Review: Elisabeth das Musical (Vienna, 1992)

Stage musicals, more than any other form of entertainment, are prone to changing dramatically over the years. Things are added or removed between productions, and within twenty years you can end up with something that looks nothing like the first production. Elisabeth is a perfect example of this.

This version doesn't have a title-card, so here, have the Original Cast Recording cover instead.

This is a filmed version of a dress rehearsal for Elisabeth's original production. It's not as polished as the 2005 version, which was an actual filmed performance, but it gives a pretty good idea of how the original version was performed.

I recognised only the main two actors:
Pia Douwes (Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca das Musical) as Elisabeth
Uwe Kröger (Colloredo in Mozart! das Musical 1999) as Death

First things first. I like the overlapping-lines bit in the prologue where Elisabeth's relatives sing one line while the ensemble sing a different one. (Is there a technical name for that?) No idea why it was removed from most later German versions.

Death's costume in the prologue is as ridiculous as in the 2005 version. Was the costume designer drunk? Or did they sincerely believe that nothing screams "personification of Death" quite like "frilly lacy whatever-that-thing-is"?

Death, with Lucheni in the background. I try not to look at that "costume", but it's... hard to ignore 😣

Elisabeth makes her first appearance and falls to her death... and Death. They fall in love at first sight. Does anyone think this will end well? Surprise! It doesn't. Elisabeth meets Franz Joseph and falls in love with him.

Sophie, Franz Joseph, and some rather ghoulish-looking courtiers.

What on earth is that eagle thing? It looks like something you'd find in an amusement park, and it's certainly not historically accurate. This is just one of the many weird things scattered through this production.

What better setting for a romantic duet than something that looks like it's borrowed from a horror movie set in a funfair?

I'm not a fan of the Vienna stagings of the wedding. The puppet-like dancing? Yes, it's suitably eerie. The "wedding clothes" that look like plastic bags? No, no, a thousand times no. It's not only ugly, it looks silly.

Elisabeth, wearing a not-at-all accurate "wedding dress". All right, so Empress Elisabeth's real wedding dress is lost and no one knows exactly what it looked like. But I think it's safe to say it wasn't made of plastic! Was this really the best the costume department could do?

But on the bright side, I like Death and his angels rising out of the floor before "Der letzte Tanz". That's much more impressive than some later versions, where they just walk onstage. Speaking of "Der letzte Tanz", this is my favourite version of it ever. It's also one of the worst ear worms I've ever had stuck in my head.

The picture isn't the clearest, but that's Franz Joseph and Elisabeth in the left corner, and Death reaching out to Elisabeth.

The lighting is much better here than in the 2005 DVD, but why is everything so blue? Blue sets, blue lights, blue costumes (even when they're clearly not blue), even bluish actors... Either the director really loved blue, or something went badly wrong with the camera.

Ignoring the blueness, "Ich gehör nur mir" is one of the most awesome songs in musical theatre, and this is one of the most awesome renditions of it.

"Denn iiiiiiiich! Gehör! Nur miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiir!"

The scene where Elisabeth's daughter dies is very eerie. This Death is much more inhuman and emotionless than 2005!Death, and the way he stares at Elisabeth after she sees her daughter's body is downright terrifying. Less jealous love interest, more supernatural creature unable to understand her grief.

One of the problems with the way this is filmed is how the camera focuses on one part of the stage and doesn't show the rest of it. During the second half of "Elisabeth, mach auf mein Engel", the camera stays on Elisabeth for most of it and only briefly shows Death. So without knowledge of other productions, you'll have no idea where Death is on the stage. Not the best decision there, editors.

This version of "Ich will dir nur sagen" doesn't include Death's part of the song. Apparently that was only added later. Very disappointing 😒 On the bright side, Elisabeth's dress is great.

Act I was much less polished than later versions. I'm sorry to say it, but Act II is a mess.

To start with, "Wenn ich tanzen will" is missing. It wouldn't be written until ten years later. The show jumps straight from "Éljen" to "Mama, wo bist du?". Then, for some reason known only to the choreographer, "Nichts, nichts, gar nichts" ends in... The YouTube description calls it a "chaotic dance sequence", and that's the only way to describe it. Why? Goodness knows.

Some Deaths are disturbingly gleeful when they tell Elisabeth about Franz Joseph's adultery. Some are more cold about it. And then there's this Death, who sounds downright bored until Elisabeth considers suicide. I'm not sure which portrayal I prefer, but this is one time when Death being emotionless is less "cold and distant" and more "just plain indifferent". He's in love with Elisabeth; shouldn't he show some emotion? Even if it's just triumphing over his rival's sin?

And we briefly dive into near-2005 levels of poor lighting, too.

Rudolf's subplot in the Vienna stagings makes very little sense to anyone who hasn't done an in-depth study of 19th century Austrian history. He appears as an adult for the first time immediately before "Die Schatten werden länger", sings a duet with Death even though there's no explanation of what he's afraid of, and then disappears from the story until he goes to Elisabeth, is turned away, and kills himself. It's exactly as confusing as it sounds.

Rudolf asking Elisabeth for help

But not even the mishandling of his subplot can make his death any less tragic 😭

The heartbreak only gets worse from then on. (And it was hardly a jolly, cheerful show before!) We get a very depressing "Boote in der Nacht", a chilling "Am Deck der sinkenden Welt" (side note: I like how the platform literally sinks at the end of the song), and then an even more depressing "Der Schleier fällt". I'm still not a fan of Death basically dropping Elisabeth on the ground after he kisses her. That's a terribly underwhelming ending.

It took me a long time to realise that thing outlined in white is meant to be Elisabeth's coffin.

Despite what you might have thought from my sarcasm, I really do like this production. It's a decent rendition of the story, and an interesting look at where the show started. But it just isn't as complete as later productions, nor does the plot make as much sense without the songs that were added later. It's a good introduction to Elisabeth, though, and well worth watching!

Is it available online?: Yes, on YouTube with English subtitles.

Rating: 7/10.