Vampire Ball German version. Main characters
Turn around
Every now and then I get a little bit lonely and you"re never comin" "round
Turn around
Every now and then I get a little bit tired of listening to the sound of my tears
Turn around
Every now and then I get a little bit nervous that the best of all the years have gone by
Turn around
Every now and then I get a little bit terrified and then I see the look in your eyes
Turn around, bright eyes
Turn around, bright eyes
Every now and then I fall apart
I don"t know what to do and I"m always in the dark
I really need you tonight
Forever's gonna start tonight
Forever's gonna start tonight
There's nothing I can do, a total eclipse of the heart
Turn around, bright eyes
Turn around, bright eyes
Turn around
Every now and then I know you"ll never be the boy you always wanted to be
Turn around
But every now and then I know you"ll always be the only boy who wanted me the way that I am
Turn around
Every now and then I know there"s no one in the universe as magical and wondrous as you
Turn around
Every now and then I know there"s nothing any better, there"s nothing that I just wouldn't do
Turn around, bright eyes
Every now and then I fall apart
Turn around, bright eyes
Every now and then I fall apart
And I need you now tonight, and I need you more than ever
And if you"ll only hold me tight, we"ll be holding on forever
And we"ll only be making it right, "cause we"ll never be wrong
Together we can take it to the end of the line
Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time (all of the time)
I don"t know what to do, I"m always in the dark
We"re livin" in a powder keg and givin" off sparks
I really need you tonight
Forever's gonna start tonight
Forever's gonna start tonight
Once upon a time I was falling in love but now I"m only falling apart
Nothing I can do, a total eclipse of the heart
Once upon a time there was light in my life but now there"s only love in the dark
Nothing I can say, a total eclipse of the heart
A total eclipse of the heart
A total eclipse of the heart
Turn around, bright eyes
Turn around, bright eyes, turn around
(Ooo-oo oo-hoo)
(Ah-ha, ah-ha)
(Ah-ha, ah-ha)
(Hooo oo-hooo)
Turn around
From time to time I feel a little sad, but you never come.
Turn around
From time to time I get tired of hearing the sound of my sobs.
Turn around
From time to time I worry a little that best years left behind.
Turn around
Turn to me with your sparkling eyes.
From time to time I become defenseless.
Turn around
Every now and then I get a little restless and daydream about something crazy.
Turn around
From time to time I become a little helpless and lie like a child in your arms.
Turn around
From time to time I get a little angry and understand that I need to let out my emotions and cry.
Turn around
From time to time I get a little scared, and then I meet your gaze.
Turn to me with your sparkling eyes.
From time to time I get careless
September 3-11, 2011 The St. Petersburg Theater of Musical Comedy presents the audience with a cult musical Romana Polanski "Vampire Ball" (Vienna version 2009).
"Vampire Ball" - musical remake of the film Polanski "The Fearless Vampire Killers" (1967) . The history of the creation of this painting is quite remarkable. In his first color film, the director, whose films are distinguished by a special touch of tragedy and mysticism, showed an excellent sense of humor. Having conceived film as a parody of British horror films, popular in the 1960s, Polanski deliberately chose the most popular European horror story - a plot about vampires. According to the director, he wanted to create comedy movie horror, which gives birth not to fear, but to the desire to laugh at it.
Movie "The Fearless Vampire Killers" , in which Polanski He himself played one of the main roles (Alfred), and was a great success at the box office. 30 years after the film's release Andrew Brownsberg producer (Macbeth and The Lodger) and friend Romana Polanski , suggested that the director create based on film material theatrical musical. To work on "Vampire Ball" were such masters were attracted , as composer Jim Steinman (co-author of Andrew Lloyd-Webber, author of many hits, writing for Bonnie Tyler, Meat Loaf and Celine Dion) and librettist Michael Kunze (the main translator of all the world's musicals into German).
"Vampire Ball" ("Tanz der Vampire") - one of the most successful projects in the history of modern European musical theater, rightfully included among the world's most famous musicals. Grandiose scenery, magnificent costumes, spectacular choreography and, of course, powerful, bewitching music - all this made "Vampire Ball" a real masterpiece.
It should be noted that One of the main themes of the musical is the melody from the hit Bonnie Tyler "Total eclipse of a heart" winning a Grammy Award in 1983. Composer Jim Steinman wrote this song as a memory of the movie "Nosferatu"(first film adaptation "Dracula") and could not deny myself the pleasure of introducing her to a theatrical production about vampires. At the same time, the musical combines classics and rock with amazing grace. According to Jim Steinman himself, he “has always been fascinated by the supernatural and perceived rock as ideal remedy to achieve this."
