Only your real friends will tell you when your face is dirty.
Die Schwarzen Brüder - Bückeburg, 09th August, 2014 (matinee)
On their way home the boat used to cross the Lago Maggiore sinks and Alfredo and Giorgi rescue Luini while many of the boys drown.
In Milan he is then sold to the chimney sweep Mr Rossi living with him, his hard hearted wife, his son Anselmo (who despises Giorgio for no obvious reason (am personally sure it has something to do with his father but that is just my opinion) and tries constantly to get him into trouble) and his sick daughter Angeletta (who helps Giorgio with comfort and even food when he is punished for things Anselmo actually did).
Giorgio is soon reunited with Alfredo who was sold to a very mean chimney sweep, who not only neglects him providing hardly to none food but also abuses him, and meets the other boy chimney sweeps joining the community of "Die Schwarzen Brüder".
Jointly they fight against the local boy gang called "Die Wölfe" (The Wolves) Anselmo is (or at least tries to be) a part of though when Alfredo dies these two groups agree to tolerate and help each other (except for Anselmo who then is excluded from "Die Wölfe".
When Giorgio is badly injured while working and taken care of by a Ticino doctor called Dr. Casella, in a house they worked in, he decides to flee once recovered with the doctor also encouraging him offering his help in his estate in Lugano.
With the help of "Die Wölfe" he and some other eventually can escape making their way to Switzerland...
This is how far the musical story goes though the novel goes further with following Giorgio's life into adulthood later then...
The whole story is based on historical facts. The Spazzacamini as the sold boys were called were most needed being able to crawl into the chimneys being small, even the boat accident used in the novel really happened.
The musical, music by Georgij Modestov, book and lyrics Mirco Vogelsang, was premiered in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, in 2007 - financially a disaster it received decent reviews.
The first open air production was in Walenstadt, Switzerland, in summer 2010 and this year sees the German premiere in the town Bückeburg south west of Hannover.
It is the first ever musical open air production at this location, a castle owned by the family Schaumburg-Lippe for 100s of years - actually a surprise that it was not used before.
This is how far the musical story goes though the novel goes further with following Giorgio's life into adulthood later then...
The whole story is based on historical facts. The Spazzacamini as the sold boys were called were most needed being able to crawl into the chimneys being small, even the boat accident used in the novel really happened.
The musical, music by Georgij Modestov, book and lyrics Mirco Vogelsang, was premiered in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, in 2007 - financially a disaster it received decent reviews.
The first open air production was in Walenstadt, Switzerland, in summer 2010 and this year sees the German premiere in the town Bückeburg south west of Hannover.
It is the first ever musical open air production at this location, a castle owned by the family Schaumburg-Lippe for 100s of years - actually a surprise that it was not used before.
Cast:
Giorgio - Jasper Klein/Moritz Gehrckens/Nicolai Schein (in bold performed at show visited)
Die schwarzen Brüder - Louis Moses Postulart, Allegro Sprute, Boi Conrad, David Klussmann, Felix Rabenhorst, Ferris Brambor, Florian John, Habib Bastürk, Henry Emmel, Kevin Kawelake, Lennart Ferling, Marlin-Christopher Schwake, Mats Oestreich, Nico Tornow, Noah Steiger, Oliver Benkel, Paul-Yunus Stange, Sören Klose, Vincent John (two sets, ten each)
Alfredo - Janko Danailow
Battista Rossi - Thorsten Tinney
Mrs Rossi - Maite Kelly
Angeletta - Sandra Pangl
Anselmo - Andreas Röder
Luini/Dr. Casella - Peter Zeug
Giovanni - Tobias Brönner
Katze - Julia Waldmayer
Paolo - Thomas Christ
Anna - Christiane Reichert
Gino/Arlecchino - Frank Watzke
Givo (Zitrone) - Siegmar Tonk
Piano Teacher - Andreas Langsch
Baker - Tim Müller
Angel - Anastasia Troska
Carla - Conny Braun
Maid - Fabienne Hesse
Elisa - Tina Potsdawa
Ensemble - Christopher Busse, Claudia Funke, Daniel Wernecke, Philipp Dürenberger, Robin Koger
Swings - Guido Breidenbach, Kerstin Ried
As already mentioned, this production is the third one - and the second for me having seen it in Walenstadt when among others "my" beloved Oliver Nöldner was in the ensemble and I combined seeing the show with a week holidays in the Heidiland - a wonderful trip and I did enjoy seeing the show.
