herc seems in a lot better shape than it was at Papermill so *fingers crossed* it keep evolving. One note is they may be using the bridge from the US Frozen Tour but they have a better staircase (we didn't have the wings going off the sides of it so no glam curtain call entrance for the sisters) I ran off right after watching this to find that live recording cause I am a sucker for cast recordings in other languages.
Omg that bunny train!! 🚂 🐰 Loving the vlog so far! 👍🏻
I adored watching you adventures in Hamburg!! I actually want to go there now! Do you know why the've taken the 'Samantha' out of the west end production?
I think he mentioned something in the video about the filming of the London version and taking it out because of that? It's rumored that a proshot is coming. Still I don't know why they would take it out for a filmed version though 🤷♀️ I'm in London in two weeks and will pay close attention to if they took out the Samantha in Frozen.
And you still have to visit Stuttgart (Tarzan, Tina and some replacement), Köln (Moulin Rouge) and Bochum (Starlight Express 35 years) to visit!
YES! Our initial plan was a week in Germany travelling round to each city but we ended up simplifying the plan a little
And Kudamm 59 in Berlin and Abenteuerland in Düsseldorf...
I love these vlogs! And your longer hair looks so good.
Thank you so much! And I'm getting in cut tomorrow but trying to keep the style!
I was so surprised to see your livestream q&a from Hamburg pop up on my UA-cam feed after coming home from seeing the evening show of Tanz der Vampire literally that same day. Super curious to watch your review. A note on the camp nature of it: in my experience, the musical is so popular here because it works well on different levels. The camp of it all and the openly gay character were obviously appealing to queer audiences from the start and are definitely the reason why it's become a cult musical , but it also found an audience in a more conversative corner, with people enjoying the straight love story and the melodrama while being completely unaware or ignorant of its camp elements, which never fails to surprise me. Anyway, hope you three enjoyed your time in Hamburg!
My favorite part was the visit to the miniature wonderland village. It was great, and so were your reactions. Made me smile. 😊 🚊
Tip: you can preorder your drinks and snacks for the intervall in every stage theatre in germany, before act 1 at the bars.
Amazing blog. Bliss to watch my fave things of travel and theatre together 😊
The thought of esteemed theatre critic and campy-ness enjoyer Mickey Jo watching our cult trash classic Tanz der Vampire both delights and terrifies me ngl
"Cult trash classic"
That's the only correct way to descripe it, oh no-😂
Love that you had to take a boat to Arendelle ❄️⛄️
I love Tanz der Vampire and the other day I was lamenting you will never cover it because it's German. Glad I was wrong!
I've been following you for quite a while and Tanz Der Vampire is a musical I've been most interested in hearing your opinion on. Because it's my favorite. There are some great recordings of it on UA-cam with subtitles if you want to get more of the story.
I seriously recommend Tanz Der Vampire to all my musical theater friends. The Broadway version just didn't live up to that perfect gothic campiness of the original German.
I'm considering going to Spain in a couple years even though I hardly remember any Spanish from high school and seeing you guys make your way through a another country and have a great time is really inspiring! Also I'm seeing the US Frozen tour tomorrow, so that was cool to hear about. I love this travel vlog/theater review combination of videos.
Looks like a very fun trip! This is only tangentially related, but since you mentioned Hamilton not doing well in Germany, my unqualified opinion is that there were a few reasons for it - one is that there's a lot of US (and partially UK) history in there that German audiences on average just do not know and that don't get explained well enough if you've never heard of it. Like, battle of Yorktown gets a bit shoutout in the text but the first time I heard it was in Hamilton, and so overall you lose a lot of context in bringing it here. And then a second issue, at least when I saw it, was that it was really hard to understand. The music was just a little too loud compared to the singing so words or even whole verses kind of got drowned out, and then the translation issues didn't help. They kept some English, which I understand but won't necessarily be understood by everyone, and just in general there was an issue of... cadence? There's more words in a Hamilton song than in the average musical number and that led to a lot of words getting their stress through the music on the 'wrong' syllable. Adding to that was that several of the main cast didn't have German as their first language so now you have singing/rapping that's just a little too quiet delivered with an accent and a cadence that both require just an additional moment to understand, but the songs are so fast you don't get that additional second - and so it becomes exhausting to impossible to follow what's going on.
