What a dream! A Midsummer Night's Dream!
The question just is: what kind of dream. A nightmare is a dream too. ;-)
I hadn't really intended to see the show as had before, the last time last year when Felix Martin was playing Puck, but when it was announced that popular Felix Martin was not available but TfN's Jens Krause who actually originated the role a few years ago would return I had to go.
I was also pleased to learn that most of the cast from the last years returned including the wonderful Sebastian Strehler and the feisty Anke Fiedler so a ticket to Hanover for the opening night was booked.
Anke Fiedler in her double role as Hippolyta and Titania is a treat to watch. Her Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons, who is to marry Theseus, is a, unlike in Shakespeare's time not a submissive wife (to be), but confident and strong and she portrays that well. Her Titania, the Queen of the Fairies, is so perfectly forward, proud and brisk. Her powerful voice underlines that even more.
Michael Ophelders at her side in the double role Theseus / Oberon Michael Ophelders gives a solid performance. I do not know, he is good, he just cannot leave any impact, well he just has nothing which makes him for to stand out.
Mirja Regensburg as Helena has some of the funniest lines and delivers these with her comic timing well and her love for Demetrius is believable (I could not resist THAT Demetrius either ;-) yeah, fankiddie). I was not a fan of her singing though as it occasionally sound stretched and flawed when all I wanted it to sound clear.
At their sides are Sebastian Strehler as Demetrius and Florian Lüdtke as Lysander. Florian is not the Lysander I expect. I recall him more of a deep, passionate and persuasive character and I see more a, well, baby-faced milksop who occasionally needs to throw his temper but that is maybe the fault of the book and not really Florian's. Sebastian's Demetrius (bias alarm!) is enjoyable. It is hilarious to watch him run after Hermia and be run after by Helena having some great lines to deliver too. What is such a shame though is that the two guys do not have much to sing. What a major waste a talent!
The guys playing the mechanics are entertaining having most of the funny parts and lines as cheesy and full of cliches they are. Bernd Tauber as Bottich certainly impresses most - surprisingly for me as all I had known him for was a part in a dodgy German weekly soap a few years ago but looking him up learnt all the other stuff he has done since.
And then Jens Krause as Puck. Having known him for so many years now as part of the TfN musicalcompany this part is such a different one of what I am used to but he does it so well. Well I like his interpretation of his rather camp, mischievous and frisky trickster - he is so different to Felix Martin whose Puck was more nasty, selfish and rather macholike which did not work for me. Jens though is just as I expect the part to be, as it is often described - an extraordinary jester.
Funny a moment when he was not Puck but himself talking to an older lady in the front row he recognised. Normally you wouldn't want such a thing but with him doing it it was no problem. No one seemed to object, several people actually seemed to have seen him before many years ago and they were just happy to see him back - and I was happy to see him at last in that part having read so much about his performances and that he was a audience favourite. Now I know why.
The rest of the ensemble as the elfs are lovely, nice to see Merle Hoch again who was a TfN musicalcompany member a few years ago. I was not a fan of her back then but she has gone through a great development being a lot more confident and not as wooden and OTT anymore as she used to be.
So overall: the show is just not a great one for me and that is rather cold and distanced, that despite a lovely key subject you cannot really relate to any of the characters does not help. It lives largely from the setting and the fantastic cast which deserved the applause at curtain call which was not surprisingly rather average.
Unfortunately the city of Hanover decided that the producers of this show will also have the theatre for their use the next two summers with another Shakespeare show to come plus the return of the second show they played last year which was even worse than this one.
I cannot await 2015 hoping that the TfN which brought the most incredible "The Secret Garden" onstage there in 2009 will be back giving us proper musicals.