Giorgio - Jasper Klein/Moritz Gehrckens/Nicolai Schein (in bold performed at show visited)
Die schwarzen Brüder - Louis Moses Postulart, Allegro Sprute, Boi Conrad, David Klussmann, Felix Rabenhorst, Ferris Brambor, Florian John, Habib Bastürk, Henry Emmel, Kevin Kawelake, Lennart Ferling, Marlin-Christopher Schwake, Mats Oestreich, Nico Tornow, Noah Steiger, Oliver Benkel, Paul-Yunus Stange, Sören Klose, Vincent John (two sets, ten each)
Alfredo - Janko Danailow
Battista Rossi - Thorsten Tinney
Mrs Rossi - Maite Kelly
Angeletta - Sandra Pangl
Anselmo - Andreas Röder
Luini/Dr. Casella - Peter Zeug
Giovanni - Tobias Brönner
Katze - Julia Waldmayer
Paolo - Thomas Christ
Anna - Christiane Reichert
Gino/Arlecchino - Frank Watzke
Givo (Zitrone) - Siegmar Tonk
Piano Teacher - Andreas Langsch
Baker - Tim Müller
Angel - Anastasia Troska
Carla - Conny Braun
Maid - Fabienne Hesse
Elisa - Tina Potsdawa
Ensemble - Christopher Busse, Claudia Funke, Daniel Wernecke, Philipp Dürenberger, Robin Koger
Swings - Guido Breidenbach, Kerstin Ried
As already mentioned, this production is the third one - and the second for me having seen it in Walenstadt when among others "my" beloved Oliver Nöldner was in the ensemble and I combined seeing the show with a week holidays in the Heidiland - a wonderful trip and I did enjoy seeing the show.
Yes the production had its flaws, some rather banal lyrics but overall due to the largely great cast and some good direction by Holger Hauer then it was a pleasant show.
When Thomas Christ announced he would join the show it was a must to see it - also with the summer theatre season rather dull and this decently close by I most probably would have seen it anyway.
One person I totally adored in the 2010 production was Janko Danailow playing the part of Alfredo so when I learnt that he would return to the show playing that part again (though as they cast the "Brüder" with young boys and him being already over 30 (though looking younger) it seemed a bit weird at first) it was not just a must but a necessity. ;-)
So on Saturday morning I was off to Bückeburg to witness the matinee on a surprisingly bright and sunny afternoon.
I had treated myself to a VIP ticket for the first show (yeah I *may* intend to see more than one performance ;-) ) which included an introduction done by one of the producers and a free drink an hour before the show.
All seemed rather professional with the location, the marketing etc before already and continued when arriving though this can only partly be said about the actual show.
Unfortunately things were changed since the Walenstadt production (or where they changed so much from Schaffhausen to Walenstadt and this production is closer to the original? I actually do not know so I will just stick to say things had been changed since Walenstadt), sometimes just little things, some line changes, some changes to the orchestration, the opening scene changed so that the whole boat accident was only told instead of visually translating it that even though I had known the story before as also read the novel and seen the new movie, I found myself lost for a few seconds so I do not want to know how others not familiar with show must have felt.
And it continues throughout the show, there are direction decisions (by (unfortunately?) Mirco Vogelsang himself) which are very hard for me to understand, especially the character elaboration falls regularly flat, motifs are not clear, I can accept that to a certain degree as sometimes people just follow their instincts etc. and not everything can be explained with a logic decision and people having a motif but I still expected a bit more emotional depth.
