Tonight I went to
see a student musical. What’s so extraordinary about that? I’ve been attending
student shows – good, bad and excruciating - for half a century. But never
before one like this.
The school is the
well-known UDK (Universität der Künste) of Berlin. The venue was the splendid larger salle at the
Neuköllner Oper, and the musical was Schwestern
im Geiste (‘Sisters in Spirit’). Never heard of it, have you?
No one has, for
this is a brand new musical, written by the very well-known team of Peter Lund
and Thomas Zaufke, writer and composer of a string of successful shows,
together and separately (Babytalk etc
etc), especially for this group of students, and expressly tailored to their
considerable talents. And numbers: 7f 2m.
The subject? It’s
about the Bronte sisters. Whaaat? Not a lot of action there. As it was
described to me when I put up the big query, ‘well, in act one they write
books, and in act two they die’. Not promising. But, of course, it’s not only
about that. As I was to find out.
The title says it
all. It parallels the restricted lives of the Bronte girls with those of three
women of today, in a most effective fashion. I, of course, missed the fine
points of Lund’s German dialogue, but the story and the characters came across
clearly, as, of course, did the lushly ensemble-filled (hurrah!) and melodious score.
It is an ideal
student or ensemble show: every character is interestingly individual, every
player has plenty of opportunity to show her or his talents in rangey solo
song and in speech. And how great for these young people to have the
opportunity to create a role, work it out for themselves, instead of just
giving an impersonation of some known performer in some known part. UDK, the
Neuköllner, Lund and Zaufke have earned the thanks of a series of years-worth
of students (for this is the latest piece of several on which they have all
combined over the years) for a truly artistic and praiseworthy venture.
And the show? The
performers? As I sit here, there are two stage pictures fighting for the front
of my brain: Branwell Bronte (Andres Esteban) hurling himself in frustration against
the scenery, representative of his sisters’ writings, on his way to his sodden
death; and the beautiful moment when Ann (Katharina Abt), high up on top of
that same excellent scenery, sang so softly and sweetly a darling song ("Erzähl von dir selbst") which
would be her farewell to life.
The ancient and
the modern Charlotte (Keren Trüger, Teresa Scherhag) were very finely acting
and singing ‘rocks’ around which the action swirled, Dalma Viczina was a
remarkably striking Emily, Jaqueline Reinhold showed up with the strongest
voice as the Turkish girl, Aydin, and Sabrina Reischel-Tabby as a splendid
soubrette maid (Petra from A Little Night
Music ?) took on the whole responsibility of throwing some uncomplicated
merriment (and a Marika Oszwald cartwheel) into the basically rather serious
stories.
I hope every
casting director and agent in town has been to see this show. Not for the sake
of Messrs Lund and Zaufke who have had nothing left to prove for many years,
but for the young people to whom they gifted this glorious opportunity to show
off their talents. Chuckle: if I were still an agent and a caster I’d be
chasing Miss Abt, to start with …..
So thanks
everyone—and that includes the designers, band, dance designer et al – for a
really interesting and enjoyable night. And the best student performance I have
ever seen.
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