Post by Martina on Nov 4, 2005 8:13:17 GMT -5
I decided to divide my review in two topics.. As I am prone to logorrhea ;D, and as I saw two shows, I think this will make my posts shorter...
I must admit I had never heard the full recording before seeing the show. I knew many of the “hits” (Aimer, le balcon, le duel, verona, la haine...) but had never listened to the complete cd. However, the story is soo well-known that you would understand it even if it were sung in the most far-away language you can think of. Moreover, in some places they used Shakespeare’s original words (like in the prologue: “Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, where we lay our scene...”)
The stage was mainly composed by two round towers which represented the homes of the Montagues and Capulets (though, when they rotated, one of them was the Capulet’s house, and the other Julia’s room).
More or less, we had the first cast, though of course to be sure I need to check the photos I have at home..
Surely, there was Lukas Perman as Romeo and Marjan Shaki as Julia. Oh, and as a side note we had two Italian dancer in the ensemble, one of them playing “Romeo’s Freundin”. The two leads sounded fantastic to me. I had somehing to say about Romeo looking a bit too thin, no hero-type, but oh, well that was all I had to say against him 
Julia did some chilling high notes, and I also found the two mothers very good, particularly in “Der Hass”.
I am not able to do a scene-per-scene summary of the show, as I am not really familiar with it. (and I am not sure you’d want it...
) I liked “Verona”, where everyone was bowing in front of the prince, but fighting as soon as he turned his back. I found most of the romantic moments to be quite nice. The alternation of faster, light-hearted pieces with the romantic ballades was also very nice. One thing I didn’t really like was the ball at the Capulets: since Baz –can’t spell his last name-'s film all balls have to look like very modern parties... I am not to fond of that. The “Ball” is interrupted two times: one by the meeting of Romeo and Julia, where they sing “Liebesglück”, and one by Tybalt’s song “Ich bin schuldlos”, where he accuses his family for the man he has become. I didn't really understand the need for the song "Wir sind aus Fleisch und Blut", though it has a catching rythm, and I liked the nurse's song. The end of act one, with Romeo and Julia singing “Liebe” during their marriages brought me to tears... So nice!! 
In act two there was the scene of the duell between Tybald and Mercutio and their death. After Tybald’s death the whole ensemble is on stage, and the Prince has to exile Romeo for his deed. He spends the night with Julia, and then is forced to leave. The Capulets decide to marry Julia to Paris, though Lord Capulet is not really convinced. I liked his song, it shows a more sympathetic father than someone who just gives orders. Then Romeo reappears on stage, and he doesn’t wear anymore his blue “Montague” clothes, but a gray/beige coat. A sort of light curtain falls, dividing Romeo from Verona, but we can still see what’s happening behind it: Julia going to Pater Lorenzo for help, his poison, he writing the letter to Romeo and giving it to a (quite ghostly and something scary!) messenger, who fails to reach Romeo in time.
Then there was Benvolio’s “Wie sage ich’s bloss” and the death scenes. (Lora explained to me that there should have been death waiting for Romeo and kissing him, but “she” wasn’t there. Maybe there were too many death in Vienna?) So he just killed himself with his poison. While I found Romeo’s song good, I thought that Julia’s one was too long, and she didn’t really sound that desperate. I found much more moving the finale, with Pater Lorenzo’s (and the Nurse’s) song to God and “Schuldig”, where the two mothers are the first to be reunited by the death of their childen.
Just a quick note on the translation: I am no German mother-tongue, though I have studied it quite long. To me the translations sounded very good, and as I am much more familiar with German than with French, the texts even helped me to understand something that I couldn’t really grab by the French texts (“Herrscher der Welt” to say one). Of course, there were some points where the lyrics were a bit streched, but you can’t have everything perfect...
So, my general opinion on the show is very positive. I could whistle a lot of the songs just after getting out, and I think it will quickly win positions in my personal hit-list...
I must admit I had never heard the full recording before seeing the show. I knew many of the “hits” (Aimer, le balcon, le duel, verona, la haine...) but had never listened to the complete cd. However, the story is soo well-known that you would understand it even if it were sung in the most far-away language you can think of. Moreover, in some places they used Shakespeare’s original words (like in the prologue: “Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, where we lay our scene...”)
The stage was mainly composed by two round towers which represented the homes of the Montagues and Capulets (though, when they rotated, one of them was the Capulet’s house, and the other Julia’s room).
More or less, we had the first cast, though of course to be sure I need to check the photos I have at home..
Surely, there was Lukas Perman as Romeo and Marjan Shaki as Julia. Oh, and as a side note we had two Italian dancer in the ensemble, one of them playing “Romeo’s Freundin”. The two leads sounded fantastic to me. I had somehing to say about Romeo looking a bit too thin, no hero-type, but oh, well that was all I had to say against him 
Julia did some chilling high notes, and I also found the two mothers very good, particularly in “Der Hass”. I am not able to do a scene-per-scene summary of the show, as I am not really familiar with it. (and I am not sure you’d want it...
) I liked “Verona”, where everyone was bowing in front of the prince, but fighting as soon as he turned his back. I found most of the romantic moments to be quite nice. The alternation of faster, light-hearted pieces with the romantic ballades was also very nice. One thing I didn’t really like was the ball at the Capulets: since Baz –can’t spell his last name-'s film all balls have to look like very modern parties... I am not to fond of that. The “Ball” is interrupted two times: one by the meeting of Romeo and Julia, where they sing “Liebesglück”, and one by Tybalt’s song “Ich bin schuldlos”, where he accuses his family for the man he has become. I didn't really understand the need for the song "Wir sind aus Fleisch und Blut", though it has a catching rythm, and I liked the nurse's song. The end of act one, with Romeo and Julia singing “Liebe” during their marriages brought me to tears... So nice!! 
In act two there was the scene of the duell between Tybald and Mercutio and their death. After Tybald’s death the whole ensemble is on stage, and the Prince has to exile Romeo for his deed. He spends the night with Julia, and then is forced to leave. The Capulets decide to marry Julia to Paris, though Lord Capulet is not really convinced. I liked his song, it shows a more sympathetic father than someone who just gives orders. Then Romeo reappears on stage, and he doesn’t wear anymore his blue “Montague” clothes, but a gray/beige coat. A sort of light curtain falls, dividing Romeo from Verona, but we can still see what’s happening behind it: Julia going to Pater Lorenzo for help, his poison, he writing the letter to Romeo and giving it to a (quite ghostly and something scary!) messenger, who fails to reach Romeo in time.
Then there was Benvolio’s “Wie sage ich’s bloss” and the death scenes. (Lora explained to me that there should have been death waiting for Romeo and kissing him, but “she” wasn’t there. Maybe there were too many death in Vienna?
) So he just killed himself with his poison. While I found Romeo’s song good, I thought that Julia’s one was too long, and she didn’t really sound that desperate. I found much more moving the finale, with Pater Lorenzo’s (and the Nurse’s) song to God and “Schuldig”, where the two mothers are the first to be reunited by the death of their childen. Just a quick note on the translation: I am no German mother-tongue, though I have studied it quite long. To me the translations sounded very good, and as I am much more familiar with German than with French, the texts even helped me to understand something that I couldn’t really grab by the French texts (“Herrscher der Welt” to say one). Of course, there were some points where the lyrics were a bit streched, but you can’t have everything perfect...
So, my general opinion on the show is very positive. I could whistle a lot of the songs just after getting out, and I think it will quickly win positions in my personal hit-list...
!!! I'm still sooo tired. I'll probably write mine next week.