Pictures are taken from the official website and are featuring largely the 2010 cast (unfortunately not really newer pictures available),
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Gartentheater Herrenhäuser Gärten, Hanover, 3rd August, 2012
I hadn't really intended to see the show as had before, the last time last year when Felix Martin was playing Puck, but when it was announced that popular Felix Martin was not available but TfN's Jens Krause who actually originated the role a few years ago would return I had to go.I was also pleased to learn that most of the cast from the last years returned including the wonderful Sebastian Strehler and the feisty Anke Fiedler so a ticket to Hanover for the opening night was booked.
| Theseus / Oberon | Michael Ophelders |
| Hippolyta / Titania | Anke Fiedler |
| Puck / Stratocast | Jens Krause |
| Demetrius | Sebastian Strehler |
| Hermia | Milica Jovanovic |
| Lysander | Florian Lüdtke |
| Helena | Mirja Regensburg |
| Egeus | Thomas Peters |
| Bottich | Bernd Tauber |
| Quincy | Jörg-Heinrich Benthien |
| Puste / Thisbe / Spinnweb | Fabian Joel Walter |
| Hänfling / Mond / Senfsamen | Steffen Häuser |
| Schnut / Wand | Michael Westphal |
| Schnuk / Löwe | Torsten M. Krogh |
| Motte | Merle Hoch |
| Bohnenblüte | Kerstin Ried |
| Tanzelfe | Corinna Günzel |
Well the show tells the well known Shakespeare story with music added, so I will not bother with the plot (if not familiar wikipedia >> helps ). It is by German singer songwriter Heinz Rudolf Kunze and composer Heiner Lürig. For me it actually is more a play with some music as the songs do not really move the show forward, not that there are many songs anyway.
The few which are in the show are okay, some nice but forgettable melodies but the ridiculous recycling of most probably Heinz Rudolf Kunze's most well known song "Dein ist Mein Ganzes Herz" ("Yours is my entire heart"). None really sticks at least with me. The dialogues are a mix of old style German (no idea whether taken 1:1 from Shakespeare) and modern language including swearing which slightly annoyed me before and this time again.
I think it should be either stick to the original or come up with modern use of the German language for all scenes. The constant quoting or bursting into known songs as "Singin' In The Rain" or "Satisfaction" also was, while I certainly laughed, just silly and unneeded ideas. People around me laughed too, most most probably enjoyed it but I just expected more. A lot more.
Okay, I am not a fan of the original anyway, the main story is a lovely idea, old fashioned, but the story in the story drives me insane and the musical version the first act pretty much most of the main story till the end of act 3 - so not much left for the second half but largely the wedding day and the play. And while you may have liked the characters in act 1 as Demetrius or even Theseus with the way they comment the play and treat the mechanics that changes for me. Especially Theseus becomes such a twit.
Well besides the story and the music the secret star for me is the setting, well it is especially the location. I absolutely love this open air theatre in the middle of the Herrenhausen Gardens a few minutes away from the Hanover city centre. You get to the gardens, I try to get there at least an hour before, walk around them and then enjoy the show. Perfect. And the stage is well used. It is rather deep and properly used several times when people come onstage or leave as the mechanics who arrive in this little Piaggio Ape pick up (funny idea to use that anyway).
The rest of the set is rather limited: one, two benches, other bits and pieces, then these weird metal things as can seen on picture below but when it gets dark which it gets about an hour into the show at the moment, the light effects which were perfectly designed get to work and can shine and impress. Just STUNNING.
Choreography is sufficient, it gets fabulous when the elfs are onstage and costumes are partly fantastic as for Titania which looks rather scifi but amazing and partly, well, let's call it modern, as they are just often ordinary street clothes keeping on with the motto of the show mixing modern elements with old (fashioned) ones.
While the show itself with the lame music and book is more of a bad dream, the cast isn't and it is due to the cast that this night is not a nightmare.
I think it should be either stick to the original or come up with modern use of the German language for all scenes. The constant quoting or bursting into known songs as "Singin' In The Rain" or "Satisfaction" also was, while I certainly laughed, just silly and unneeded ideas. People around me laughed too, most most probably enjoyed it but I just expected more. A lot more.
Okay, I am not a fan of the original anyway, the main story is a lovely idea, old fashioned, but the story in the story drives me insane and the musical version the first act pretty much most of the main story till the end of act 3 - so not much left for the second half but largely the wedding day and the play. And while you may have liked the characters in act 1 as Demetrius or even Theseus with the way they comment the play and treat the mechanics that changes for me. Especially Theseus becomes such a twit.