Some reviewers saw that, I, unfortunately, didn't. It is also occasionally told too quickly when I'd wished to have more time as the moment when Alfredo dies missing some moments from Walenstadt but then other scenes dragged - especially scenes added or changed since - as the odd additional moments to give Mrs Rossi more stage time - suppose all due to the "household name" of Maite Kelly it was cast with. Not that she was bad it just felt so unneeded.
Or the whole point of having the bunch of boys regularly passing by the stage from left to right or right to left looking like most miserable dwarfs marching in step.
Yes, some impressive pictures were created as the fight between the boys and the wolves with a deliberate choreography concept (by Sabine Lindlar) in general, when a dead Alfredo sings his act 2 song from one of the windows in the castle several metres above the ground or the escape at the final which as I was told after the show will look even more impressive when seeing an evening show but especially act 1 is so underwhelming, am left untouched most of the time - and that me, Ms Hypersensitive.
Not that I was that touched really when seeing it in Walenstadt, but here it is even less - I actually got occasionally bored as the act dragged with the already mentioned fillings and changes despite a running time of just 1 hour and 10 mins.
Fortunately act 2 is a bit tighter and the emotional focus is more evident as in the opening scene when Giorgio moans the loss of his friend but that could only partly compensate for the dragging in act 1 (the uncomfortable seats didn't help either - at least I sat in an aisle seat so I could stretch legs).
So while the direction concept could not impress too much at least the cast could.
Especially Janko Danailow as Alfredo was again such a treat.
As said I adored him in 2010 but since he has grown even more particularly vocally in strength and expression delivering the most haunting performance of the day giving me such goosebumps.
I was so impressed how well he could pull off as a 30-something a teenager (especially funny as the last time I saw him about a year ago he played a 35 year old in a musical revue about men in the midlife crisis) totally living the character.
Moritz Gehrckens who was Giorgi that afternoon was also adorable who could especially shine with his fresh outgoing play. Vocally he could not always impress especially in the higher ranges but I am sure with a few more shows he will get there.
Peter Zeug in his double role (whyever that was done but for when he is off it is split with two covers sharing that part??) was a delightful doctor but as Luini lacked darkness and meanness for me and when he is haunted later in the show by the voices of the dead boys he also misses exasperation for me, but then I saw Florian Schneider in Walenstadt who was most probably the most perfect casting.
Thorsten Tinney as Battista Rossi is a passionate, caring and vocally strong character, maybe for me sometimes a bit too strong when giving his wife contra. I preferred the Rossi in Walenstadt when he was a rather weak man and just at end waking up and realising and facing the life he is living.
Maite Kelly delivers a well differentiated performance with her Mrs Rossi not just being mean and loud as Sissy Staudinger in Walenstadt but you can understand not only with what she sings about but also how she plays the character what life has done to her and how she has become what and who she is. Vocally she could be a bit less vibrating but that is just a small nitpick.
Sandra Pangl as Angeletta certainly sings beautifully but could not really convince as a child - but then she couldn't do that neither in Les Miserables in Magdeburg last year when she was Gavroche. Not sure they should have cast an actual girl as Kristin Bauersachs (aka Kristin Riegelsberger these days) was a proper girl in Walenstadt but then Kristin came across a lot more girly.
One thing that really bugged me in Walenstadt though was that the chef Paolo had an Italian accent - considering that the show is largely based in Milan so the common language spoken would have been Italian it was so ridiculous but fortunately that was dropped here totally and Thomas Christ could just purely enchant as the flirty chef whose assistants are all over him and he over them.
The big number with a sparking choreography he does with his assistants, as unneeded as it is, certainly lifts up the show for a moment and helps to focus again after all the ongoing misery before.
