15 vaikutuksen tehnyttä teatteriesitystä

Kun muut niin minäkin. Järjestys suht satunnainen, puhenäytelmät lopussa.

Kunze & Levay:
Mozart! - Budapest (2003–)
Hengästyttävä, itkettävä ja raadollinen produktio hyvästä, liian harvoin esitetystä musikaalista. Pölyttyneiden ihmisten ja tylsän yhteiskunnan keskellä pomppii vähän sinisilmäinen nero, joka tahtoisi ihan vain säveltää ja pussailla, mutta ennen kaikkea pussailla.

Kunze & Steinman:
Tanz der Vampire - Budapest (2007–)
Ne tulivat ja ne purivat. Nykyään ajan hammas on vähän jo purrut niihin ja kulta-aika on ohi, mutta huippuvuosinaan produktio oli rautaa, tulta ja verta. Ja kimallusta. Paljon kimallusta. Esiintyjät ovat edelleen kyllä hyviä, mutta tunnelma on muuttunut.

Kunze & Steinman:
Tanz der Vampire: 10th Anniversary Concert - Wien (2007)
Nämä purivat hyvin lyhyen aikaa mutta sitäkin isommalla asenteella. Ekan näytöksen loppua swing-poljennolla vetänyt vampyyriensemblejono jaksaa muistikuvanakin nostaa hymyn huulille.

Kunze & Steinman:
Tanz der Vampire - Seinäjoki (2011–2012)
Jotakin elämää ja kuolemaa ja kuolemanjälkeistä elämää suurempaa. Ilmiö. Sydänverta. Ja kaiken päälle ihan pirun hyvällä ammattitaidolla tehtyä musiikkiteatteria.

Kunze & Levay:
Elisabeth - Budapest (1996–)
Kummallisen ysärityylisiä vaatteita, ihmislaumoja ja lisää kimallusta, mutta jotakin se tavoittaa Sisin elämästä. Synkkää, dystooppista ja niin kovin kaunista.

Huszka:
Lili bárónő - Kecskemét (2010)
Operetti jota ikävöin vieläkin. Herttainen tarina, kauniit laulut, ei cancan-tanssijoita vaan hiljakseen ympäriinsä hiippailevia kummituksia. Lisänä pari flirttailevaa setää, joista toinen on tainnut jo menehtyäkin, rauha hänen muistolleen.

Ulvaeus, Andersson & Rice:
Chess in concert - Budapest (2010-)
Olin jo harjoitusvaiheen lehdistötilaisuudessa kyynelten partaalla. Upea musiikki, upeat esittäjät, sielua raatelevia hetkiä. Osoitus siitä, että unkarilaisetkin kykenevät halutessaan minimalismiin. Lavalla ei oikeastaan ole kuin itse teos, joka saa sanoa sanottavansa ilman sen kummempia kikkailuja. Ei uskoisi, että kasaripoppi ja kylmä sota voivat taipua näin koskettaviksi.

Kunze & Levay:
Elisabeth - Turun kaupunginteatteri (2005–2006)
Yhtäkkiä Suomessa näki musiikkiteatteria Euroopasta. Jostain syystä ensimmäinen mielleyhtymäni Turun Elisabethista on aina sen kaunis värimaailma, mutta esiintyjätkin olivat huippuluokkaa. Erityisesti viimeinen esitys rokkasi kuin maailmanlopun edellä.

Lloyd Webber & Rice:
Jesus Christ Superstar - Åbo Svenska Teater (2014)
Ja niin kimalteleva Juudas laskettiin katosta pikkuiset enkelinsiivet selässään vetämään sellainen show että oksat pois.
Oli siellä muutama muukin näyttelijä kyllä. Hyvä sellainen. Sekä tosi paljon mustaa nahkaa.

Kokoteatteri:
Pop Slut - Tampereen Teatterikesä (2014)
Kaunista, surullista ja paljon seksiä. Viiden naisen tekemä läpileikkaus popmusiikkiin ja sen ilmiöihin.

Boublil & Schönberg:
Les Misérables - Tampereen Teatteri (2013–2014)
Hiottua ja hallittua musiikkiteatteria, valtaisa määrä osaamista. Kuulosti kauniilta ja soi päässä edelleen. Kyllä noilla voimin yksi vallankumous olisi saatu tehtyä.