From the first show in Vienna theater"Raymund" took place in 1997, and to this day, "Vampire Ball" marches triumphantly through best scenes Europe. For 14 years "Vampire Ball" saw millions of viewers in Austria, Germany, USA, Japan, Hungary, Poland, Belgium, Estonia. In 2009, the authors created a new, Vienna version of the musical, with a more vibrant stage design. Production designer from Hungary Centauer filled the performance with an atmosphere of gothic sensuality, and the musical supervisor Michael Reid re-arranged all orchestral materials. Thanks to the skill Cornelius Balthus , co-directed by Roman Polanski, the production has become even more graceful, deep and takes on many witty nuances.
The scale of the project can be judged by facts alone: in the process of presentation the scenery was changed 75 times, more than 220 original costumes were created , wigs and makeup options, and assistant directors must give instructions on various stage changes 600 times!
For the Russian premiere "Ball of the Vampires" passed castings in three stages even for choir and ballet dancers. Starring : Moscow artists Ivan Ozhogin, Alexander Sukhanov, Rostislav Kolpakov, Elena Gazaeva, Vera Sveshnikova, Anna Lukoyanova; St. Petersburg residents Elena Romanova, Georgy Novitsky, Sergey Denisov, Andrey Matveev, Ivan Korytov, Denis Konovalov, Manana Gogitidze, Sofia Dushkina.
There are dozens of fan clubs for this musical, and the most devoted fans try to watch everything original versions "Ball of the Vampires" V different countries. The performers of the role of Count von Krolock gain truly popular love. By invitation Russian group "Ball of the Vampires" European musical theater star Kevin Tart (German von Krolock) came to the premiere of the musical to greet his Russian colleagues. So, the start of the premiere "Ball of the Vampires" Dan!
Daily from September 3 By September 11, 2011 The St. Petersburg Theater of Musical Comedy invites viewers to the cult musical Romana Polanski "Vampire Ball" (Vienna version 2009).
All materials (photo/video) provided by the tour organizers
But the labor-intensive production was worth the effort: “Vampires” created a real sensation! From its first showing at Vienna's Raymund Theater in 1997, to this day, Ball of the Vampires has triumphantly walked across the world's best stages. There are dozens of fan clubs for this musical, and the most devoted fans try to watch all the original versions of Ball of the Vampires in different countries. The performers of the role of Count von Krolock gain truly popular love. Of course, Steve Barton, the first performer of this role, still enjoys special respect, creating the image of a charming vampire aristocrat, full dark passion and despair. Currently, von Krolock is played by: in Germany - the mysterious Kevin Tarte and the lyrical Jann Ammann, in Austria - the passionate Drew Sarich, in Hungary - the magnetic Geza Edházy.
The amazing energy of this musical has already been appreciated by millions of viewers around the world. Finally, the “vampires” were able to conquer Russia.
At the St. Petersburg Theater of Musical Comedy, Ball of the Vampires is staged in the new Vienna edition of 2009, which is distinguished by a brighter stage design. For this version of the musical, music supervisor Michael Reed re-arranged all of the orchestral material, and choreographer Dennis Callahan refined the dance numbers. Thanks to the skill of Cornelius Balthus, co-director and like-minded Roman Polanski, the production became even more graceful and profound.
And Hungarian production designer Kentaur filled the performance with an atmosphere of gothic sensuality. He created grandiose sets, dozens of magnificent costumes for all the characters in the musical and developed original makeup.
It was these masters who worked on the Russian production of Ball of the Vampires.
The premiere of "Ball of the Vampires" on the stage of the St. Petersburg Theater of Musical Comedy took place on September 3, 2011. In just 3 years of distribution, more than 280 performances were performed, which were watched by 220 thousand spectators. The performance brought the theater three “Golden Masks”, “Golden Spotlight”, the “Musical Heart of the Theatre” award, the St. Petersburg Government Prize in the field of literature, art and architecture for 2011 and went down in the history of musical comedy as an absolutely successful commercial project.
The return of the musical in 2016 allowed even more viewers to join the vampire tale. Having held a sold-out forty-day marathon in St. Petersburg, the performance moved to the MDM stage in Moscow for almost nine months. But even this was not enough for fans of the best-selling musical.