I went with my parents (I knew the English version inside out, they very much did not), and I think afterwards the only part they could properly appreciate was the "relationship drama" in the second act both because it didn't involve history (and tbh US patriotism) they had no connection to and was generally slower sung so it was easier to follow. And then add to that that as you pointed out, here we are used to at minimum two curtain calls, so the lights going on after the first felt just weird and that means the last impression people got was not a positive one.
So yeah, all in all I think the musical needed a little more work localizing it (though that may well have been impossible) but for sure some more effort to make the words better audible to the audience
Anyway, you reminded me that I would really like to see Tanz der Vampire again, I think I was like 15 the last (and only) time I saw it, and I need to see if I'll still love it
Great finaly to see the vlog.
Hi! You have the entire video of Hercules? Thank you!
If I remember correctly, the Neue Flora was built for Titanic the Musical, and the corner entrance and round windows are meant to evoke the feel of a prow of a ship! Slightly disconcerting as I saw Tanz der Vampire there, years ago :D Looking forward to a full review!
The „Neue Flora Theater“ premiered with The Phantom Of The Opera 🎶
I always love a travel theatre experience. Thanks 😊
1:49:50 That's the most British thing I ever heard. xD It's been a while, but could you still do an in-depth review of Dance of the Vampires? Most English speakers only know the nightmare that was on Broadway.
I'm going to Hamburg in the summer to see Hercules and Frozen. Were you happy with your seats? I like being closer to the front to see the faces, but the prices in the middle are crazy. Did you miss much action on the sides and/or would one side be better than the other in terms of missing out?
Some fantastic bands in these shows.
When I recognized Benet Monteiro in Hercules curtain call and then you showed him in the Frozen program. Yes, I did watch Hamilton vids from that run.
Aeron for your reference there is now a Dunkin in Hammersmith station..
Stage used to have the picture book and cast book seperate which was especially good when you went to see a show a couple of times...
Oh gosh, I need the Hercules Musical in my life! The merch looks amazing and the production looks fab! The performers can siiiing 🤩
I love how they have still been using the frozen logo on the cup. First off the design that has Elsa and Anna’s faces was the original logo design for Frozen when it was on tour. It is a pretty cute design
Loooved this vlog and can't wait to see/hear your individual reviews on the shows. Especially Hercules did get a lot of mixed or even negative reviews, praising the actors/singing but saying that the show feels "unfinished", with a rather weak book and the special effects and characters not at all living up to the full potential...
Re Tanz der Vampire: To better understand the whole tragedy of Count Krolock (and the true loss for Broadway), look for the English recording "Steve Barton - Endless Appetite (Confessions of a Vampire)" here on youtube. It's so captivating and heartbreaking at the same time.
Our beloved Steve Barton created the role of Count Krolock here in Vienna/Austria, the birthplace of Dance of the Vampires and was and is the measure of all Krolocks to this day! Steve's stage presence was breathtaking, he captivated the audience from the first moment when he walked up to the stage to sing "Gott ist tot" (in English: "Original Sin").
I also realize in the song of Einladung zum Ball is the song that Meatloaf and Taylor Dayne sing Original Sin from the 1991 film the Shadow.
Wunderbar! Perfect now.
Thank you so much for flagging earlier! I've been trying to get it fixed all day!
I really love TdV, and wish it was back on in Vienna as that is where I'm heading to later this year. Hopefully, my German will be good enough by then to not need subtitles for whatever production I end up attending (hopefully La Cage Aux Folles).