Trouble Man:
somedaymyprincewill.com - Tampereen Teatterikesä (2014)
Kaunis tarina, karvaisia miehiä ja konkretisoituja kulttuurieroajatuksia suoraan Hollannista.

Shaffer:
Amadeus - Tampereen Työväen Teatteri (2008)
Kaunis ja pimeä. Keskinkertaisuuksien jumala osui ja upposi.

Reza:
Taide - Tampereen Teatteri (2013)
Onko valkoinen taulu taidetta vai vain valkoiseksi maalattu kangas? Onko niillä lopulta eroakaan? Kyseenalaistin olemassaoloni ja uravalintani.

Haddon & Stephens:
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - NT Live (2014)
Täydellisesti, vähän liiankin täydellisesti, simuloitu parituntinen paniikkikohtaus kuvattuna sellaisen kautta, joka katsoo maailmaa vähän eri lailla kuin useimmat muut. Näin tämän Finnkinon kautta, ja leffateatterissa näytelmä tunki suoraan ihon alle eikä mitään yksityiskohtaa päässyt pakoon.

Very Inspiring Blogger Award!

The lovely Starlene rewarded me with a Very Inspiring Blogger Award. (Check out her blog if you haven't yet, she has a tendency to write everything I mean to say but never get around to writing down.)

The first award I have received! I feel very flattered and want to thank my family and friends for their support. Ahem.

According to the rules I must reveal seven facts about myself. I'm bad at that and I've done so many of that kind of memes that I begin to repeat myself, so I'll copy Starlene and alter this a bit. Hereby I present:

Laura's Seven Most Memorable Moments in Theatre

1. The first musical I ever saw on stage was Tanz der Vampire in Hamburg. We walked to the theatre to buy me a discount ticket, and I wish I could live again the bouncy excitement when I first saw the big banner on the facade of Theater Neue Flora. I ended up in the first row of a 2000-seat theatre. The stage was like a football field, and though I was on seat 9, I was nowhere near the centre. The performance blew out my mind and sealed the devotion that would later define my friendships, studying field and hopefully, one day, my profession.

2. I was attending the press event of the upcoming Chess in Concert in Budapest 2010. I barely knew the musical, but as it was my favourite theatre company in Hungary doing a new production, I had gotten myself a bit familiar with the show and had so far liked it. In no way was I prepared for the bang of emotions that would hit me once the cast and choir started singing, though. There they stood singing the Endgame sequence on an otherwise empty stage, on a sweaty Hungarian summer day, wearing t-shirts and college trousers, with the conductor playing electric piano in front of the stage. I was holding back tears, I who never cried in theatre. You don't need fancy sets and costumes for a musical to work, and I have never realized it more clearly than on that day.

3. The same summer I was watching the Elton John & Tim Rice musical Aida in the open-air theatre on Margitsziget (Margaret Island) in Budapest. There were mosquitoes, the sound system wasn't very good and I'm not an enthusiastic fan of Aida, but there was something very magical in sitting under the clear and starry Hungarian sky, on a green island in the middle of the Danube, with birds chirping in the trees surrounding the theatre and a shirtless Radames with gorgeous abs singing on stage. I have rarely felt happier in my life, in sort of a calm and peaceful way.

4. My friends and I did an epic theatre trip to Vienna to see the 10th Anniversary Concert(s) of Tanz der Vampire in 2007. I can't pick a single most memorable moment in the concerts because they were full of them, but I might mention the Finale. It was loaded with such energy and joy that I've rarely seen anything like that in theatre. Krolock's costume was also one of the most beautiful ones I've seen (no ridiculously tight trousers!).

5. Vampyyrien tanssi, the Finnish production of Tanz der Vampire, as a whole, but especially the derniere. I've seen the standard version so many times that I'm starting to have some issues with Cornelius Baltus's directing, so seeing a whole new take - and a good one - on the story was heavenly. The production was done with such spirit and devotion and it radiated energy. Easily the best musical production I've ever seen in Finland.

