Elisabeth Songs -> Wenn ich Tanzen will

Elisabeth das Musical fans: reblog and put in the tags your favorite and least favorite actors who’ve played Death

I do not fear death. 

Máté Kamarás as DER TOD in Elisabeth das Musical

Sophocles, Antigone

André Bauer, Maya Hakvoort and Máté Kamarás in the 2003-2005 Vienna Revival of Elisabeth

#he hold 

Though a lot of the Der Tod adaptations have amazing costuming, I like this little design choice in the Vienna revival (yes I’m very biased shut up).

Obviously, the big draw of his normal costume is the blue diamond in his chest. I don’t know if it’s explained anywhere, but I wondered if maybe it was an allusion to Hades, god of the underworld and precious stones. I could be wrong.

However, there is something about the blue diamond I think I’m right about: it’s supposed to represent Der Tod’s heart. In “Prolog,” Der Tod says “[love] has been burning a hole in my chest” or alternatively “my chest was aglow.” During “Prolog”– which takes place 100 years after Elisabeth’s death– Der Tod is wearing the white fringe outfit with gems scattered over his chest and shoulders. A flamboyant choice, until later you realize the white and shattered gemstones ensemble replaced his black suit with a whole gemstone.

Der Tod’s “heart” broke after Elisabeth died, and is still broken after 100 years.

I’m going to go cry.

I love hearing ideas about what the diamond on his costume means! It’s more silvery blue in the revival and just plain silver/white in the original 1992. I feel like there has to be a reason for it. I love the gemstones on this jacket and honestly the idea of them being shattered from the the bigger diamond is amazing! Something I love about the original Der Tod costume, which I feel like Máté’s white fringe shirt alludes to, is something that a lot of people don’t know about because you cannot see it in the proshot/video of the original production. Der Tod arrives carrying a jacket and at the end of the Prolog he puts it on. The shoulders have gems on, just like Máté’s shirt, but so does the back and sleeves, and the back also has a giant embroidered/printed/painted (?) skull and I have only ever found one photo of it and it’s a tiny photo. I’ve heard that it also maybe had text underneath, but I don’t know for sure. 

i made a thing

It’s for lighting and brushes practice, I promise. It’s not like I plan to draw more of him or something….

we’re too similar, losing our minds.

#he hold 

If you watch Máté Kamarás’ face during “Der Schleier fällt,” you can see the exact moment he realizes getting what he wants means losing what he wants. He can kiss her at last, but that kiss will also kill her. 

He also makes some interesting choices with the way he lays her body on the stage and then backs away. He almost looks horrified. It’s as if he only understood the Kiss of Death in theory, despite having done in many times before. But giving the Kiss of Death to someone he cares about is a completely different matter and he almost looks like he’s thinking, “What the hell did I just do?”

He also seems angry at Lucheni for having so much fun at Elisabeth’s expense in the opening song. 

Yes x 1000 to all of this.

A day hardly goes by when I don’t think about his acting choices in der Schleier fällt. He seriously goes through 30 different emotions in the span of three minutes and it makes for an incredibly cathartic experience to watch. His Death goes from being once again guardedly hopeful about confessing his love for elisabeth (he knows the choice of following him or not is ultimately hers alone)and when she reciprocates his declaration for the first time in 50 years, he is ASTONISHED (the way he sings “lass die wELT VERSINKEN” and can’t help himself from reaching out to her and give away just how desperate he is? God tier.)

And then he stands there sizzling with anticipation as she walks towards him, enjoying every second, and when Elisabeth finally collapses into his arms, you can feel him feel physical touch without second for the first time in his long existence. It takes him a few seconds to realize what human emotion he’s experiencing and then he just….lets himself react naturally, the way a human being would, enthusiastically reciprocating her affection. And he is once again shook by the fact that this is really happening to him. And then the way he reverently caresses her face and holds her as if she meant the world (she does) and just can’t wait any longer to consume their love through the kiss TM, although part of him knows that will also mean the end of their briefly lived happiness but he’s too greedy for this human experience.

The kiss is INTENSE and when Elisabeth is truly gone, he stares at her in shock for a few seconds before relinquishing her body to the Angels of Death and pulls back in utter disgust, as the realization of what he just did really hits him (it’s probably the first time he is so self conscious). And in those seconds where he just stands there frozen in the dark, you can see the terrified expression in his eyes, after all he did his duty and everything went according to plan (…yet he almost regrets it?) but what just happened with Elisabeth wasn’t about fulfilling a chore and then there are those feelings he still can’t quite grasp(&they will linger on for centuries) and finally when he stares up at Lucheni, he channels all his rage and conflicting emotions at his henchman.

elisadeath pairs, a summary

pia and uwe: local woman walks into a fairy ring, willingly gives her name to the fae king, he’s a bit confused with how into this she is. the “aesthetic over everything” couple

mate and maya: history sucks and everything is burning but they know how to dress for the occasion. feral affection is the only valid affection in their household. the “fight me” couple

mark and roberta: hades, in wanting to try something new, accidentally found a local empress he would literally die for. also, lots of growls accompanied by her giving him nose kisses and telling him to stop scowling so much. it’s pure. she sits in his lap 90% of the time. the “unlikely pair” couple