We Will Rock You – Frankfurt 19.-21.12.2014

After over one and a half years since the last time I had seen the show on german soil – and knowing that its Cast was almost the same as it had been when they toured through Basel and Essen in 2013 – I went into it with a lot of excitement and expectations. I was mostly looking forward to see everyone again after such a long time, as there were at least two people among them that I dearly missed and had stayed in touch ever since the closing. And I was also looking forward to how much everyone’s talent had improved since the last time I’ve seen them. And I was NOT disappointed.

19.12. 2014 (Evening/Preview)
I didn’t realize the first two shows that weekend would be previews – I was convinced that that show actually was the Premiere, until I saw some of the Casts posts on facebook. Anyways, despite a few technical difficulties (that, honestly, I didn’t even realize were technical difficulties because I hadn’t seen the show since June 2013 and thought “Oh, well, guess they’ve done a few more changes than usual” to myself, ha-ha), the feeling of being back with this talented bunch covered everything that had gone wrong that night.
Galileo & Scaramouche were played by Christopher Brose & Marjolein Teepen. I know Chris from last year, where he completely blew me away. His voice is incredible, and I was excited about having him as my 1st Galileo on this tour again. And despite the fact that he seemed somewhat sick to me, or tired, he still gave me goosebumps. The way he displays Galileo again was exactly how I thought Galileo must be. He’s that dorky, stupid guy who pulls off the role as a limelight hog at the end as if he’s never done anything else. He shows the audience he loves to be up there, which is, for me, one of the most important things any actor on a stage can do.
I was, however, disappointed about Marjolein. Not because of her talent, no way at all, because she HAS talent, she has proven it more than once to me when I had seen her as Killer Queen – her voice is really stunning. But to me, her display of Scaramouche was lacking  something that I love about that character, although I can’t put a finger on what that is. Maybe it was that she wasn’t as cute-bossy as the lead role, Jeannine Michele Wacker, who, until then, had been my main Scara on last year’s tour, or maybe that the relationship between her and Chris seemed a bit cold to me. But that’s all my personal opinion and is not supposed to diminish anyone’s talent in that Cast!
Markus Neugebauer played Brit once again, and after Anna Lidman last year, Ozzy was played by one of the new Cast members, Linda Holmgren. As usual, Markus‘ talent knocked me off my feet. I knew he was good, I had seen him last year and already thought he was the best Brit I had ever seen, but what he did on stage that night – wow. He has developed SO much since 2013, something I thought wasn’t possible. It was just tiny things, notes, that he did and sung differently, but those changes were truly amazing, especially the even more raspy sound of his voice on the high notes or the “waves” he gave some of his notes in “I Want It All”. And to see Linda was something I was curious about. I love the role of Ozzy, because she sings one of my all-time favourite Queen songs, and therefor I always have very high expectations to the person stepping into that role – and I might be a bit overly critical ever since I first saw Rachel John in that role at the Dominion Theatre in London and especially Andrea Sánchez Del Solar in 2013 in Essen. And Linda did not disappoint me, I even liked her better than Anna last year. Her voice is a lot higher than either Anna’s or Andrea’s, but it was something new to me, and she definitely did that role justice – especially in the high notes. That woman knows how to sing.
Brigitte Oelke & Martin Berger as Killer Queen & Khashoggi – do I need to say more? These two are institutions, have been with the show since 2004, and no matter how often I see them, their talent and amazing stage presence blows me away. Their interactions with each other, their voices, their acting – there’s not much better on german stages nowadays than these two. Brigitte’s voice…well, there is no word for it, you have to hear it for yourself. I’d bet that if she wanted to, she could blow up all the headlights in the theatre hall, and not even with a lot of effort, because her voice is THAT powerful.