6. The Operetta Theatre in Budapest sometimes does special performances for tourists. Thanks to a nice ticket booth lady, I once got into a German-language show of The Merry Widow organized for ~7 busloads of German old people. (Some elderly gentleman sitting next to me smelled of salami and garlic.) The cast had apparently decided to play pranks to each other, because when Hanna Glawari's ship was about to sail out to the sea, from somewhere came a human-sized seal that breakdanced its way across the stage. The cast's faces were worth seeing, though they stayed in character excellently. Danilo (Zsolt Homonnay) "tripped" and hid his face in between Hanna's breasts, apparently to avoid rolling on the floor laughing.

7. Kun kaikki pimenee - eurooppalainen musikaalipurée. In short, two European musical concerts in Finland with cast members of the Finnish Tanz der Vampire plus Géza Egyházi as a bonus feature. TdV, Elisabeth, Chess, Mozart!, Notre-Dame du Paris and other lovely gems that are rarely heard in Finland. For the first time in ages I was full of adrenaline because of a theatrical event and my knees were shaking afterwards. The concerts were nearly perfect, and the single reason I can't name any highlights is that I should list the whole song list. My favourite songs from my favourite musicals performed by a bunch of my favourite musical artists in the world.

I'll forward the award to five lovely ladies:

• Elisabeth at Musical Musing
• Johanna at Teatterin alivuokralainen
• Kaisa at Being Alive
• Suvi at Elegia
• Laura at Förillä pahki

Musikaalivuosikatsaus 2012

Vuonna 2012 näkemäni musikaalit aikajärjestyksessä:

(Klikkaa kuva suuremmaksi. Vampyyrien tansseista puuttuu jokunen, koska en kehtaa myöntää, kuinka monta kertaa näin sen. Useamman, voin sanoa.)

Näistä Cigányszerelem (suom. Mustalaisrakkautta; säv. Franz Lehár), Anna Liisa, Kristina från Duvemåla, Veriveljet ja Next to Normal olivat minulle aivan uusia tuttavuuksia. Cigányszerelemin juoni oli operettienkin mittapuulla hieman pikaisesti kokoonkyhätyn oloinen, mutta musiikki oli kaunista ja Operettiteatteri osaa puhaltaa eloa operettitoteutuksiinsa. En esimerkiksi ole aivan varma, kuuluuko tähän operettiin yleensä humoristinen Dracula-kuvaelma. Next to Normal oli kokonaisuutena ehkä freesein uusi tuttavuus, näyttämöllepanon ja näyttelijöiden puolesta Kristina taas vienee voiton.

Entä vanhat tutut? Seinäjoen Vampyyrien tanssi asetti suomalaisille musikaaliproduktiolle riman hyvin korkealle. Kansainvälisestikin produktio oli tyrmäävän hyvä, todennäköisesti parasta koskaan näkemääni musiikkiteatteria. Kaikki vain yksinkertaisesti natsasi, ja muutaman vähemmän natsaavan yksityiskohdan unohti äkkiä kaiken sen tekemisen meiningin keskellä. Huippumiehitys, upea visuaalinen toteutus, syvälle pureutuva (pun intended) ja ajatuksia herättävä ohjaus... Lisää tällaista, kiitos.

Budapestin Chess-konserttiproduktio menee samaan tajunnanräjäyttävään sarjaan. Se on mahdollisesti raadollisin tuntemani musikaali, ja PS Produkciónin tuotanto osaltaan todistaa, että musikaalit eivät todellakaan aina ole iloista höttöä. Minun tunteisiini on vaikea vaikuttaa, mutta Sakkin jälkeen tarvitsen yleensä pari annosta belgialaista suklaata ja mahdollisesti vastaanottoajan psykologille. Jokin siinä musikaalissa pistää minut sanattomaksi ja avaa haavoja, joita en tiennyt minulla olevankaan.

Saman tuotantofirman ja osin työryhmänkin vampyyriproduktio, sikäläisittäin Vámpírok bálja, pysyy myös sitkeästi listallani. Produktio on viime aikoina hieman menettänyt sitä jotakin, johon alun perin siinä rakastuin, mutta edelleen se on paras ja tunnelmallisin standardiversio Tanz der Vampiresta. Saksalaisten produktiot ovat liian disneymäisiä makuuni, ja Venäjälläkin menee vain replica Wienin/Budapestin produktiosta. TdV on suosikkimusikaalini, mutta olen pitänyt siihen viime aikoina etäisyyttä enkä todennäköisesti mene katsomaan enää uusia produktioita, ellei niissä ole joku muu ohjaaja kuin standardiversion Cornelius Baltus. Jatkuvat replicat tekevät harvoin hyvää millekään teokselle, ja minä olen nähnyt niitä nyt tarpeeksi.

