If You Want To See The Sunshine, You Have To Weather The Storm.
Frank Lane, an executive in the front office of the White Sox, Cardinals, Brewers and Indians of Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1972, once said and it somehow describes perfectly the first weeks of this year's 'Villa Sonnenschein' run as it has been back for three weeks now.
I have seen the show quite a lot - see some >> Older Posts About Villa Sonnenschein here and I try to see it as much as I can but ideally only, as every part in that show is alternated, when of two characters two certain alternates play (and I also have my favourites in most of the other parts).
Unfortunately due to circumstances beyond control I had been unlucky twice already this season so when eventually on Tuesday, 28th January and the following Saturday every casting in the show was a dream the old feeling, the old love for the show, was totally back.
Unfortunately due to circumstances beyond control I had been unlucky twice already this season so when eventually on Tuesday, 28th January and the following Saturday every casting in the show was a dream the old feeling, the old love for the show, was totally back.
Mechthild - Anja Majeski (Tue)/Carolin Spieß (Sat)
Melanie - Lisa Huk
Felix - Marco Knorz
Doctor Mathieu - Kai Bronisch
Carlotta von Pörtschach - Ingrit Dohse
Gustav - Hans B. Götzfried
Hubert - Burkhard Heim
Lara/Margarethe - Johanna Haas
Ah, can the casting get any better? Considering who is in the current cast hardly.
There are just certain people whose performances touch you, well me, entertain and make me laugh more than others and just fill out the character as I imagine it to be. And when others either just bore me, are way too OTT or simply just loud (these days), I can treasure such entertaining shows even more.
With Katrin Taylor who was the alternate Melanie last season (and who was for me personally the best ever Melanie) leaving with joining the Rocky cast Lisa Huk (who already played Lara/Margarethe years ago) took over Melanie. I must say I was not too keen on the idea her taking over as I couldn't stand her in the other show "Königs Vom Kiez" being way OTT and squeaky for me.
At her first show three weeks ago I enjoyed her performance though as her Melanie is for once very "girly" and hyper and she plays the puppet so well properly hiding behind it often really making me forget that there is a real person behind it (she was certainly well trained ;-) ) and transporting emotions so well just through her voice; just the singing was nearly as squeaky as expected. It massively annoyed me but fortunately she has dropped that since and I can enjoy also her singing now.
While I did not see her last week the new Lara/Margarethe aka Kristina Willmaser left a most impressive impression from her first show - so sweetly and adorably played and she has such a beautiful voice that you must wonder why neither her nor Johanna Haas, who is also a lovely Lara/Margarethe are Melanie alternates but wasted in this track when the other Melanie is such a bore and (played way) too old these days regularly murdering Melanie's solo number at least for me (others may think differently about it).
The others are also just as much fun to watch as in past. I adore the old trio - especially Hans B. Götzfried just is the perfect grumpy Gustav that any show with Corny Littmann is a (smelly (as you can smell from the moment the curtain opens he is on even if you hadn't known before as the cast is allowed to smoke behind the stage and the cigarette smell spreads out into the first rows in the auditorium, so horrible)) disappointment.
I also cannot tell how much I adore Anja Majeski and Carolin Spieß as the evil Mechthild with adoring Carolin a tiny bit more. Both are just finding the right balance of going mental but never too much to be just ridiculous. Treat.
But the absolute treat are Marco Knorz and Kai Bronisch and have been since Marco joined in 2012 - my dream team - with that phrase even ending up in the show - I really should be careful what I tell certain performers as not just that ended up in the show last Saturday!
Ah, no. It makes me simply laugh nearly ending up on the floor when things are changed and do not go according to plan - which can happen quickly especially when a certain Kai Bronisch is on stage and does not deliver lines as he is to do and totally confuses others around him - as poor Marco Knorz had to learn at the Saturday show when his Felix waits for some certain dialogues from the doc but the doc just does not say them and reduces Marco to slight despair for some moments.
While I felt sorry for Marco, who continues to touch me so much with his detailed and zealous performance, it also made me laugh so much. Having seen this show so often I suppose it is partly these things which keep the show fresh for me that especially when Kai is on stage you often just simply cannot be sure that the show you know so well will be the same.
Cannot wait what the next shows will bring - preferably with similar casting PLEASE??!!
There are just certain people whose performances touch you, well me, entertain and make me laugh more than others and just fill out the character as I imagine it to be. And when others either just bore me, are way too OTT or simply just loud (these days), I can treasure such entertaining shows even more.
With Katrin Taylor who was the alternate Melanie last season (and who was for me personally the best ever Melanie) leaving with joining the Rocky cast Lisa Huk (who already played Lara/Margarethe years ago) took over Melanie. I must say I was not too keen on the idea her taking over as I couldn't stand her in the other show "Königs Vom Kiez" being way OTT and squeaky for me.
At her first show three weeks ago I enjoyed her performance though as her Melanie is for once very "girly" and hyper and she plays the puppet so well properly hiding behind it often really making me forget that there is a real person behind it (she was certainly well trained ;-) ) and transporting emotions so well just through her voice; just the singing was nearly as squeaky as expected. It massively annoyed me but fortunately she has dropped that since and I can enjoy also her singing now.
While I did not see her last week the new Lara/Margarethe aka Kristina Willmaser left a most impressive impression from her first show - so sweetly and adorably played and she has such a beautiful voice that you must wonder why neither her nor Johanna Haas, who is also a lovely Lara/Margarethe are Melanie alternates but wasted in this track when the other Melanie is such a bore and (played way) too old these days regularly murdering Melanie's solo number at least for me (others may think differently about it).
The others are also just as much fun to watch as in past. I adore the old trio - especially Hans B. Götzfried just is the perfect grumpy Gustav that any show with Corny Littmann is a (smelly (as you can smell from the moment the curtain opens he is on even if you hadn't known before as the cast is allowed to smoke behind the stage and the cigarette smell spreads out into the first rows in the auditorium, so horrible)) disappointment.
I also cannot tell how much I adore Anja Majeski and Carolin Spieß as the evil Mechthild with adoring Carolin a tiny bit more. Both are just finding the right balance of going mental but never too much to be just ridiculous. Treat.
But the absolute treat are Marco Knorz and Kai Bronisch and have been since Marco joined in 2012 - my dream team - with that phrase even ending up in the show - I really should be careful what I tell certain performers as not just that ended up in the show last Saturday!
Ah, no. It makes me simply laugh nearly ending up on the floor when things are changed and do not go according to plan - which can happen quickly especially when a certain Kai Bronisch is on stage and does not deliver lines as he is to do and totally confuses others around him - as poor Marco Knorz had to learn at the Saturday show when his Felix waits for some certain dialogues from the doc but the doc just does not say them and reduces Marco to slight despair for some moments.
While I felt sorry for Marco, who continues to touch me so much with his detailed and zealous performance, it also made me laugh so much. Having seen this show so often I suppose it is partly these things which keep the show fresh for me that especially when Kai is on stage you often just simply cannot be sure that the show you know so well will be the same.
Cannot wait what the next shows will bring - preferably with similar casting PLEASE??!!
