With the coronavirus pandemic still very much in the forefront of our minds, and despite several lockdown restrictions being eased or lifted completely, there is still a huge hole in the entertainments and Arts industries as nothing is as yet allowed to continue; it was with great pleasure that I sat down yesterday and watched the ORF (Austrian national television) filming of the last production to be performed at Vienna's famous Raimund Theater prior to Austria's theatres going dark earlier this year.
I used to live in Austria and have been in the audience at that theatre only twice (Tanz Der Vampire and Elisabeth), but it brought back very fond memories. Not only this but with lockdown here in England taking its toll on me, this super-feel-good, upbeat, heartwarming and fluffy inconsequential comedy romance was exactly what I needed to raise my spirits.
'I Am From Austria' is not only the title of this show but is the title of one of Rainhard Fendrich's more famous songs. Fendrich is an "Austro-pop" star. Famous in Austria - and perhaps also Germany - but his songs have not travelled further afield due to both the langauage barrier and the fact that "Euro-Pop" is not very popular in the UK. However, Fendrich's music is mostly very accessible and although it is commercial and trappist, with (generally) quite banal lyrics, it is easy-listening and toe-tapping stuff, and is also very 'Austrian', which is what this musical is all about. And so, Titus Hoffmann wrote a story around Fendrich's songs and a new juke-box musical was born.
It tells the story of a high-class 4.5 star hotel in central Vienna owned and run by a late middle-aged couple, The Edlers (Andreas Steppan and Elisabeth Engstler), who run the hotel on traditional and perhaps out-moded values. Their son Joseph (Lukas Perman) however, has other ideas and has plans to modernise the place and bring it more up to date with the needs of 21st century millionaires. One hotel guest is a famous actress, Emma Carter (Irena Flury), originally from Austria, but now a huge Hollywood star living in LA, and her personal manager (Martin Mermoser). She had come over to attend the famous Opernball - the Opera Ball in Vienna which is the highlight of any Viennese socialites' calendar and televised worldwide. She is booked to appear at the Ball with Argentinian football sensation Pablo Garcia. (Karim Ben Mansur) [I have the feeling that these characters may well have been created from real-life counterparts Arnold Schwarzenegger and Messi, but I might be wrong]. However, love interferes and the son and the actress fall in love (of course they do!) and as we get to see the inside-workings of an international hotel, and the lives and loves of the staff and guests, and despite already being able to second-guess the ending, we still go with it all the way and still shed a tear of happines and applaud loudly - just as I did - clapping at the computer screen as they took their curtain calls! I was drawn in hook, line and sinker, and I didn't mind it at all.. it was worth it!
The set is amazing! (Stephan Prattes). A three-tiered "wedding cake" design on a revolve, which mirrors the hotel's own special recipe cake (no, not Sacher Torte, but obviously a "play" on that for those who know Viennese hotels and cakes!) and this cake is the hotel, with all the rooms necessary, as well as outdoor locations too thanks to some very clever video montages. It's slick, interesting, well designed, and when the camera gave the set close-up shots, it still looked quite authentic which means a great attention to detail too.
The acting, singing, and especially the mise-en-scene and choreography were all absolutely stunning! [Director - Andreas Gergen. Choreography - Kim Duddy]. Flury as the California-living Austrian-born film star was wonderful, playing her role as if she were born for it. Her connectivity with Perman, a young Hugh Grant lookalike was palpable, and together they just swept the real audience and their virtual audience up and away with them. The hotel owners Wolfgang and Romy (Steppan and Engstler) were lovely. They reminded me a little of Fraulein Schneider and Herr Ludwig from 'Cabaret', but in a much more up-to-date way. Much sympathetic and lighter comedy was to be gained from the main bellhop Felix (Matthias Trattner) and the hotel's diminutive, aged and po-faced recptionist, Elfie Schratt (Dolores Schmidinger), and a little sex appeal came in the form of the Argentinian footballer who liked to walk around topless showing off his incredibly muscular torso, Pablo Garcia (Mansur). There was also a lovely comedy duet opening act 2 with a pair of Viennese policemen, which was perhaps the nearest Austrians are likely to get to a Gilbert And Sullivan humour.
The one thing I truly enjoyed about the production, although it is also the one thing which will stop it travelling outside Austria, was that the majority of the cast spoke in Viennese dialect and accent.
The music of course was composed by Fendrich, but played by the Orchester der Vereinigten Buehnen, Wien and the Musical Director was Michael Roemer.
If you can speak German and you want a truly fell-good 'Four-Weddings-And-A-Funeral-cum-Bridget-Jones-Diary-esque' musical for and about Austria, get your tissues handy, and watch this. I really wish I could have been in the audience myself. The hotel might only have had 4.5 stars, but I give the whole production a full 5!
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 18/6/20
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