Arvostelulinkit:
* Vampyyrien tanssi (Tanz der Vampire)
* Sakk (Chess)
* Macskák (Cats)
* Anna Liisa
* Kristina från Duvemåla
* Vámpírok bálja (Tanz der Vampire)
* Elisabeth
* Veriveljet (Blood Brothers)
* Kreivitär Mariza (Gräfin Mariza)
* Next to Normal

Lisäksi pari konserttia, kuten ihastuttava Kaikki musikaalista!.

(Olen jokseenkin maaninen listaaja, luokittelija ja keräilijä. Käytännössä se tarkoittaa sitä, että minulla on hyvässä tallessa ja aikajärjestyksessä kaikkien näkemieni teatteriesitysten liput. Käsiohjelmakokoelmani on hyllyssä aakkosjärjestyksessä. Ylläoleva kuvankaappaus on Excel-taulukosta, johon on listattuna näkemäni musikaalit päivämäärineen ja muine tietoineen.
Olen oikeasti ihan tervejärkinen, satun vain pitämään järjestyksestä.)

Chess - The Swedish Production DVD (2003)

Anders Ekborg, Rolf Skoglund and Tommy Körberg.
(Photo source: tommykorberg.se)

The Swedish version of Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus's Chess premiered at Cirkus in Stockholm on February 23, 2002, with Helen Sjöholm as Florence, Tommy Körberg as Anatoly, Anders Ekborg as Freddie and Josefin Nilsson as Svetlana. Later a DVD and a (music-wise) complete studio cast recording were released.

There's a synopsis in English in Stacy's Musical Village. The script has been rather heavily re-written, and some songs have been cut and some have been moved and given to a different character. Everything happens in Merano during four days. The first act works quite well and ends with Anatoly defecting to the US in Florence's company, but the second act consists mostly of people telling each other what they think about the situation, and the story doesn't really progress anymore. The second at is quite scattered and there are pointless reprises that make the story drag quite a lot ("Merano" and "Story of Chess", for instance).

Josefin Nilsson & Helen Sjöholm.
(Photo source)

The story also doesn't include a lot of Chess, in the end, not literally and not on the analogy level. There's no Walter de Courcy plotting with Molokov, not much politics in general, and the only threat Molokov makes is that if Anatoly wins he can go with Florence but he will never see his son again, so Anatoly loses and stays with his son in the USSR. Anatoly's wife is also quite a bitch, pressures him, wants him back at any price, and "I Know Him So Well" is more like a catfight over Anatoly.

The production has simplified the whole complex relationship mess quite a lot and made the characters a lot more black-and-white, and I find it quite sad. The production is more show-centered and more megamusical-like in the negative meaning of the word, and it concentrates mostly on the love affair between Anatoly and Florence. They talk a lot about their feelings and childhood and whatnot, and the lyrics are far less complex than in English (or in Hungarian). Also Molokov has gotten an angst song of his own, telling Anatoly how he had to sacrifice his great love to serve the USSR. Freddie spends most of his time drunk.

(Warning, the subs have nothing to do with what she sings. A better video of Someone Else's Story (Inte jag) here.)

But the visuality! I love it. Not so much the costumes or wigs that look quite shabby, but the sets and lights are gorgeous especially in the first act. The stage is big but they use it well; it doesn't feel empty or like set pieces were there only to fill the empty space. The "chess squares" in the background are an excellent idea, showing a half-made-puzzle like photo of Moscow etc. They don't show all, they just give you the idea of the surroundings and atmosphere of the scene.

Like "Where I Want to Be". Anatoly travels by metro, and while I know that an average Hungarian theatre would have built an authentic-looking metro and it's station on the stage, the Swedes show that all you need for a metro is a bunch of people standing huddled together - and the result looks much better. (I have a problem with the Budapesti Operettszínház that has the habit of filling the stage with too much set pieces and props and ensemble, so anything minimalistic and stylish tends to make me overjoyed.)