By popular demand in the 2017-2018 season. The sensational performance is back!
"The Vampire's Ball" is a popular musical based on the film directed by Roman Polanski. Invented back in the early nineties, the performance continues to live and delight the viewer to this day. What is the secret of the success of the production, how the history of the formation of the play developed, who was involved in its creation - about this in our article.
Theater season news
In August 2016, all gourmets were pleased with the news that the musical “Ball of the Vampires” was returning to the stage of the musical comedy theater in St. Petersburg. Tickets from the theater box office sold out in the very first days of sales. And all this because the performance has already earned the love of the audience - for three seasons the production was sold out on the stage of the theater. The last performance was performed in July 2014. The theater management promised all fans of the musical that this was not a farewell, but just a small parting. And here comes the sensation again!
In the new season, fans of the musical play were expected to meet the world of magic and their favorite characters for a month and a half. Opening new theater season was planned in cultural capital Russia on August 22, 2016. The final musical was performed in St. Petersburg on October 2, 2016. But the performance did not end. He is expanding the territory of his march across the country. From October 29, 2016, “Vampire Ball” (musical) is in Moscow!
It must be said that the musical production has undergone some changes: before the new season, the production team selected actors - future performers of the main characters, and new faces appeared in the theater troupe.
Young vocal performers took to the stage together with already well-known artists-stars of the genre Ivan Ozhogin and Elena Gazaeva.
Fyodor Osipov, Elizaveta Belousova (pictured) - these are the new representatives of the acting environment involved in the production of “Ball of the Vampires”. The music heard in the play belongs to Jim Steinman. Musical director the musical remained the same. This is the well-known permanent Alexey Nefedov.
The play premiered in Russia in September 2011. Before this, the musical won the hearts of European audiences. In general, it all started with the idea of Cornelius Balthus to bring to life the story told in 1967 in the film of the same name directed by Roman Polanski.
Roman Polanski. Who is he?
The film, which was created by Roman Polanski (“The Vampire's Ball”), today can easily be called a cult film, but the recognition of the film did not happen immediately. There was a time when it was considered one of the director's unsuccessful works.
Roman Polanski is a famous filmmaker who, having Jewish roots, most spent his childhood in Poland and worked mainly in Great Britain, France and the United States of America.
The results of his many years of work have received recognition from world film critics and have been awarded such prestigious awards as the Cannes Palme d'Or and the Golden Bear in Berlin. "Golden Lion" Venice festival, as well as an Oscar and a Golden Globe - Roman Polanski also has these awards in his treasury.
“Ball of the Vampires” is the master’s first color work, the idea of which was born in ski resort and was conceived as a tale about vampires. Critics often notice the similarity of the picture with the works of directors of the Hammer studio or the films of Alexander Ptushko. Roman Polanski does not deny these statements and admits that he tried to create something similar in “The Vampire's Ball”, only with his own vision of what was happening, in a special format - like a kind of sketch for a fairy tale stories.
Polanski in the film adhered to the principle that even a utopia or absolutely not real story must consist of small parts that carry information, flavor, and local culture.
The plot of "Ball of the Vampires"
"Vampire's Ball" is a film, as well as "Vampire's Ball" is a musical, summary which are practically no different, tells the following. Königsberg University professor Abronsy and his student assistant Alfred come to Transylvania in search of a mythical castle in which, according to rumors and legends, the vampire Count Von Krolock lives with his son Herbert. On the road, travelers meet the family of Yoni Chagall, whose beautiful daughter, Sarah, immediately falls in love with Alfred. Travelers do not receive clear answers to all the local population’s questions about vampires, but they notice that people are hiding something and are afraid of something.
Soon, Chagall's daughter Sarah disappears without a trace, and the professor and his assistant go in search of her. Travelers do not have to wander through the forest for long; a majestic castle appears before their eyes. They meet the smart and highly educated owner of the palace, Von Krolock, who invites them to stay for some time in the castle. At night, the men find themselves at a vampire ball, find Sarah and try to escape from the feast of evil spirits. The professor and his assistant do not yet know that Sarah is doomed - she has become a vampire and, by taking her away from the castle, they are only helping evil spread throughout the world.
The similar content of the film “Ball of the Vampires” does not in any way confuse the audience. Reviews from those who watched it only indicate that the film found a response in the hearts of the viewer. People perceive the film as something fairy-tale, good, albeit with elements of the forces of evil.