The rest of the cast could also largely entertain showing off talent and enjoyment just being let down too often by the direction
The stage is with its 50 metres length certainly impressive as not just the ground level is used but also the facade of the castle. The chimneys needed for the show were even built so that they look like being there all the time having the same stone "design" as some part of the castle - certainly a lot of time and thought was put into the set as was in the costumes by Kai Rudat. Light design is by Gerrit Jurda but as I got to see a matinee I cannot say much, actually nothing about it till I see an evening show. What though bugged me was the static setting with things happening on far left and far right too often feeling as sitting more to the right totally distanced to any action happening in the tavern which was on the far left - and that in the front row. I personally wished the stage would have just been 30 metres wide or so. Am convinced they'd still have enough space for all scenes but make it a bit less overblown.
Musical direction by Andreas Papst who conducted well his orchestra with refined full sound largely. Just some changes to the score as said before when instead it being a simple song sung by one person now done by two or bits and pieces cut and added do not help the actual music but that shall not devalue the orchestra.
What though was not great was the sound sometimes being unbalanced, microphones not switched on quickly enough or switched off far too late so you could hear the cast talk after having left the stage.
Well overall it was a nice afternoon away from home. Am happy that for the cast alone I got to see it and why I do not mind seeing it again in a couple of weeks but the direction concept is a let down and I wished that someone of the same calibre as Holger Hauer would have directed it.
And with prices for top price level of over 100 EUR including booking fees on certain days the price performance ratio is not right. Yes, am sure it is a tough expensive job to set such a new production up with high marketing and advertisement cost etc. but other location manage with (much) lower prices and still deliver high quality performances.
When Thomas Christ announced he would join the show it was a must to see it - also with the summer theatre season rather dull and this decently close by I most probably would have seen it anyway.
One person I totally adored in the 2010 production was Janko Danailow playing the part of Alfredo so when I learnt that he would return to the show playing that part again (though as they cast the "Brüder" with young boys and him being already over 30 (though looking younger) it seemed a bit weird at first) it was not just a must but a necessity. ;-)
So on Saturday morning I was off to Bückeburg to witness the matinee on a surprisingly bright and sunny afternoon.
 |
| View over the 50m wide stage from the side |
All seemed rather professional with the location, the marketing etc before already and continued when arriving though this can only partly be said about the actual show.
Unfortunately things were changed since the Walenstadt production (or where they changed so much from Schaffhausen to Walenstadt and this production is closer to the original? I actually do not know so I will just stick to say things had been changed since Walenstadt), sometimes just little things, some line changes, some changes to the orchestration, the opening scene changed so that the whole boat accident was only told instead of visually translating it that even though I had known the story before as also read the novel and seen the new movie, I found myself lost for a few seconds so I do not want to know how others not familiar with show must have felt.
And it continues throughout the show, there are direction decisions (by (unfortunately?) Mirco Vogelsang himself) which are very hard for me to understand, especially the character elaboration falls regularly flat, motifs are not clear, I can accept that to a certain degree as sometimes people just follow their instincts etc. and not everything can be explained with a logic decision and people having a motif but I still expected a bit more emotional depth.
Some reviewers saw that, I, unfortunately, didn't. It is also occasionally told too quickly when I'd wished to have more time as the moment when Alfredo dies missing some moments from Walenstadt but then other scenes dragged - especially scenes added or changed since - as the odd additional moments to give Mrs Rossi more stage time - suppose all due to the "household name" of Maite Kelly it was cast with. Not that she was bad it just felt so unneeded.
Or the whole point of having the bunch of boys regularly passing by the stage from left to right or right to left looking like most miserable dwarfs marching in step.
 |
| Side view of stage when entering area |
Not that I was that touched really when seeing it in Walenstadt, but here it is even less - I actually got occasionally bored as the act dragged with the already mentioned fillings and changes despite a running time of just 1 hour and 10 mins.
Fortunately act 2 is a bit tighter and the emotional focus is more evident as in the opening scene when Giorgio moans the loss of his friend but that could only partly compensate for the dragging in act 1 (the uncomfortable seats didn't help either - at least I sat in an aisle seat so I could stretch legs).
