Showcount 5 (of 5 in London)
The Devil wears Prada
Personal Rating: 6/10
There is nothing bad I can say about the quality of the performers!
+ absolutely stunning voices. That Andy and Emily, wow!
+ entertaining high end show no money spared for:
--> tech: sound and light design look and sound expensive
--> vast and extravagant sets with fast big set changes
--> costumes, opulent and stunning, well it's abaut fashion, right
But that is kind of the problem with this show, the focus definitely lies on looks.
- While the movie was very funny, it also held a lot of deeply felt desperation and especially disappointment for its characters, the Musical...
.... either cuts most of these moments (Miranda's fight with her husband Andy accidentally witnesses)
... or makes them into a catchy comical dancenumber (Emily's rage and devastation after she is excluded from Paris becomes a sexy choreo with her male nurses)
... Even Andy's relationship with her boyfriend Nate is portrayed in a sarcastical duet (I only love you for your looks) which is fun but fails to set them off from the highly superficial fashion industry.
In general the show does fail to set any contrasts especially with it's music. I can only describe it as some highly belted Schlager-fusion-Mix that is impressive (for the first two songs) and normally I love a good Reprise, but when everything sounds the same motives don't really help and plot twists and climaxes don't come across if everything is on 100% for the whole show.
Vanessa Williams as Miranda Priestly does own the stage, yes, but not with the ice cold otherworldly chill Merryl Streep held. She is a bitch of a boss, but not a devil. Again, i think it is the mostly the music that breaks her. To close to the rest, to 'normal'. Come on Elton! Miranda's deserves a good symphonic powerbelt villain song, not this cheap High-School-Musical-bitch-tune!
There is a lot more I could say about this show but it comes all down to the same: Great cast, expensive designs. It entertains, but is too polished, too glamorous, too wannabe wannabe-(only)-funny to involve me emotionally in any way, and that is ultimately what I want of a good show.
Personal Rating Hades Town: 7/10
I didn't know anything about the show before so I had no expectations at all.
+ overall great Show, loved the music, the acting and the pictures that were created
+ absolutely stunning exceptional voices all through, so different, so extraordinary!
+ most diverse cast show I have ever seen in terms of ethnicity, bodytype and gender (I had a female Hermes while the first cast is male)
+ one of the most precisely sung harmonies I have ever heard! Wow!
+ best light and sound design I have ever seen/heard with use of portable and movable lamps and extremely good distribution of focus
+ Great use of a turning stage (triple!) creating great pictures and movement
- too much (unnecessary) naration for my taste, even though I loved the role of Hermes
- I wasn't the greatest fan of the choreography. While I loved the use of position and constellation I did not quite like the moves itself but that is just taste
- like with JCS there was much too much suffering. Basically Orpheus, Euridice and Persephone were suffering hard from the beginning to the end and had all at least two songs only about that without any contribution to the story itself. I felt like there were a few missed moments for some (maybe even comic) relief inbetween
- I didn't quite buy the motivations of the characters. Either the stakes were to high/low or the plotpoints were done too fast
- too many meta or unmovable characters (Fates, Hermes in part, Ensemble sometimes)
So overall I was very impressed by the performers and the show and I will definitely buy the ep but the plot and character development could be more straight forward or focused sometimes.
Personal Rating: Inter Alia
10/10 Wow!
Great writing with such up to date topics:
- females in high positions (higher than her partners),
- juggling job, sexism and motherhood
- the way the legal system deals with sexual assault
- raising children in an uncontrollable (online) world
Great direction: Fast, intensive and personal but with almost Brecht-like narration (Dramaturgs will probably fry me for this but thats what it looked like to me) that kept the audience from diving to deep into the story and getting carried away. Instead it provided a political commentary disguised sometimes as the main characters reflective thoughts putting things in perspective.
- @mspike is an absolute beast. 100 minutes of tempo, tension and emotion. She didn't loose me once!
-Also shouting out to the two supporting actors providing a realness and personal attachment to it a one person piece could not have provided.
All in all a must see. There is a stream on 4. of September
Spontanious Jump In Feuerwerk
This was my first jump in I to a piece I did not assist in the first place.
On the one hand that meant I did not have to do other duties during the show and could concentrate only on playing the role. On the other hand I did not know the show nearly as well as any of my one ones so thank you a lot @arianna_werth for rehearsing it with me in the Foyer and playing all the other roles for me.
Thanks to Brigitte and Sabine for the beautiful hair and makeup and also thanks @milena.paulovics
for entrusting me with your piece.
Had a blast sharing the stage with all my great colleagues!