20.12.2014 (Matinee & Evening/Premiere)
FINALLY, I would be seeing Jeannine Michele Wacker as Scaramouche again, and I couldn’t have been more excited for it. I had missed everything that I adore about her display of the role, and when she first came on stage, I couldn’t stop the major grin on my face. The thing with her and her Scara is, she’s the cutest, but also bossiest one I had seen so far. You look at her and think “Oh, look how tiny she is, how adorable!”, but then that girl opens her mouth and what comes out of it is too good to be true. Her voice is absolutely BREATHTAKING. It had already been like that last year, but what she did on stage that day was beyond my expectations. I knew she had different engagement over the past couple of months, even during this WWRY tour, she’s working at “Artus” in St. Gallen (Switzerland) every now and then, but you’d never guess the stress she has. Her intonation is crazy, her high vocals are not only high, but as strong as I’ve barely heard any other german singer being capable of. And her way of commanding Galileo about is just something you have to enjoy.
My Galileo that Matinee was Stuart Sumner – something I’ve noticed right away during “Radio GaGa”, when I didn’t spot him in his usual place as a teacher in the background. And although at first I was a bit sceptical – I had only seen him in the lead role once, and to be honest, he hadn’t fully convinced me back then. There were quite a few times he mixed up his text or one time, forgot it for a moment, and although I know it’s normal, they’re all just human and german isn’t his native language, (and I’d be the last person to judge anybody about it!!!) it disappointed me a bit, as I had heard opinions about how amazing he was as Galileo. This time, however, I was more than impressed. His voice had always been amazing, it was the one thing he convinced me with last year, but hearing him again showed me how much it had improved over the past months. And his interaction with Jeannine was adorable. He’s the most “manly” Galileo of all I have seen so far, the most “Rockstar” kind of guy of all of them, and every single time, his long vocals at the end of “We Are The Champions” leave me in complete awe – he knows how damn good his voice is, and he sure knows how to use it to have the audience in the palm of his hand.

Then….Premiere night. My first ever, with – of course – all the main Cast in the lead roles. I only want to say a few words to the (for me) dream pair of Galileo & Scaramouche: Christopher Brose & Jeannine Michele Wacker. Ever since Essen in 2013, I can safely say that I can never get enough of the interaction between those two on stage. They work together so unbelievably well, their voices match SO well, too, and all their movements and vocals are totally geared to each other as if they never did anything else in their life than being up on that WWRY stage together. Jeannine’s cuteness in playing Scara takes Chris’ dorky Galileo-behaviour to new highs, and Chris’ rocking side at the end lets Jeannine turn into a small pile of fangirl – I barely have seen two people who seem so destined to sing and act together – and their duet of “Who Wants To Live Forever” is one of the most beautiful and tear-bringing things I have ever seen on a stage.

21.12.2014 (Matinee & Evening)
Two different Galileo’s, Killer Queen’s & Bap’s – nice. When months before, I had booked my tickets for that weekend, I had only booked the evening show, as my original plan had been to meet up with a friend that day – which turned out to be a fail, so 30 minutes before the show started and after I had overheard a conversation whereby Isabel Trinkaus would be playing Killer Queen that afternoon, I spontaneously purchased another ticket in the middle of the 6th row (which was actually the 3rd row – what exactly the staff at the Old Opera House thought about that confusing seating, only god knows!)
To have Isabel as the evil Killer Queen was something I was absolutely thrilled about. Honestly, you can’t compare her to Brigitte Oelke in any way, and you’d be very wrong to even try to. Whereas Brigitte’s KQ is nothing but evil, loud and the very meaning of a “Diva”, Isabel’s KQ is even more evil, loud, scary – and extraordinarily bitchy. Which is actually a good thing. I love that touch so much that she gives the role, and since the last time I had seen her in it, she has improved so unbelievably much, her voice has become so incredible it was more than a delight to see her in that huge lead again.
Now to that day’s Ozzy, who was – in both shows – played by Andrea Sánchez Del Solar…if you know me well enough, you know what that fact means to me. Ever since I had first seen her Ozzy, and everything that comes with that role, I was done. I don’t even have words for the talent that that girl has inside of her. Her deep voice fits perfectly to “I Want It All”, and the soul in it never fails to make me completely cry my heart out during “(No-One But You) Only The Good Die Young”. She’s the first and only person after Rachel John at the Dominion Theatre in London who ever made me tear up at that song, even BEFORE she has started singing – simply because I know what’s coming, and it’s the most beautiful thing I ever witnessed on stage. Moreover, the harmony between her and Markus Neugebauer is perfect. Their voices are geared to each other, it seems, because they’re both so unbelievably strong and a guarantee for goosebumps. If you ever have the chance to see either of them somewhere on a stage in the world – grab a ticket.

