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Elisabeth the Musical
A Viennese, German-language musical with book/lyrics by Michael Kunze and music by Sylvester Levay, it portrays the life and death of Empress Elisabeth (“Sisi”) of Austria, wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I.
It has been translated into SEVEN languages and seen by over TEN million spectators worldwide, making it the most successful German-language musical of all time.
Plot
The musical creates a love triangle between Elisabeth, Franz Joseph and Death with Luigi Lucheni, Elisabeth’s assassin, serving as the narrator.
Favorite Musical Numbers
- Mama, wo bist du? (Young Rudolf/Death)
- Die Schatten Werden Länger (Rudolf/Death)
- Wenn Ich Tanzen Will (Death/Elisabeth)
As a fan of Rudolf Affair Mayerling, I especially love the small role Rudolf plays in Elisabeth and his songs are heartbreaking and gorgeous.
Trivia
- There has been no English version thus far. (I have had to rely on translations on YouTube and the internet to decipher the lyrics.)
- Sissi’s famous Franz Xaver Winterhalter portrait was the inspiration for Christine’s Think of Me dress and hair in the 2004 The Phantom of the Opera film.
- Sissi’s murder in 1891 by an Italian anarchist called Luigi Lucheni is believed to be one of the key moments that led to the start of the Great War.
- In the 1950s a romanticized trilogy of films starring Romy Schneider were produced in Germany.
- The musical was commissioned as a more realistic depiction in response to the 1950s films.
Dream Broadway and West End Cast
I highly doubt that an English version of Elisabeth will be produced any time soon especially because the story of Elisabeth is not well known in American and British circles. But it was a big hit in Japan so why wouldn’t it work in the States or the UK? If it were to happen my dream cast would be:
Elisabeth – Christy Altomare.
Death – Adam Lambert.
Franz Joseph – Ramin Karimloo.
Luigi – Aaron Lazar.
Rudolf (can’t think of anyone age appropriate yet…)
Congrats on your 700th blog post! I will definitely check this play out!
Thanks Elicit. It was a while ago but big monuments like 700th post are always to be celebrated.
wow 700th post!!! you did amazing job preparing for us the material and looking for them. thanks
Love a good love triangle in a plot, this looks right up my street
I have never been a big fan of musicals, but is never to late to start right? My favorite number was Wenn Ich Tanzen Will! Thank you very much for sharing this
I have never been a big fan of musicals. But it is never too late to find new hobbies and likes, right? I love Wenn Ich Tanzen Will! Thank you very much fo sharing this!
I love watching musical theater and this one looks really interesting. Congrats for having your 700th blog post!
Loved the video. I have not watched the musical. Good share, I can spend my time on it. I love music as I am a trained singer.
Hhhhmmmm….I have a good feeling about this one! I wanna watch it.
even though I don’t understand, i love the passion and love exerted by the artists on the clip. I actually enjoyed it. I wanna see again musicals live someday. I actually saw one in Disneyland. 🙂
Many congratulations for being able to publish your 700th blog on the site. Keep doing good work
This is one musical I have never watched. I really enjoy them, but haven’t had the time lately to watch them. Operas are also great to watch too. Thank you so much for sharing this. The video was definitely entertaining and serves a reminder to check out the full musical in length. Great blog post.
We are not fans of musicals but your post might make us hooked. Thanks for sharing Atoz Elisabeth. Going to check it out.
Having enjoyed so many musicals in the past, I must admit I hadn’t heard of Elisabeth before. It does sound very interesting and perhaps it might be adapted to English one day. Given how popular it has proven so far, you would think that this might eventually happen. Also well done on 700 posts for the arts!
Congratulations on your 700th post!! I haven’t heard of this musical before, sounds like a good one!
Thanks Matt. It is a great German language musical that’s been translated into European and Asian languages but sadly not English. If you’re a history buff or theatre fan you’ll definitely enjoy this musical.
I’ve always loved musicals. They have such a beautiful way of making even the most mundane things feel so majestic.
right?? i wish this show was translated to english but it is so beautiful in all the languages it’s been translated in.
The music sounds good so an English version might not be a bad idea. I've enjoyed musical theater for a long time. I've developed a particularly focused interest in the past couple years.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
What an interesting narration idea…
The Multicolored Diary
right? not often is Death the narrator. would make a great narrator for one of your fairy tales 🙂
Congratulations on your 700th blog post.
I didn't know of the musical but have seen some of the 1950s films starring Romy Schneider (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sissi_(film) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4zV81VvWRI )
Regards
Anne
following along from A to Z
https://ayfamilyhistory.com/2019/04/05/e-is-for-enterprise/
The videos are very entertaining. Yet another I did not know!
I love the grandeur of musicals. Enjoyed the clips very much.
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