@vis_esthi loved to be the body to your beautiful singing voice
@leabublitzsopran
"Mutter Weis mehr" 🥰😇 perfect stage daughter and @arthur.bruce the gardening son-in-law
Thanks to the best relatives you don't want to have: @dada130903 , Seumas Begg, Irakli Atanelishvili, Undine Menzel, the Power-Glamour couple @penelope.kendros and @johannes_lndr and my perfect singing cook Friederike Hansmeier
Thanks to the best stage husband (last time he was my stage dad 😲😂) @stephenkf3 for dragging me around the stage.
The last video is for every assistant director and stage manager. There is a lil impro scene in the piece and I couldn't help myself. I think you can relate.
Jump-In Agathe - Freischütz
First Shiw in the new year and my first ever Einspringer in Oldenburg.
I always love to be on stage myself but normally, being assistant director/Abendspielleitung at the same time is the hard part.
This show and my wonderful colleagues made it it easy to concentrate fully on impersonating Agathe, and giving her my voice in the dialogues while @jooannebitter sang her beautiful arias.
Thanks to my partners in crime @stephaniehershaw.soprano , @stephenkf3 and @johannes_lndr for carrying me through the scenes. I had sooo much fun being the prude yet hopeful girl.
And a big shootout to my girl @penelope.kendros for coming in on her free day just to take sneaky pictures of me from the side stage. Love you to bits!!
Also a big thank you to both of my Agathes: @adreana_kraschewski and #ElisabethLlewellyn for making the role so interesting that I had almost memorized all the texts just by watching you two :-)
Our Freischütz season, my first production in Oldenburg is already almost at an end now and it was the perfect starting piece for me to get to know the house, the ensemble, the choir in a friendly and cooperative environment created by our wonderful director @joanantonrechi
Thank you to everyone being involved yesterday and in our whole run. I feel so much gratitude to be able to work with you every day!
Freischütz - Der Tanz mit dem Bösen
Director: @joanantonrechi
Stage and Costume design: @markus.erik.meyer
Conductor: to many 🤣 @vito_cristofaro@eric.staiger #hendrikvestmann
Stage Manager:#MarneAhrens #StefanVitu
Max: @johannes_lndr #jasonkim
Agathe: @adreana_kraschewski #elisabethlewellyn
Ännchen: @stephaniehershaw.soprano@penelope.kendros
Kaspar: @bass.seungweon #michaelwagner
Samiel: @martin_bermoser
Kuno: @stephenkf3
Kilian: @seumasbegg
Ottokar: @arthurgbruce@akseldaveyan
Eremit: #IrakliAtanelishvili
1.Verlierer: @steffenthole 😋
Opernchor und Statisterie des Oldenburgischen Staststheaters.
Memory Lane - Turandot
The start of my second year in Detmold was an exhausting one. Not because the show itself was exhausting but because I had to jump into it after the Sommerpause right at the beginning of the stage rehearsals. For me the first weeks of rehearsals are normally crucial to get to know the piece so I am able to jump into every scene and know what to prepare on stage.
In addition Turandot is a choir piece and I ended up doing a Verständigungsprobe before every single show (and there were a lot).
We were lucky to have a very patient and structured director who cared about the wellbeing of his singers and assistants and I two new colleagues and partners in crime and ot being the single assistant in a show has lots of benefits like really being able to be off on free days.
In the end I think we put together quite a decent show despite the circumstances and I will forever be grateful for the friendships that I built or deepend at that time.
Our girls club meetings at the beach bar and our pancake breakfast were legendary right?
@penelope.kendros@emilydornsoprano@christin.stanowsky@maureenbrabecsoprano oksana
Turandot
Direction: @holgerpotocki
Stage and costumes: @brexxstage
Conductor: @perottojohansson
Requisite: @melinakroos
Make-Up: @johanna_wandelbar Kathi, @maria37.10
Turandot: @maureenbrabecsoprano
Oksana
Calaff: @jiungim28@gabriele_mangione_
Liu: @christin.stanowsky@adreana_kraschewski@cristina_.giannelli
Timur: @eziolee83@jaime.mondaca.galaz
Prince of persia: @florian.zanger
Ping: @foportusv , @daniel_gyungmin_gwon
Pang: @stevochamberino
Pong: @hyunsik_johann_shin
Opera choir
@landestheaterdetmold
Memory Lane Part 3
Junges Theater
Before I started with the "big" stage I had the pleasure to work in the intimicy of the Junges Theater. Having studied pedagogy while always knowing that I want to work in the theatre, I know about the impact it can have on children and young adults to participate in a theaterproduction both in an active way, on stage or "passive" passive; in the audience.
