Comments on: “Die Blume von Hawaii” In Basel: Was It Really That Terrible?

By: kevin

kevin — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 11:50:15 +0000

The Manzel role was – obviously – written for a world-class oepra soprano. She could not have coped with it, seriously, under any circumstances. And luckily, she did not even try. She turned the whole role into something new. Just like Massary made the Merrx Widow something unique, as did Joan Sutherland, by the way. They both have nothing in common with the original performer of 1905. (The same is true for nearly every latter day Danilo. Noone seems to mind that either.) Watching Dagmar many times in BALL IM SAVOY I noticed how she became more and more comfortable in the role, and found her very own way of singing it. Creating some heart-stopping moments, thanks also to Adam Benzwi at the piano. They created magic together. (In that last act lamento especially.) I can imagine other singers in the role, and they would probably sound better. But Dagmar’s acting made the whole show emotionally believable, she made the entire dialogue interesting and full equal to the musical parts. And she (eventually) turned the stage into a grand diva duel with Katharine Mehrling, which was stunning to watch. A real battle of extravagent personalities. (I image Gitta Alpar and Rosy Barsony had a simular duel on stage.) Anyway, for me this Berlin BALL was a relevation. And seeing Manzel in her later shows…. I can only say she got more and more amazing. Her Cleopatra is a non plus ultra knowout. And her FRAU DIE WEISS WAS SIE WILL – together with Max Hopp – is again one of the most glorious operetta experiences of my life. She actually sounds (!) great in both these Oscar Straus parts too. And because of all this, I forgive and forget every shrill Abraham note.

By: Gerald Frantzen

Gerald Frantzen — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 03:42:15 +0000

I agree that operetta’s have to adapt to the time and place where they are performed but… what if Dagmar could really sing the role? She is an incredible actress. That is a no-brainer. And yes the production was fresh- I loved the idea, I loved the scale and I loved that it has inspired an incredible revival of these works, not only in Germany but in the rest of Europe as well (including our little company in Chicago). Would that production have worked here? I am not sure. I will say that we are a theater town and one of the better ones. Certainly as one the largest U.S. cities with a vibrant cultural scene, first-rate symphony orchestra, a great opera company, great art schools, and one of the premiere dance companies in the world we have seen a little bit of everything. My point was not to denigrate the production but to point out that this incredible genre which so firmly sits between “hoch und “populär” culture needs to be everything to everybody- and this includes great singing. Kálmán was a serious composer who wrote incredible music that doesn’t need either an actor or singer, but, respectfully, both. I enjoyed the production but was underwhelmed by the singing. I worked in Germany for a couple of years and know that there are a lot of great singers and actors that could have done that role as demanded and still hit every note, even in a Barry Kosky production.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 21:02:28 +0000

Operettas always have to adapt to the time and place where they are performed. What Barrie Kosky managed to do in Berlin – with BALL IM SAVOY and the various following operetta productions – was to find a style and a type of casting that attracts a big city audience, and enthralls it. Maybe it wouldn’t work in Chicago, but it sure works in Berlin. And that is a great achievement. Kosky also managed to make people – and critics – look at these long forgotten and neglected shows anew, with fresh and keen interest. If you, Gerald, did not like this BALL IM SAVOY, that’s perfectly okay. But it’s put Abraham back on the map in Germany, on a grand scale. Which is a miracle. And the performances are nearly always sold out, after all these years. I personally have seen it many times over, and I absolutely love Dagmar Manzel and Katharine Mehrlin in the two lead roles. Yes, Manzel is more convincing and sensational in EINE FRAU DIE WEISS WAS SIE WILL and PERLEN DER CLEOPATRA, but her Madeleine de Faublas has grown into something very very special with time. And the two ladies deliver a knock-out performance that certainly redefined ‘operetta’ in modern-day Germany.

By: Gerald Frantzen

Gerald Frantzen — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 15:24:38 +0000

The bigger problem is that too many people think that you have to have either an actor or singer perform these roles- you need to have both. In this day and age there are loads of people that are talented enough to do both. I saw a video of Ball im Savoy by the Komisch Oper and was mortified to find out that the lead female could not sing the role as written- it was kitsch for kitsch sake- a terrible representation of not only the music but the show in itself. We put on a much truer production in Chicago that was honest, heartfelt, funny and faithful to what Abraham intended- and we found singers to boot that could really act. We were able to find those moments of honesty in the piece that made the show so enduring when it came out- even with our tiny budget which is 1/20th of the Komisch Oper. I am sure that Die Blume von Hawaii is suffering from the same malaise that Savoy did- high on clever production values with no emphasis on great singing and acting.
Gerald Frantzen
Artistic Director
chicagofolksoperetta.org