According to Roman Polanski, the filming was to take place in Switzerland. While visiting the country once, the director noticed very beautiful castle. However, it was not possible to reach an agreement with the owners of the fortress - they did not allow work to be carried out on their property. Roman Polanski had to urgently change his plans. It was decided to go to Italy and look for suitable natural landscapes there. By the way, the studio filming took place in the UK (London).
Working on a painting generally involves a lot of interesting moments, funny and unusual situations. For example, in order to recreate the necessary atmosphere of a ball with vampires, it took great amount coffins Their production was entrusted to Italian artisans, because it was in Italy that the film was filmed. Work on the film threatened to disrupt the local tourism business, as the stacks of coffins frightened arriving tourists, thinking that there was a dangerous epidemic in the area that was claiming lives. The owners of local taverns had to try hard to calm the tourists down - only special signs and messages explaining what was happening were able to stabilize the situation.
In the United States, a fairly modified film “The Vampire's Ball” was released. The length of the film was shortened, the title was changed, and these innovations were not agreed upon with Roman Polanski, who later did not recognize this version as your film (explanation of these facts below).
An additional flavor of the film was created thanks to the original screensaver of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film company, in which a lion turned into a vampire.
Viewer's reaction
Talented artists on film set united by the painting “Ball of the Vampires”. The actors who played the main roles in the film were already known to the world. Professor Abronsius, for example, was played by Jack McGowran, the image of Alfred's assistant in the movie was created by Roman Polanski himself, Ferdie Main appeared in the image of Count Von Krolock, the beautiful Sarah Chagall was played by Sharon Tate, an actress who later became the wife of the film director. By the way, the period of filming the film was the happiest and most memorable for Polanski in his life.
Until the early 90s, the director's film was not considered successful. Polanski's vision of making a serious and exciting vampire tale, filled with detail and cultural elements, failed. The film was perceived as a kind of farce. It was released in America under the title The Fearless Vampire Killers. The film “Ball of the Vampires” was subjected to unceremonious interference. The actors did not speak in their own voices - their dialogues were redubbed; Various scenes with a total duration of about 20 minutes were cut from the timing. The public perceived the picture as a “parody” of special genre movies - stories about vampires. For a long time, this is how the “Vampire Ball” was perceived by society. However, the time has come and everything has changed.
In the nineties, based on the film, the musical “Dance of the Vampires” was created, which successfully swept the theater stages of Europe. From that moment on, Polanski's film was looked at in a new way. It began to play with other colors in the viewer’s mind.
The idea of making a musical
One day, Roman Polanski's friend, producer Andrew Brownsberg, suggested that the director stage a musical based on his film. To bring the idea to life, a huge amount of work had to be done - completely redesigning the “Vampire Ball”. The text had to be turned into a special dramaturgy. It was necessary to write poems and come up with scenes that would convey the atmosphere of the film. What was needed was unusual music, characteristic, creating a mood. The composers were faced with the task of composing arias and musical parts for many characters.
Masters of their craft were brought in to work on the musical - composer Jim Steinman and librettist Michael Kunze. Thanks to their abilities, the main characters of the play seemed to come to life. The effect of their music is such that the viewer, from the first notes, is imbued with the heroes of the production, feels the dangerous and so attractive Count Von Krolock, empathizes with the beautiful Sarah, who is tired of her boring life and who dreams of plunging into the abyss of temptation and changing something in fate.
Musical accompaniment theatrical production combines classics and rock, and this explosive mixture cannot but catch the viewer. It is not surprising that the musical became popular overnight. Theater gourmets around the world appreciated the work of a huge team of professionals. Work on “The Vampire's Ball” lasted for four years, as a result of which more than 200 unique wigs, costumes, and makeup were created.
The musical turned out to be very intense and fast-paced - during the three-hour performance, the scenery on stage changes 75 times. It is also interesting that vampire jaws were made using special technology for the forty performers of the performance.
What did the theater audience see?
In 1997, the premiere of the musical “Dance of the Vampires” took place. The duration of the performance was three hours, and at first the organizers of the show were worried that the audience in the hall of the Raimund Theater in Austria would get bored. However, the team's fears were not confirmed. The performance turned out to be so exciting that the audience enthusiastically demanded the artists to appear on stage again and again.