Completely unrelated to theatre - I am only up to the miniature wonderland (loving this video!) but the miniature miniature golf reminded me of the model village in Bourton on the Water which is a model of the actual village, and has a model village in it. So the model village has a model village. But not only that, the model village in the model village HAS A MODEL VILLAGE IN IT! They couldn't go any smaller than that, but it's rather excellent! Anyway, back to the video...
I ALSO have been to the model village there and love this detail!!! 😂
Will you be posting a review of Hercules?
Already filmed, coming soon!
So I saw the English Tanz Der Vampire on Broadway, and while I was only 11 at the time, I can confirm that the show was *very* different than the German version. While both have an element of camp, the Broadway version felt a lot more forced in terms of its comedy while simultaneously being embarrassed with its existence. As others have mentioned, Crawford's involvement had a lot to do with the changes, but I think the scene that really embodied what didn't work with the translated version was the ending. Rather than having a cool dance focused finale, they showed all of New York's Time Square turning into a vampire world (ex: "Virgin MegaStore" being literal, etc. etc.) and wanted to make it silly rather than cool and sexy? It's hard to explain, but trust me, it was a mess (as was Crawford's TERRIBLE make-up.)
It looked like there were no other audience members behind you during the interval of TANZ. Was that true? Was most of the balcony where you were sitting empty, or did everyone just disappear for the 25-minute interval? That was puzzling to me... but it seems like a great trip. Thanks for the tour.
In Germany it's quite normal to go out into the theater lobby/foyer during interval ans drink something, walk around etc, so I guess there were a few people more than we can see :)
If you have the opportunity, definitely come to Budapest, Hungary. We have a great history in musical theatre. I recommend you the Budapest Operetta Theatre, it has wonderful musicals like Jekyll and Hyde, The man of La Mancha and also hungarian musicals like The Count of Monte Christo or Stephen, the king!
So excited to hear about Hercules! I don't think Dance of the Vampires would be able to get a revival in the US, given it comes from the Roman Polanski movie (a very silly movie which would make a very fun show). this was the most fun of all the travel vlogs, thanks for the vicarious vacation!
MickeyJo's Josh Gad impression is stunning.
While historic theaters are cool, I actually like that many of the theaters in Europe are low key contemporary and modern.
I can never normally do that impression, it was the croaky voice 😂
Very jealous of you seeing Tanz Der Vampire. We did manage to see an opera in Rome last year, Mefistofele, which was also gothic but marginally less campy (then again, one scene was all set in a giant ball pit). They did have English surtitles which was nice, but I suspect we'd cope with Tanz at least.
The "dinosaur bread"😂 is a "Osterlamm" so a "Easterlamb". It's a sweet bread with hazelnut that is only baked for Easter and is somewhat rooted in Christianity and represents young sheep - spring/new life.
Your German sounds pretty good! Did you learn German in school?
I did! Between the ages of 12 and 16
I was also quite impressed by your pronunciation
Anja Backus (the "Schankmaid") is the best!
I'm eagerly awaiting the day you see The Lion King 🥺
Glad you enjoyed your time in Hamburg. 😊 It’s so funny to hear all the praise for the public transport. Sadly this is only true for some of the bigger cities in Germany like Hamburg or Berlin. 😅
Interesting…in the US, we say “red skies at night, sailors delight. Red skies at morning, sailors take warning.” no idea why because most of the US does not live on a coast or near any big lakes. And, it doesn’t work 😂
I’ve seen Frozen on the US National tour! Such A good show would love to see it in Germany and the West End if I could! ❄️☃️
One reason a lot of shows don't succeed in Germany is because of language issues. Half of the people wanting the musicals want them in the original english cause translation causes issues and the other half wants them in German cause their English isn't good enough.
This also means that musicals that have an original book in German will be around for decades. (Tanz der Vampire, Rebecca)
I love Tanz!