However, The Junges Theater does not have the famous 4rth wall because the children automatically become part of the piece, even if you do not (always) adress them directly. You can feel every mood shift and hear every gasps and yawn if there are max 60 people in the room and there is nothing like a child supporting Findus (@laurazeiger ) in his attempt to get rid of the annoying rooster @Hyunsik . (Citation from a five year old 😅: "Kill him!")
or a crouwd of 12 year olds booing at the rapist Don Giovanni (@foportusv ) in the applause.
I did three productions in the Junges Theater: "Pettersson und Findus" (slide 1+2), "Don Giovanni - Die Stunde der Frauen" (3+4) and "Sterben kann jede" (5-7) and during this shows I was make-up lady, requisite, stage manager, driver and motivator for both the kids and the cast.
I couldn´t have done it without this faboulously talanted and most of the time motivated casts, even when the bus to the double show leaves at 7 in the morning. It was a pleasure to create these little moments of magic with you!
Petersson und der Hahn im Korb
director @holgerpotocki
Petersson: Andreas Jören
Findus: @laura.zeiger
rooster (Hahn): @hyunsik_johann_shin
Gustavsson: @jaime.mondaca.galaz , Irakli Atanelishvili
chickens (Hühner): @andrea.drabben , @annemariewolf2 , Annette Blazyczeck
Don Giovanni - Die Stunde der Frauen
director: @antonia.baer
Don Giovanni: @foportusv
Leporello: @florian.zanger@andreaseliaspost
Zerlina: @stephaniehershaw.soprano , @laura.zeiger
Elvira: @aditismeets@christin.stanowsky@laura.zeiger
Sterben kann jede
Mezzosopranistin @dothebi
Klavier: Sachie Furuya, Mathias Mönius
Memory lane part two:
Mozart - Don Giovanni
Pictures:
1 and 2: two last shows
3 finale rehearsals
4 sneaky Elvira
5 the golden trio🤣
6 Komtur is ready
7 probs probs
Don Giovanni,
my second big production and my first Wiederaufnahme (the season after). This show really told me how to adapt to the circumstances (touring, jump-ins...) and it showed me how dynamics can change with different casts, something you only get in live theatre.
It was manly cast within the house ensemble and almost every role was double cast which made up for some very interesting differences in the characters.
For example @aditismeets was pregnant during rehearsals and therefore so was our Zerlina. But as the other two (!) Zerlinas did not have a baby bumb, for them Zerlinas second aria was about telling Masetto that she is pregnant whereas for Aditi it was about feeling the heartbeat of the child "senti lo battere". And what a beautiful moment that was when she actually could feel her daughter moving while singing it.
Another great experience for me was to prepare my acting teacher from university Jan Eggers to do a few shows in the Wiederaufnahme. Though I was a little scared at first it was fun to tell someone who has taught me so much what he had to do 😋 and I even got to play at his side for the last show. Jans Don Giovanni turned out much more sinister and aggressive than fabulously nonchalant @jakobfriedrich and the difference also changed the dynamics with his three women. Seeing him and @emilydornsoprano as Elvira, two of my altime favorites on stage, changing their whole performance in reaction to one another was a very special moment for me.
Premiere: 6.23
Director: Aron Stiehl
Conductor: @gyorgy_meszaros_dirigent@perottojohansson
Stage Design: Jule Dhorn van Rossum
Costume design: Dietlind Konold
Light design: @callecarston
Stage manager @josefine.schlaak@ronnyferrariibiza
Probs @melinakroos and Andi
Make-Up @johanna_wandelbar@maria37.10@kerstinsteinke and Kathi
(Singers are all captured in the pictures)
I am thrilled to finally announce that I will be moving to Oldenburg this summer to work at the @oldenburgischesstaatstheater as an assistant director aaand I will do my first productions as a director myself in a big house starting with "Ritter Odilo" next spring 🤩
I am currently in Oldenburg for Vorproben for the opening production of "Freischütz" with a great ensemble and I am beyond happy that so many great colleagues from Detmold will be coming with me but also that I will meet (and already did) so many new people! Additionally I will be in a City with an ICE train again 🤣💪
On the other hand I will have to say goodbye to many people I will miss an awful lot some of whom I call my best friends after only two years of knowing them. Those two last years in Detmold where very very special and I think we all felt that. I hope so much that we can all keep in touch as much as possible and support one another whereever we are. We are all great artists in our own very special way and we all added to this mix of crazy great human beings.
I will try to go on an insta memory lane for the next few weeks for I want to cherish these memorys! I love you all to the moon (with a Stratosphären-Luftomnibus 🙄😅) and back!!
Most beautiful week in Mallorca.
Absolutly stunning nature (First Video is the view out of our window), delicious food and the best company I could wish for!
@penelope.kendros@emilydornsoprano
#happyness
#travel
#nature
