2 ghostly nights in Munich

Vom Geist Der Weihnacht - Deutsches Theater, Munich, 2nd & 3rd December, 2011

I had not really intended to see this show with it being just on in Munich as in Frankfurt. But since the cast was announced and reading that “my” highly adored Oliver Nöldner whom I totally fell in love with when he was the understudy for von Fersen in “Marie Antoinette” in Bremen in 2009 was joining that show again even if not in the role he played last year (I saw it four times last year having some of the maddest trips ever to Cologne with one journey taking nine hours by train to get there due to the horrible weather condition back then) and since I had spare time after my six days in the UK I thought maybe I should go to Munich, could combine it with a trip to the Munich Christmas market and a day trip to Salzburg, only two hours away.

So on a Friday morning I was off to Munich, spent a lovely day there (though the Munich Christmas market is disappointing) and then in the evening I made my way to the “Deutsches Theater” which is currently in a portable tent as the actual one is being renovated near the Bayern Munich football stadium. I had been there when Rockville was there and it is nice place.

For the Friday night show I had a seat in row 2 on the right side and for a change on Saturday in the front row on the left which was a good decision as Oliver is in his ensemble tracks on both sides. So I got to see him well on both nights.

Well, while it was lovely to see him onstage again, the beautiful memories I had from last year of four fantastic shows could not be repeated. Something was lacking, the heart I felt last year was just not there as much this year.

The musical is based on Charles Dickens' "Christmas Carol" with several changes to the charactes though with not having various ghosts, but an angel who is actually the Scrooge's apparent true love Belle who just died a few months ago being Scrooge's guide through the night and Marley being there all the time as well. The music are mainly ballads and these are rather cheesy but they suit the subject of the show.

It started with the two main male leads.

While Werner Bauer as Marley and Kristian Vetter as Scrooge each on their own are definitely good performers but the feeding of each other as last year’s Ron Holzschuh and Chris Murray was just not there this time.

Kristian as Scrooge is one to care for more, more than Chris whose Scrooge was one of a total a**ehole of whom I thought it being his own fault that he turned into what he is but Kristian’s was more one of a hurt let down person by mankind where the emotions came through rather early (a bit too early imho) in the show when being faced with what Marley turned into and what he could turn into but with Werner Bauer on his side, who, as a ghost, just not being “ghostly” and mad enough after having been a ghost for 20 odd years and rather dull, when the two were onstage it was disappointing for me. People around me nevertheless seemed to enjoy this.

Vocally though he is definitely incredible and I wished I had ever seen him in Les Miserables. Especially the final number in act 1 when he is totally hit by all the emotions surpressed in the last centuries ever since Belle must have left him is of goose bumps quality.

Sandy Mölling, singer of the German girl band No Angels was once again the angel/Belle.

I couldn’t stand her last year and I could not stand her this year. Yes, she might have worked on her acting but I do not know what they taught her but some of the natural accentuation she at least got right last year besides being wooden, she totally got wrong this year. Seriously how hard is it to understand which words in the rather simple dialogues are to be emphasised the most? Her posture is also horrible to watch. The way she stands around in some scenes with her head pushed forward so her protruded chin is even more noticeable makes her look so arrogant that it is unbearable for me to watch. Yes, just because someone turns into an angel might not make them look more angelic but there is just hardly anything to her look and her acting that sells me her as an angel.

I also cannot stand her singing voice. Yes she hits (most of the time) the right notes, but her style of singing these songs just proves how little she is (musically) trained and her voice – there is some tinny echo in it, that just makes me shiver for all the bad reasons. How people could enjoy her performance (and it seemed most did, and her fans anyway) I just cannot understand.

The same applies for Sissy Staudinger as Mrs. Fezziwig/Mrs. Shellcock. She has one big number which is sung like a rap number but done in such a monotone style with facial impressions that make me cringe as it is either big googly eyes or pouting – hardly anything in between. It also does not help that she is rather big (nothing against is as am anything but slim) but when it reaches a point when you cannot move properly anymore and even not lift your arms properly anymore which starts to look sad, you should re-consider something. And btw. since I know that woman has some passionate fans: It is not my intention to insult anyone with this. Just clearly stating what I notice.

Anne Welte who did play the role in the last years was also a bit bigger, but she gave the role so much heart and care, connected with the cast but Sissy Staudiner is for me just loud, shouty and screamy and does not harmonise (vocally) with the cast, as noticed again in the ensemble numbers as the one person you could hear above all others was her. She might be a nice woman offstage but onstage it is utter pain for me to watch her.

I was also not keen on Krisha Dalke as the young Scrooge/Butthead (one ghost), the part Oliver played last year. Yes, people could say am biased, well I AM, but Krisha was in “Tanz der Vampire” as Alfred before and I enjoyed him in that but as the ghost Butthead he was just too cute and not crazy enough. Oliver pulled the funniest faces while Krisha just stayed rather bland and focused too hard on getting the lines out and then still not delivering them too enthusiastically. Last year this one scene with the four ghosts and Marley was the most hilarious one in the whole show. This year I was just waiting for it to be over.

The same was also when he has his two scenes as the young Scrooge. I didn’t feel the inner torment he goes through as there is on one hand his love for Belle but on the other side his desire for a career, to make money etc. Again it was all rather bland. His singing certainly was mainly faultless, just the odd issue with reaching some of the higher notes Oliver worked around last year, but as this is not a concert, but a musical, it was not good enough for me.

The rest of the cast fortunately were mainly familiar faces as the guys playing Mr Fezziwig, Mr Lowprice, Mr Highprice, Mr Cratchit and some of the newbies as Julia Felthaus as Mrs Cratchitas were great to watch though I missed some people as Peggy Pollow.

With my seat in the front row on Saturday I even got rid of my 20 cent coin for Andre Sultan-Sade when he as mr Lowprice collects money in the opening scene. Yeah, you get recognised as a regular when you do that! ;) And I got coins! Well chocolate coins Scrooge gives away near the end of the show passing by front row. :)

Well and then there was the main reason for going: Oliver.

Gosh, I feel like a fanatic when it is about him these days, you should not have seen me when he was in “Marie Antoinette” or “Scarlet Pimpernel” a while ago but I just adore him onstage.

He has like one line on his own in the whole show, the famous ensemble members at the back on the left second from the side ;-), but I just love watching him in the various scenes delivering the most entertaining facial impressions – it is just such a delight and I really want him to be in a play (but as he once said to me it is even harder for someone who is trained in musicals to get a job in a straight play than in a musical) to show off his skills even better. He is understudy at least for his role from last year and another one, so I really want to know when he is on – really hope I will find that out in time. Well I did what I could do to find it out, hopefully it will happen.

Overall it was nice to see the show again as it is still a lovely uplifting show even though utterly cheesy and cheap and I would not mind to see it again but with a different lead cast next year.