Well besides the story and the music the secret star for me is the setting, well it is especially the location. I absolutely love this open air theatre in the middle of the Herrenhausen Gardens a few minutes away from the Hanover city centre. You get to the gardens, I try to get there at least an hour before, walk around them and then enjoy the show. Perfect. And the stage is well used. It is rather deep and properly used several times when people come onstage or leave as the mechanics who arrive in this little Piaggio Ape pick up (funny idea to use that anyway).The rest of the set is rather limited: one, two benches, other bits and pieces, then these weird metal things as can seen on picture below but when it gets dark which it gets about an hour into the show at the moment, the light effects which were perfectly designed get to work and can shine and impress. Just STUNNING.
Choreography is sufficient, it gets fabulous when the elfs are onstage and costumes are partly fantastic as for Titania which looks rather scifi but amazing and partly, well, let's call it modern, as they are just often ordinary street clothes keeping on with the motto of the show mixing modern elements with old (fashioned) ones.
While the show itself with the lame music and book is more of a bad dream, the cast isn't and it is due to the cast that this night is not a nightmare.
Anke Fiedler in her double role as Hippolyta and Titania is a treat to watch. Her Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons, who is to marry Theseus, is a, unlike in Shakespeare's time not a submissive wife (to be), but confident and strong and she portrays that well. Her Titania, the Queen of the Fairies, is so perfectly forward, proud and brisk. Her powerful voice underlines that even more.Michael Ophelders at her side in the double role Theseus / Oberon Michael Ophelders gives a solid performance. I do not know, he is good, he just cannot leave any impact, well he just has nothing which makes him for to stand out.
Mirja Regensburg as Helena has some of the funniest lines and delivers these with her comic timing well and her love for Demetrius is believable (I could not resist THAT Demetrius either ;-) yeah, fankiddie). I was not a fan of her singing though as it occasionally sound stretched and flawed when all I wanted it to sound clear.
Most beautifully though is Milica Jovanovic's singing, who has become something like everybody's darling in this business for a few years being cast a lot and for these sweet innocent young girl parts - no jealousy though or so intended as she deserves it being a most talented young lady (seriously considering to see her in "Sound Of Music" in Salzburg in December).
At their sides are Sebastian Strehler as Demetrius and Florian Lüdtke as Lysander. Florian is not the Lysander I expect. I recall him more of a deep, passionate and persuasive character and I see more a, well, baby-faced milksop who occasionally needs to throw his temper but that is maybe the fault of the book and not really Florian's. Sebastian's Demetrius (bias alarm!) is enjoyable. It is hilarious to watch him run after Hermia and be run after by Helena having some great lines to deliver too. What is such a shame though is that the two guys do not have much to sing. What a major waste a talent! The guys playing the mechanics are entertaining having most of the funny parts and lines as cheesy and full of cliches they are. Bernd Tauber as Bottich certainly impresses most - surprisingly for me as all I had known him for was a part in a dodgy German weekly soap a few years ago but looking him up learnt all the other stuff he has done since.
Funny a moment when he was not Puck but himself talking to an older lady in the front row he recognised. Normally you wouldn't want such a thing but with him doing it it was no problem. No one seemed to object, several people actually seemed to have seen him before many years ago and they were just happy to see him back - and I was happy to see him at last in that part having read so much about his performances and that he was a audience favourite. Now I know why.
The rest of the ensemble as the elfs are lovely, nice to see Merle Hoch again who was a TfN musicalcompany member a few years ago. I was not a fan of her back then but she has gone through a great development being a lot more confident and not as wooden and OTT anymore as she used to be.
So overall: the show is just not a great one for me and that is rather cold and distanced, that despite a lovely key subject you cannot really relate to any of the characters does not help. It lives largely from the setting and the fantastic cast which deserved the applause at curtain call which was not surprisingly rather average. Unfortunately the city of Hanover decided that the producers of this show will also have the theatre for their use the next two summers with another Shakespeare show to come plus the return of the second show they played last year which was even worse than this one.
I cannot await 2015 hoping that the TfN which brought the most incredible "The Secret Garden" onstage there in 2009 will be back giving us proper musicals.
Pictures are taken from the official website and are featuring largely the 2010 cast (unfortunately not really newer pictures available),
