''Marie Antoinette'' is a stage musical with music by
Sylvester Levay and book and lyrics by
Michael Kunze
Michael Rolf Kunze (born 9 November 1943, in Prague) is a foremost German musical theater lyricist and librettist.
He is best known for the hit musicals '' Elisabeth'' (1992), '' Dance of the Vampires'' (1996), '' Mozart!'' (1999), ''Marie Antoin ...
, the authors of
''Elisabeth'', ''
Mozart!
''Mozart!'' is an Austrian musical, originally written in German. The original book and lyrics were written by Michael Kunze and the music and arrangements were composed by Sylvester Levay. The show is a new imagining of the struggles of the famo ...
'' and
''Rebecca''. The Libretto was written in English and then translated into Japanese. The premiere took place on November 1, 2006 in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
, Japan at the
Imperial Garden Theater
The , often referred to simply as the Teigeki (帝劇), and previously the Imperial Garden Theater, is a Japanese theater located in Marunouchi, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan operated by Toho.
History
Opened in 1911 as the first Western-style theater ...
. Tamiya Kuriyama directed the original production. After running in Tokyo, the show was performed in Fukuoka, Osaka before moving back to Tokyo from April 2007 through May 2007.
The German premiere took place on January 30, 2009 at the Musical Theater Bremen with Kuriyama directing once again.
Plot synopsis
''Marie Antoinette'' tells the story of two parallel lives; that of the infamous
Queen of France
This is a list of the women who were queens or empresses as wives of French monarchs from the 843 Treaty of Verdun, which gave rise to West Francia, until 1870, when the Third Republic was declared.
Living wives of reigning monarchs technica ...
and that of Margrid Arnaud, a poor woman. Both are the same age, and both are pretty, but that's where the similarities end. While Margrid is roaming the streets of Paris in rags, Marie Antoinette dances and flirts at the
Palais-Royal. The
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
changes all that. Margrid Arnaud rises and Marie Antoinette falls, and when the two women eventually meet two worlds collide and the drama unfolds.
The musical uses the events of the French Revolution as a spectacular backdrop to the fate of the unhappy Queen. Margrid Arnaud personifies the nemesis of the monarchy, eventually leading to the extinction of Marie Antoinette and her world.
Background
In an interview on his website, Kunze said that producers had offered to stage the show in German and English-speaking countries, but said that he wanted to have the Kuriyama production all over the world. His previous musicals were adapted for the country they were played in.
Kunze believes that the production MA is the best interpretation of one of his Libretti so far. He praised the director and the cast.
Since then a revised Version premiered in
Seoul, Korea
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...
.
22
Songs
These songs are included in the production and are on the cast recording, which was released in March 2006.
;Act I
*Prologue (The Great Cagliostro)
*All we feel is Hunger
*Why she, why not I?
*Look at her
*Why don't they eat the Cake?
*Blinded by a thousand Candles
*Turn, Turn
*A perfect Queen
*I'm sorry
*Gold out of Nothing at all
*The Voice in my Heart
*You've got to give them what they want
*If
*Doctor Guillotin's Machine
*Parce Qu'elle est Autrichinne
*The Voice in my Heart (Reprise)
*God cares for All
*All I do
*Lovers´ bickering
*I am the Best
*Seven weird Ingredients
*Some Day to remember
;Act II
*The Bells of Justice
*France on Parade
*Turn, turn (Reprise)
*Woman of Paris!
*Money's talking
*The only thing I ever did right
*Something's wrong
*The Paris cut
*Reign of Terror
*The Flight to Varennes
*Why can't I just be a Smith
*Turn, turn (Reprise III)
*Onward, Brothers!
*Thank God, we're all mad
*All I do (Reprise)
*Taking the Boy
*Off with her Head!
*Her Time is up
*Blood must flow for Liberty!
*Freedom!
The cast recording also features three additional tracks:
*Blinded By A Thousand Candles
*The Voice in My Heart
*Money's Talking
References
External links
The Author's (Michael Kunze's) Website (in German)
{{Kunze and Levay
2006 musicals
Biographical musicals
Works about Marie Antoinette
Musicals by Michael Kunze
Musicals by Sylvester Levay