Since then, the performance has traveled to the best theater scenes peace. A huge number of fan clubs have been created on the Internet, within which fans share information, exchange thoughts and impressions of watching the musical, and look for travel companions in order to see all possible versions of the play in different parts of the world.
Of course, like any work, the musical has both fans and opponents. Some people have a negative attitude towards the theme of vampires that the play touches on. However, the vast majority of viewers are delighted with the action taking place in musical production"Vampire Ball" Reviews from numerous Internet users are proof of this. There are many who have watched the production 15-20 times and have not lost interest in it. It is only thanks to the audience's love that the performance continues to live.
The first performer of the role of Count Von Krolock, Steve Barton, is still popular and loved by the audience. In Germany, the charming villain is played by Kevin Tarte and Jann Ammann, in Hungary by Geza Edházy, in Austria by Drew Sarich.
In 2009, the play underwent some changes, and the modern version of the production is known as the Vienna version. What has changed? It is believed that the innovations made the performance even more striking: the Hungarian artist Kentaur created the Gothic scenery, costumes of the actors, and makeup.
But that’s not the only reason why “The Vampire’s Ball” began to sparkle with magical colors. The music has also changed. Michael Reed wrote fresh arrangements for musical material, world-renowned choreographer Dennis Callahan added grace to the movements and perfected the dance routines.
Version of the musical for Russia
In 2011 at Russian stage The premiere of the play “Ball of the Vampires” took place. The theater of the city of St. Petersburg invited everyone to plunge into the atmosphere of magic and appreciate the plot of a musical interpretation based on the content of Roman Polanski’s feature film “The Ball of the Vampires.” Main stage The play features a battle between the forces of good and evil at a ritual ball. In this battle, two scientists come together against a vampire pack - they fight for life and for love.
The Vienna version of the play was specially adapted for the Russian audience - the poems and libretto were translated into their native language, and a team of performers of the main characters of the musical was recruited through castings.
In total, over the course of three years, the actors played about 280 performances, more than 220 thousand people witnessed the action that “The Vampire's Ball” tells about. Reviews from the audience - enthusiastic and laudatory - confirm the success of the musical. However, the production won not only the love of the audience, but also critical acclaim. The overall assessment of the performance was marked by high theater awards: “Golden Mask”, “Golden Spotlight”, as well as various awards, for example, the St. Petersburg Government Award, as well as the “Musical Heart of the Theater” award.
The first stage of the procession across Russia of the play “The Ball of the Vampires” (St. Petersburg Theater of Musical Comedy) ended on July 31, 2014.
That evening, all the actors involved in the performance took to the stage: three sets of vocalists appeared before the eyes of the audience. At the finale of the musical, all participants and creators of the production were presented, including the orchestra, backing vocalists, costume designers, make-up artists, lighting designers, and choreographer.
But that wasn't the end of the story. According to numerous requests from viewers, in the 2016-2017 season. The performance returned to the stage of the Musical Comedy Theater in St. Petersburg.
Cast
It must be said that the success of the musical “Vampire's Ball” among the audience is largely due to the talent of the actors involved in the production. It is not for nothing that applicants-vocalists who wish to participate in the performance undergo a rigorous selection process before joining the troupe. The criteria by which participants are compared are quite varied. And it's not just vocal abilities. Everything is important: the ability to move, the ability to stand out from the crowd, as well as to work in a team, to work for results.
The actors who participated in the play not only gained enormous experience in their profession, but also largely determined their future fate. Today they are popular and highly in demand.
Ivan Ozhogin - Count Von Krolock - comes from Ulyanovsk. He has extensive experience participating in such musical performances. The actor's career began in 2002, immediately after graduating from GITIS. Ozhogin’s track record is full of roles in the musicals “Nord-Ost”, “Chicago”, “The Phantom of the Opera”, “Beauty and the Beast”. For three years - from 2011 to 2014 - he performed main role in the play “Ball of the Vampires” (musical comedy theater of St. Petersburg).
Today the actor works not only in Russia, but also abroad: he gives solo concerts; performs together with symphony orchestras. In addition, Ivan Ozhogin is a soloist Cossack choir, led by Pyotr Khudyakov, as well as the soloist of the Nikolo-Ugreshsky Monastery.
The second wave of the play “The Ball of the Vampires” in Russia replenished the theater troupe with new names. After tough selections for the role of the attractive Count Von Krolock, Fyodor Osipov was approved in 2016.
