please bring back that little moment after die unstillbare gier where alfred says “they have feelings” okay it’s so important why was this cut of ALL THINGS
*whispers* the finnish production did
the most important part of that line is the end of it. “they have feelings LIKE US.” it’s not just important for alfred’s character arc but it’s an important part of one of the overarching themes of the entire piece. the vampires are a reflection of the ‘worst’ parts of us. but what makes us at our worst so awful is not that we have no feelings; it’s that the feelings we have and express are impacting those around us negatively, because they’re selfish or otherwise destructive emotions. it’s easy for us to say that someone who does something bad is a monster and without feelings, because what we don’t want to face is that the potential for that behavior is in all of us.
so in tanz the vampires are presented as monstrous and without feelings at first, but as alfred learns and grows into someone who can think independently of the professor’s prejudiced framework, he—along with the audience, because alfred is our eyes and ears, our way into this world—begins to realize that the vampires are not a hell of a lot different from the humans. and that is about 500% more terrifying than an unfeeling nonhuman monster blob, because it means that anyone could become that, as in fact alfred does and that is the point of his arc within the musical, in my opinion.
and if you think about it, alfred’s vampire transformation happens BECAUSE of his feelings, not because he somehow got rid of them. if he had left sarah behind and saved himself, it would not have happened. but he loves her (or his idea of her, but this isn’t an alfred character analysis) and he still thinks he’s saving her, so it’s LOVE that actually pulls him into the darkness. love, an emotion we typically associate the most with the light and are constantly told will save you, in this context actually damns alfred.
SO LONG STORY SHORT (i’m so sorry this reply got away from me) YES THAT LINE IS TERRIBLY TERRIBLY IMPORTANT AND CUTTING IT IS NOT OKAY