This video summarizes pretty well everything I like in the Swedish production:

I also adore the orchestrations. I don't know what they do there because I'm no music professional, but the orchestrations feel fresh, light and still deep and full. Minimalistic but complex on the same time. The musicbox-like theme in some of the songs is hypnotizing. There's no cast recording of the 2010 Hungarian concert production, so the Swedish cast recording is the one I mostly listen to. Especially the instrumental parts are heartbreakingly beautiful.

The singers are awesome, and I like their acting, too, though I don't always agree with the way the characters are directed. I'm very picky with female voices, and if I can choose a solo album, I usually prefer to listen to baritones because they somehow tend to be most pleasant to my ears. Helen Sjöholm has a clear, strong and lovely voice, though. No shouting, no screaming, nothing nasal; the voice sounds effortless and pure. Tommy Körberg is one of my favourite Anatolys out there, too, both voice- and acting-wise.

Rolf Skoglund as the Arbiter is rather... unique. I absolutely prefer other Arbiters, but there's something so twisted and weird in Skoglund's Arbiter that despite my dislike I can't help being a bit fascinated by him. He's pretty much the comic relief of the production, though not in the most typical way. The Arbiter's orchestrations are like he: over-the-top, weird and twistedly humorous.

Conclusion: there are things I absolutely adore, like the audiovisuality, and things I'm not fond of, like the storyline and way the characters are shown. I like to listen and watch the Swedish production, but as a theatrical piece telling a story it has its faults, especially in the second act.

Chess (concert) - Budapest 2010

I've been a fan of Abba since I was 10, but Kristina från Duvemåla's score made me think I'm not interested in Björn&Benny's musicals. Besides, how could a musical about chess be interesting? It's a board game, for heaven's sake!

Boy, was I wrong...

I don't usually get this hooked to realistic musicals with no supernatural-ish themes, but somehow Chess is an exception. The story is touching, the characters realistic, and it has one of the most beautiful musical scores I have ever heard, if not the most beautiful. It was love at first sight.

(Video link: Another, longer trailer in Facebook)

Out of all the musicals I've seen, Chess is probably the most difficult to put to words. If you want your musicals to be nice, light and feel-good, Chess might not be my first recommendation, though it has its funny scenes, too. This production felt like someone would gently, piece by piece, rip my soul open. The musical concentrates very much on raw feelings, communication and problems related to it, the big choices of life, the wrong choices, the right choices, and everything in between. Its world is not black-and-white in the sense of good and evil; every character is a shade of grey, they have their reasons to act like they do, and though they make mistakes, those are human mistakes, easy to understand. They're trying to lead their personal life as well as they can, even though they're all just chess pieces in the big political game between the USSR and the USA.

In Chess, the most beautiful melodies often aren't in the big hits, in my opinion. Florence's big solos are pretty but not perhaps the most memorable musical songs ever, and the more dancepop-like songs like "The Arbiter" and "One Night in Bangkok" aren't necessarily the best ones to summarize the style of the musical, though I like them very much. Of the big, clearly separate songs I love Anatoly's songs, the ensemble numbers and other group-of-people-singing songs the most, and also Svetlana's songs.

But the little melodies, sometimes slipped here and there and sometimes controlling half of the musical, and the huge and complex opera-like music truly nailed me to my seat. The music is catchy, beautiful, bittersweet, multi-layered and dramatic. There's something very flowing in it. The best metaphor I can come up with is a little mountain river that has just gotten free of ice and is now dancing among the rocks and ice leftovers. Add an occasional huge waterfall, a humorous fish and a dead puppy, and you might get close the general feeling of the Chess score.

The chess game theme is hypnotizing, as is "The Story of Chess". There's something even lullaby-like in them. I never cry in theatre, but the whole Endgame sequence brings through such desperation, willpower, sadness and beauty mingled together that I was holding back tears. By the reprise of "You and I" I was ready to sneeze on Anatoly's jacket and hug him and tell it's going to be all right.