The actor is from Voronezh. There he received musical education in vocal class and from 2005 to 2011 worked as a soloist in State Theater opera and ballet of the city of Voronezh.
In December 2011, he was invited to the Musical Comedy Theater of St. Petersburg, where he made his debut as Andrei Tumansky in the operetta “The Serf”.
Main characters
In the first cast of the production of Ball of the Vampires, the role of the beautiful Sarah was played by actress Elena Gazaeva. The artist comes from Vladikavkaz. In 2006 she received acting education in North Ossetian State University. Producers from Moscow noticed her after the girl became the winner of several music competitions, and invited the artist to the capital to participate in musicals “ The Bremen Town Musicians", "Lukomorye", "The Master and Margarita".
For her participation in the play “Ball of the Vampires” in the role of Sarah at the Musical Comedy Theater of St. Petersburg, Gazaeva was nominated for the “ Golden mask" and "The musical heart of the theater." In July 2014, Elena Gazaeva was awarded the title of Honored Artist of North Ossetia. Today she works in the musical Jekyll & Hyde.
In 2016, after numerous castings, actress Elizaveta Belousova was cast in the role of Sarah in the musical “Ball of the Vampires.” Reviews about the work of the young actress in the play are positive.
The girl was born in Voronezh, but works at the Musical Drama Theater at the Petersburg Concert. In addition to participating in the play “The Vampire's Ball,” the artist is busy in the musical “Jekyll & Hyde.”
The role of the quirky professor in the musical is played by the Honored Actor of Russia (pictured); the image of Alfred in love was created with the participation of Igor Krol; Sarah's father, Chagall, is played by Oleg Krasovitsky.
The secret of the success of the performance, which has not let go of the audience's love for so many years, probably lies in the amazing music, mesmerizing scenery and the enormous talent of the people involved in it.
In 1967 famous director Roman Polanski (Knife in the Water, Rosemary's Baby, The Ninth Gate, The Pianist, etc.) made a film on a very popular topic in cinema - about vampires. The film was originally called "The Vampire's Ball", but in the US it was released under the title "The Fearless Vampire Killers or Sorry, but your teeth are in my neck." Polanski created an original, colorful, ironic picture of how Professor Abronsius and his young assistant Alfred are trying to save the population of a Transylvanian village from the vampire Count von Krolock and his brothers. Polanski himself played the role of Alfred, and his wife Sharon Tate played the role of the girl Sarah, with whom Alfred is in love and who is kidnapped by the cunning von Krolock. The professor was played by Jack MacGowran, the vampire count was played by Ferdy Mayne.
The film was a success in Europe, but was a complete failure in America due to the fact that it was cut by as much as twenty minutes, completely distorting the storyline.
Andrew Braunsberg, Roman Polanski's colleague and producer, suggested that he turn Ball of the Vampires into a musical. They met in Vienna with the director of the Vienna Theater Association to discuss this possibility, and ultimately decided that the best candidates to realize their vision were composer Jim Steinman and librettist Michael Kunze. Jim Steinman, songwriter of Meat Loaf and Bonnie Tyler, co-writer of Andrew Lloyd-Webber, universally recognized Prince of Darkness and vampire, talented musician and poet, big fan the work of Roman Polanski in general and his vampire film in particular, happily agreed to participate in the project. Kunze, author of "Elisabeth" and "Mozart!" (Mozart!) and the main translator of all foreign-language musicals into German, also readily responded to the offer.
It took about four years to turn the film into a play. On July 21, 1997, three decades after the film's release, rehearsals began, and on October 4 of the same year, the premiere of the musical took place at the Raimund Theater in Vienna, which had the same name as the film - “Dance of the Vampires.” The performance was a great success and ran for 677 evenings (during which time 800,000 people managed to watch it). Played the role of the count talented actor and singer Steve Barton. Before that, he played in the Viennese production of the musical “Beauty and the Beast”, but he was most famous for the role of Raoul in the first production of “The Phantom of the Opera” (he later changed this role to the role of the Phantom himself, so he was no stranger to playing characters like von Krolock ). His von Krolock, despite his vampiric tendencies, came out as an extremely charming aristocratic intellectual. The roles of Alfred, the Professor and Sarah are performed by Aris Sas, Gernot Kranner and Cornelia Zenz. Directed, of course, by Polanski himself. Before this, he had not yet staged a full-scale musical, but he had dealt with many performances, including musical ones, and even operas.