If only you could have seen the Viennese version of Tanz der Vampire. Compared to that one, the current German one is incredibly watered-down in terms of visuals. Something a few people don't know is that Tanz is actually an Austrian musical, with Germany being the second country it was performed in!
Your confusion about how one gets to Germany is understandable.
When my dad went to Germany, he definitely went through France first.
Specifically, by way of landing at Normandy.
I’ve been I fan of Dance of the Vampires (in English) for as long g I as can remember only to find the the Broadway version was a huge flop and the too many changes to make it a star vehicle. So happy to got to see Tanz in Germany
1:38:45 I was *not* prepared for his American accent 💀😂👏🏼
I did not plan to watch all of this tonight but whoops! Couple things you mentioned: 1) the Gershwin is the only theater I've seen on Broadway with a merch booth that would be accessible without scanning a ticket (though it was not staffed when I went to see Wicked so maybe that's specifically only open not during shows). 2) I have seen Frozen on tour in the US and I can't even describe how disappointing the touring ice bridge (or edge of a bridge) looks from up close (front row). It literally looks like it's wrapped in plastic wrap. We also didn't get anything as exciting as the double staircase Anna and Elsa used during the curtain call you filmed. As you pointed out, it just didn't look expensive and impressive the way I hoped/expected.
Excited to see your thoughts on your upcoming Broadway trip! I will be right behind you the following week!
next time get in touch with theater people from Hamburg :)
Mickey, I feel like you would love a good golf cart
Oh I WOULD love a good golf cart!
I’m impressed with your pronunciation. 👍🏻 The only word that you keep saying wrong is „Vampire“. The german „i“ sounds more like your „e“. 😉 Oh and „Stage“ in front of the theatre name is just Stage Entertainment branding. It’s the english word „stage“. No need for a german pronunciation. 😅
And those prices for programs and picture books are just unbelievable. But this is also very typical for Stage Entertainment Germany. 🙈 The same company charges way less in the Netherlands.
What happens if you miss the boat !!
They run multiple boat shuttles direct to the theatre about 2 hours before every Show BUT you can either take the normal boatline to the theatre (just takes longer) or you can use other transportation to the theatre (but its not as fast, usefull or cool 😅)
So funny….why is there a Boston hotel in hamburg. (Asking as a fan in Boston Massachusetts)
At 45:36 can anyone else spot the hidden Stitch in the building on the docks.... 😂
Where am I looking? 😂
The building on the docks as you can over to Disney island there are 3 windows that look like a stitch head silhouette :)@@MickeyJoTheatre
@@MickeyJoTheatreon the building on this side of the river there are 3 windows that look like Stitch's head and ears. Bottom left of the screen. :)
You Need the atuffed Swen
Did you get a Kit Kat at the Kit Kat club?
I need your opinion on curtain calls in german shows. I think they should be as short as in the West End. No one needs to do 5-8 bows 🙈
Wow, the donuts at Dunkin' in Germany are luxurious and gorgeous!! American Dunkin' donuts are meh.
Broadway took all the camp out of Tanz, well, It took the european version of camp out of it. Broadway was all too knowing, too nudge nudge, wink wink. European Tanz took their camp serously,. It's very much a different style, almost panto without the audience participation.
Germans really do barely understand the point of a queue 😀
You are seriously misspronouncing "Vampire" every time :D
EDIT: Otto the Comedian is known for his drawings of Elephants, which he calls "Ottiphants" That's why they are in the theatre. (you can picture search for "Ottifant" if you want to see them)
EDIT 2: I kept wondering why you kept saying "von Zero auf Hero" and now I am shocked and sad that they changed the original lyrics from the movie - in Sekunden auf Hundert", which means "in seconds to 100" which was working well and brought the meaning of the song across without having English words in there. (not that I mind English, obviously. But I appreciate not taking shortcuts and actually finding clever lyrics in whichever language.)
🙄