So while the direction concept could not impress too much at least the cast could.
Especially Janko Danailow as Alfredo was again such a treat.
As said I adored him in 2010 but since he has grown even more particularly vocally in strength and expression delivering the most haunting performance of the day giving me such goosebumps.
I was so impressed how well he could pull off as a 30-something a teenager (especially funny as the last time I saw him about a year ago he played a 35 year old in a musical revue about men in the midlife crisis) totally living the character.
Moritz Gehrckens who was Giorgi that afternoon was also adorable who could especially shine with his fresh outgoing play. Vocally he could not always impress especially in the higher ranges but I am sure with a few more shows he will get there.
Peter Zeug in his double role (whyever that was done but for when he is off it is split with two covers sharing that part??) was a delightful doctor but as Luini lacked darkness and meanness for me and when he is haunted later in the show by the voices of the dead boys he also misses exasperation for me, but then I saw Florian Schneider in Walenstadt who was most probably the most perfect casting.
Thorsten Tinney as Battista Rossi is a passionate, caring and vocally strong character, maybe for me sometimes a bit too strong when giving his wife contra. I preferred the Rossi in Walenstadt when he was a rather weak man and just at end waking up and realising and facing the life he is living.
Maite Kelly delivers a well differentiated performance with her Mrs Rossi not just being mean and loud as Sissy Staudinger in Walenstadt but you can understand not only with what she sings about but also how she plays the character what life has done to her and how she has become what and who she is. Vocally she could be a bit less vibrating but that is just a small nitpick.
Sandra Pangl as Angeletta certainly sings beautifully but could not really convince as a child - but then she couldn't do that neither in Les Miserables in Magdeburg last year when she was Gavroche. Not sure they should have cast an actual girl as Kristin Bauersachs (aka Kristin Riegelsberger these days) was a proper girl in Walenstadt but then Kristin came across a lot more girly.
One thing that really bugged me in Walenstadt though was that the chef Paolo had an Italian accent - considering that the show is largely based in Milan so the common language spoken would have been Italian it was so ridiculous but fortunately that was dropped here totally and Thomas Christ could just purely enchant as the flirty chef whose assistants are all over him and he over them.
The big number with a sparking choreography he does with his assistants, as unneeded as it is, certainly lifts up the show for a moment and helps to focus again after all the ongoing misery before.
The rest of the cast could also largely entertain showing off talent and enjoyment just being let down too often by the direction
The stage is with its 50 metres length certainly impressive as not just the ground level is used but also the facade of the castle. The chimneys needed for the show were even built so that they look like being there all the time having the same stone "design" as some part of the castle - certainly a lot of time and thought was put into the set as was in the costumes by Kai Rudat. Light design is by Gerrit Jurda but as I got to see a matinee I cannot say much, actually nothing about it till I see an evening show. What though bugged me was the static setting with things happening on far left and far right too often feeling as sitting more to the right totally distanced to any action happening in the tavern which was on the far left - and that in the front row. I personally wished the stage would have just been 30 metres wide or so. Am convinced they'd still have enough space for all scenes but make it a bit less overblown.
Musical direction by Andreas Papst who conducted well his orchestra with refined full sound largely. Just some changes to the score as said before when instead it being a simple song sung by one person now done by two or bits and pieces cut and added do not help the actual music but that shall not devalue the orchestra.
What though was not great was the sound sometimes being unbalanced, microphones not switched on quickly enough or switched off far too late so you could hear the cast talk after having left the stage.
Well overall it was a nice afternoon away from home. Am happy that for the cast alone I got to see it and why I do not mind seeing it again in a couple of weeks but the direction concept is a let down and I wished that someone of the same calibre as Holger Hauer would have directed it.
And with prices for top price level of over 100 EUR including booking fees on certain days the price performance ratio is not right. Yes, am sure it is a tough expensive job to set such a new production up with high marketing and advertisement cost etc. but other location manage with (much) lower prices and still deliver high quality performances.