The musical takes place in late XIX century. Professor Abronsius and his assistant Alfred come to Transylvania in search of vampires, which the professor specializes in studying. Stopping at a tavern belonging to a certain Chagall, the professor realizes that he is close to his goal - the villagers sing a song of praise to garlic - known remedy fighting vampires. Chagall and his family, however, deny the fact that vampires are somewhere nearby. Alfred, meanwhile, is busy with something else - he and the daughter of the innkeeper Chagall, beautiful girl Sarah, they understand that they really like each other. But not only Alfred likes Sarah - Count von Krolock invites the girl to his castle for a ball. He gives her magic shoes, which she puts on and runs away to him (unlike the film, in which the Count kidnaps Sarah right from the bathroom). Chagall leaves to look for his daughter. The next morning he is found dead.
Chagall becomes a vampire. The Professor and Alfred refrain from stabbing him with an aspen stake, deciding instead to follow him to von Krolock's castle, where they believe Sarah is. They pose as tourists. The Count welcomes them to his castle and introduces Alfred to his son Herbert.
Sarah is already attracted to the mysterious Count, but he is not going to seduce her right now - until the ball. Alfred is haunted by nightmares - he dreams that he is forever losing his beloved girl. During the day, the professor and his assistant try to get into the Krolock family crypt - in the end Alfred manages to do this, but when he sees the count and his son sleeping in coffins, he does not find the strength to kill them. A little later, he finds Sarah in the bathroom and persuades her to run away with him, but all her thoughts are occupied with the upcoming ball. Alfred's thoughts about his love for Sarah are interrupted by the appearance of Herbert - he, it turns out, is also in love, but not at all with Sarah, as you might think, but... with Alfred. The professor arrives in time and saves his assistant from the “addictions” of the young vampire.
Vampires from all over the area crawl out of their coffins and gather for the ball. Von Krolock at this time indulges in sad reflections about his fate - one of the culminating songs of the musical, “Endless Appetite”, is a kind of “anti-hymn” of the consumer society of the 20th century. The ball begins. The Count dances with Sarah - she has lost a lot of blood, but is still alive. Alfred and the professor sneak into the ball in disguise, but the vampires notice that they are reflected in the mirror, and the heroes, taking Sarah with them, run away.
The professor is too inspired by his successful escape and is carried away by his scientific research, so he does not notice what is happening behind his back - Sarah, who has become a vampire, bites her lover. The vampires in von Krolock's castle rejoice - their regiment has arrived... This night the vampires will dance...
Steinman's powerful, dynamic and melodic music, which is a wonderful combination of classics and rock, serious lyrics, masterful acting, luxurious scenery by William Dudley, spectacular choreography by the American Dennis Callahan - all this made Ball of the Vampires a real one. a masterpiece.
Speaking of music, of course, we cannot fail to mention that along with completely new melodies in the musical there are fragments from old songs by Jim Steinman, including the melody from Bonnie Tyler's hit Total eclipse of a heart, which became one of the main themes of the musical. Steinman's fans will also hear excerpts from the songs Original sin, Objects in a rear view mirror... and some others in “The Vampire's Ball”. However, there are also plenty of new musical fragments, and the old ones sound completely different.
After Vienna the musical moved to Stuttgart. The German premiere took place on March 31, 2000, at the city Music Hall. Von Krolock was played by Kevin Tart, Sarah by Barbara Kohler, and Alfred was again played by Aris Szasz. As in Vienna, Vampires was a huge success. The same year the musical was shown in Tallinn.
The success of the musical in Europe made its creators think about staging the play on Broadway. Jim Steinman wrote it himself English texts, adapting it for American audiences. It was decided to rework the script in a comedic vein, and this work was entrusted to playwright David Ives. Roman Polanski was unable to work on the play due to a scandal in 1978, after which he was banned from appearing in the United States. Steinman announced that he was going to direct the show himself, but Tony Award winner John Rando ended up directing it.
It was planned that Steve Barton would again play the main role, the singer even took part in recording a demo version of the show, but in 2001, at the age of forty, he died, and the authors had to look for a replacement for him. John Travolta, David Bowie, Richard Gere and even Placido Domingo were considered as possible candidates, but the choice ultimately fell on 59-year-old Michael Crawford. The star of “The Phantom of the Opera” once again had to play a dark, mysterious character who claims power over a beautiful young girl. However, Crawford's greatest fear was that his vampire count would resemble Eric, so he decided that his von Krolock should be as comical as possible.