Over all, that weekend was a wonderful and memorable one. I met wonderful people again – Jeannine & Andrea, who I had massively missed over the past 18 months, Stuart & Brigitte, who recognized me despite my not so memorable face, and seemed genuinely happy to see me again and cared about how I’d been since we’ve last seen each other, Victor Barretto, who had been part of last year’s Cast and who, sitting in the same row as me during the Premiere show, also recognized me and asked how I had been…and not to mention two of the nicest people I have ever met. Martin, one of the band members, who I genuinely came to like, because he was so lovely and funny, and made me look a teeny tiny less stupid and dumb as I was standing all by myself at the Stage Door between and after all (!) of the 5 shows of the weekend, outside, defying cold, wind and rain, and who I sadly never got to say a proper Thank You & Goodbye to. I hope one day I can have another shot at that. And of course that WONDERFUL blond woman of the crew whose name I sadly never learned, but who was the kindest thing I ever came across at a Stage Door – taking care of me, making sure I wouldn’t freeze myself to death after the Premiere, and after two hours of waiting for the ones I was waiting for, dragged me (under my protest) to the premiere party to get out of the cold and right into the fun of it. If you read this: THANK YOU for everything, and I sincerely hope we’ll meet again one day.
And of course the numerous hugs, smiles, winks & waves of the people I genuinely care so much about – not just as actors, but more, as human beings, as people like you and me, – will stay in my memory of that weekend.

 

We Will Rock You – Colosseum Essen 03.05.2013

Finally, finally, FINALLY! I was finally back at the german version of “We Will Rock You”, which I had last seen in Cologne over 5 years ago, on January, 13th, 2008. For months, since I had booked my ticket, I was so excited, I could barely think of anything else. And when I found out who the First Cast Galileo & Scaramouche would be, I was even more excited, because they seemed like THE perfect fit for the roles: Christopher Brose & Jeannine Michele Wacker.
When I got inside the Theatre, the first thing I did – of course! – was providing myself with merchandising (I needed memories, as the Show would only be in Essen until June, 30th). Bought the programme (which looks better than I expected, knowing the german programmes), the CD with the Cast Recording from Cologne from 2004 and a black WWRY mug, which I already love to death.

When I got to my seat, I realized I had the perfect one. Third row, Seat 3, amazing. I had a clear view on the stage, and only the seat infront of me was even more perfect. When the show started and the first notes of “Innuendo” blasted through the speakers, I felt this tingling sensation all through my body, my skin was covered in goosebumps, and the only thing that was missing was me jumping up and down my seat. “Radio GaGa” was – as always – mindblowing. When I had seen the Show for my 1st time 5 years ago, it was THAT song that made me fall in love with it. I love how all the actors sing together, how synchron the all move, dance and sing, it gives me so many shivers everytime…and of course, everyone of the GaGa Kids was goddamn good-looking, it shocks me everytime how beautiful they all are.
Well, then, it was time for Galileo & Scaramouche to get on stage…and oh my, was I blown away. Christopher’s first few minutes on stage were just wow, he is such an amazing actor! Every movement of him, every word has his own little story, and his intonation is absolutely flawless. Even before he started singing “I Want To Break Free”, I fell head over heels for him, because he was just perfect. His portrayal of the lost, lonely rebel that doesn’t know his place in the world was so great, you really buy it because he’s so convincing in everything he does. His voice is breathtaking (though I felt like sometimes, he’s got tiny problems with the very high notes in the songs, but that could just be me being spoiled by Oliver Tompsett, the First Cast Galileo at the Dominion Theatre in London), and it’s a voice you don’t forget because it’s really special.
And Jeannine as Scaramouche…holy cow, what a voice, what an acting talent, what a woman!! Every movement of her on stage was mindblowing, and when she came to my favourite part in “Somebody To Love”, where the actress has to reach the really high pitches, and kind of stop breathing while singing…I thought I’d die right there. God, she was BREATHTAKING! It took all composure I could bear that I did not start squeaking. And of course, she is such a cute little girl, perfect height for the role (I’m so sorry, Jeannine, but it’s true 🙂 ), and in everything she does, says or sings, she totally convinced me that she loves that role and that she’s dedicated to her job and her fans. And the smiles she gave the audience whenever they cheered very loudly, they were priceless, and made me love her to bits.
A few things stayed in my mind so well and made that night even more special for me:
– During “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” (one of my favourite songs EVER from Queen), I stared at Christopher, and I swear to God, there were two (!) times in that song that he looked and smiled at me from the Stage (or it was just my imagination because I wanted it to happen, haha), and I instantly caught myself grinning from one ear to another, my face probably going from white to red 🙂
– During the second scene where Galileo, Scaramouche & Pop (Bap in german) ride on the motor bike and sing “Headlong”, I could swear again that, before the bike turns over and the three are with the backs to the crowd for a few seconds, Christopher looked and smiled at me again! My smiley face must have looked absolutely ridiculous.
– During the scene when Kashoggi (played by Martin Berger, who plays him since the Premiere in 2004) tortures the Bohemians, he actually called the guy who played “Bob The Builder” not by his name, but “Madonna”, who’s actor sat on the other side of the stage! I don’t think many people realized that, but it was a very special moment for me, because noticing these little flaws makes me so proud, as it means I’m starting to be one of these fans that notice every little detail about their show 🙂
– Last but not least, when Pop (Bap) realizes he’s a groupie and ask the crowd “Does anybody wants to see my tits?”, we were all cheering, and then, suddenly, someone in the crowd yelled “Get undressed!”, Léon Van Leeuwenberg (playing Pop/Bap that night) AND Christopher Brose started smirking like little schoolboys, and you could actually see Léon trying to regain his composure, it was priceless!
Of course, the show was over WAY too soon, and there were four (!!!) curtain calls, Christopher always ducked himself as far down as possible, giving all of us huge grins and thumbs up, and made us cheer even louder. I then headed out to the Stage Door, already scared that I would be standing there all on my own, with no idea what to do or even how I’m going to manage to get my pictures, but at the same time, adrenalin and pure happiness was rushing through me. Luckily, there were two other girls from Berlin standing there, Claudia & Heike, and I got to talk to them, and we waited together. First person I recognized and actually really wanted to talk to was Jeannine Michele Wacker, and god, she’s is such a lovely, kind, patient and cute person! I told her that it was my first time back at the german version of WWRY after 6 years (I only realized later that it had only been 5 ), and that I absolutely loved it, and especially her. When I told her that I had seen the show at the Dominion in London, she told me that she had seen it, too, and that her Scaramouche back then had been the amazing Lauren Samuels, and that she thought she was amazing. I then told her that I have a favourite Scara in London, and that she, Jeannine gets really high up my favourite Scaramouche list, that I’ll put her almost on the same step with her. God, she was so overwhelmed and touched by those words, and I just wanted to take her into my arms and hug her because she was so cute and it seeemed to me that she still couldn’t believe she was in that role every night. I then asked her for a picture and an autograph, she asked me for my name, and before she left, I told her I’ll definitely be back again at least one or two times until the show closes.