The long-awaited American premiere took place on December 9 at the Minskoff Theater. In addition to Michael Crawford, the musical also stars Mandy Gonzalez (Sarah) and Max von Essen (Alfred). However, the play's life on Broadway was short-lived: after 61 previews and 55 performances, Ball of the Vampires closed. It was a real failure: investors lost $12 million, and an audio recording of the original Broadway cast of the musical, unfortunately, was never made.
The failure on Broadway did not in any way affect the popularity of the musical in Europe. In 2003, the production opened in Hamburg, and a year later in Warsaw. In 2006, premieres took place in Tokyo and Berlin, and a year later in Budapest. In 2008, the musical was staged in Oberhausen, and a year later an updated production opened in Vienna. Its director was the Dutchman Cornelius Balthus, co-director and like-minded person of Polanski. Hungarian production designer Kentaur imbued the production with a gothic sensibility, and music supervisor Michael Reed created new orchestration.
In 2010, “The Ball” was seen by audiences in Stuttgart and Antwerp, and in the fall of 2011 the premieres took place in the Finnish city of Seinäjoki (in new production) and in St. Petersburg.
In 2017, the musical theater in the Swiss city of St. Gallen premiered an independent production of the musical “Tan of the Vampires,” the action of which was transferred to the 20th century, and the design aesthetics parodied modern films horror. The main roles were played by Thomas Borchert (Count von Krolock), Mercedes Ciampai (Sarah), Tobias Bieri (Alfred), Sebastian Brandmeier (Professor Abronsius).
Musical "Vampire's Ball"
in St. Petersburg and Moscow
In Russia, the St. Petersburg Theater of Musical Comedy became the home of the cult musical. The 2009 edition was recreated by Cornelius Balthus. CEO St. Petersburg "Musical Comedy" Yuri Schwarzkopf became the producer of the production, which cost the theater 1.5 million euros.
The musical's troupe included the best actors of the musical theater of St. Petersburg and Moscow, selected by Western directors during a multi-stage casting. The main roles in the premiere performance were performed by Ivan Ozhogin (Count von Krolock), Elena Gazaeva (Sara), Georgy Novitsky (Alfred), Andrei Matveev (Professor), Kirill Gordeev (Herbert), Konstantin Kitanin (Chagall), Manana Gogitidze (Rebecca), Natalia Bogdanis (Magda), Alexander Chubaty (Kukol).
The premiere of "Vampire's Ball" took place on September 3, 2011. The performance ran on the stage of the Musical Comedy for three seasons and brought the theater three Golden Masks, a Golden Soffit, the Musical Heart of the Theater award, and the St. Petersburg Government Prize in the field of literature, art and architecture for 2011. In total, about 280 performances were performed during the theatrical run, which were watched by 220 thousand spectators. The last performance took place on July 31, 2014.
At the end of August 2016, the musical returned briefly to St. Petersburg, where it was shown in a block of 40 performances, after which it went to Moscow. The premiere took place on October 29 at the MDM Theater. Starring Ivan Ozhogin, Rostislav Kolpakov and Alexander Sukhanov as Count von Krolock; Elena Gazaeva and Irina Vershkova - Sarah, Natalia Dievskaya - Magda, Alexander Kazmin - Alfred, Alexander Sukhanov and Oleg Krasovitsky - Chagall, Professor Abronsius - Andrey Birin and Sergey Sorokin, Kirill Gordeev - Herbert, Manana Gogitidze and Tais Urumidis - Rebecca, Leonid Shavrin - Doll. The production ensemble included Vasily Glukhov, Amarbi Tsikushev, Agata Vavilova, Natalya Burtasova, Irina Satyukova, Maria Reshavskaya, Pavel Tomnikovsky, Natalie Plotvinova, Maria Liepa-Schultz, Anastasia Evtyugina, Ivan Chernenkov, Sergei Ivanov, Roman Gaikalov, Arltan Andzhaev, Sergei Bartkaitis , Dmitry Tsybulsky, Yulia Churakova, Irina Garashkina, Anna Vershkova, Elmira Divaeva, Sergei Kotsyubira, Bogdana Prihoda.
On February 13, 2017, an album was released with 11 compositions from the musical, recorded during the performance. The disc contains the voices of the main soloists of the project. You can read the review of the production in Moscow.