Next person to come out was Goele De Raedt, who had played the Killer Queen that night. You have to know, I’m a bit spoiled by how Katie Paine plays that role on the West End, but somehow, Goele seriously made me think of Katie ALL THE TIME. On stage, with the outfits, she looks so much alike her, and her portrayal of that evil character is absolutely flawless. From where I sat, she could actually scare the hell out of me, with all her perfect facial expressions, and her voice was absolutely stunning, especially when it came to the really difficult notes or the high pitches. At the Stage Door, she almost ran away when she came out, but Claudia called her back (as she knows her personally), and we got to talk to her a bit. She was so nice and lovely, and when I asked her for a picture, she said “Oh, I look so awful right now!” and that was all that it took to make me really like her, because it made her look like such normal woman!

Last but not least: Chrisopher Brose. Oh God. While I was talking to Goele, I saw him coming out, and before I could think any further, I shouted “Christopher? Could you wait for a moment?” and he looked over to me, said “Yeah, sure!”, put his bag down at the door and came over to me. I told him that I absolutely loved the show, and that he was unbelievable, also, I asked him if “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” was the song he loves to perform the most, because it had seemed to me that he had special fun during that song, with the smiling and all, and he said that it really means a lot to him if someone notices these little things in the show. I said that I’ll definitely be back at least one or even two more times until the show closes, and he said “Yeah, please!” Of course, I told him, the prices are really high and it’s a question of money, but that the show is worth every penny I have to pay, and he then smiled and said “Yeah, I didn’t want to say it like that, but I agree, and it really makes me happy that someone thinks that.”, and he also asked me where I was sat, resulting in my answer than I sat in Row 3, almost directly infront of the Stage and that it was perfect. I then asked him for a picture and an autograph, he asked me for my name, and when I got both, I thanked him, said “See you soon!”, and he walked over to his Cast Mates for a quick cigarette before they all left.

So, it was the BEST night I had had in a very long time, and I can’t thank Claudia & Heike enough for being there with me, taking my pictures for me and just being nice to spent time with. Definitely have to do that again some time! 🙂