The chess game. Photo: PS Produkció

For those who know the musical, the Hungarian concert production is basically the 2008 Royal Alber Hall concert, though compared to the 2008 concert, they had cut "The Merchandisers", "Hymn to Chess" and the scene in which Freddie tells Anatoly about a flaw in Viigand's game before the big final match, and also some dialogue and small reprises that aren't even listed in the song list. The cuts IMO made the story and scenes flow much better. The concert production follows the London storyline, and there's nothing extra on stage, just what really matters, and for me this production brings the best out of the musical. It has impressive show elements, yes, but somehow the dramatized concert form with very little sets seemed to leave more room to the musical itself, its idea and music.

I liked the changes they had made to Walter de Courcy's (the adorable Béla Pavletits) character. It wasn't explicitly told that he was a CIA agent, though in the end it was quite clear, and he wasn't shown as the bad guy (or as the good guy, for that matter). He wasn't your stereotypical agent like Molokov and there wasn't anything evil in him, he simply played his role in the big international game, used everyone equally, no matter if they were on his or on the other side, and secretly laughed at especially the easily fooled and used Freddie. I got the feeling that it was he who in the end wasn't on nobody's side but his own. Then again, so were most other characters in the end.

Related to this, the most important change was that (for the first time ever?) it wasn't indicated that Florence's father really hadn't been found and everyone had just lied to Florence. In the end Walter said something like "Now your father will be free" and, after Florence's reaction, smiling friendly, "Life being just a game isn't true", after which Florence sang the reprise of "Anthem". It wasn't explicit, but it left me with a clearly positive feeling about the whole matter. At least more positive than the "Haha, we have fooled you, now you lost the both men" in the other versions I've seen. I think the musical requires this little ray of hope, or otherwise they should place a portable psychologist's office outside the theatre.

Béla Pavletits, Géza Egyházi, Ernő Zsolt Kiss, Viktor Varga & Géza Gábor.
Photo: PS Produkció

The Cast

Anatoly Sergievsky: Géza Egyházi
Florence Vassy: Éva Sári
Frederick Trumper: János Szemenyei / Levente Csordás
Alexander Molokov: Géza Gábor / Balázs Csórics
Svetlana Sergievsky: Tímea Kecskés
The Arbiter: Ernö Zsolt Kiss
Walter de Courcy: Béla Pavletits
Leonyid Viigand: Viktor Varga / György Mihálka
The Mayor: Dávid Sándor
Diplomats, etc.: Gábor Jenei, Zsolt Szentirmai, Ádám Pásztor, Szabolcs Hetei-Bakó, Dávid Sándor
Reporters: Darinka Nyári, Beáta Ajtai, Márta Debreczeni, Réka Kovács, Véra Fekete Kovács
Choir: Jazz And More Choir

Generally everyone was great, with the exception of 2nd Freddie, Levente Csordás, who wasn't exactly bad but also not as good as the rest of the cast. He didn't have a very Freddie-ish feeling in him, and his voice could have been better. The 1st Freddie, János Szemenyei, was really really good, though, he had just the right amount annoyingness and arrogance and his Fred was too impulsive to notice what really was going on around him. His acting was unbelievably intense, and he definitely gave his all and threw himself in the emotions of the cynic and abandoned character. (Video link: Rehearsal version of Pity the Child)

Géza Egyházi was easily the best Anatoly I've encountered. Slightly stubborn, slightly stiff at the first look and silently desperate, but there was also the flirty and romantic side under the surface. He wasn't a big bundle of larger-than-life angst, but just a man whose life was in dead end and who didn't quite know what to do about the situation. His Endgame part was heartbreaking. His velvety baritone sounded great in especially the "Mountain Duet", the "Anthem" and the Endgame, and I keep being hooked to his "Where I Want to Be":

Molokov was incredible, one of the highlights of the performances. Géza Gábor is an opera singer, a bass, and his voice fit the songs perfectly. My face must have looked like O_o when he first opened his mouth and started to sing. He had comical talent and added some subtle funny details to the character, although his Molokov definitely had to be taken seriously. Balázs Csórics was good, too, but with a baritone Anatoly a bass Molokov works much better, if we assume that the lower the voice is, the further the character is from sweet tenor boys. (Video link: The Soviet Machine)

Éva Sári (Florence) had a strong and beautiful voice, and she had a very Florence-ish attitude, will of her own. I think Tímea Kecskés as Svetlana perhaps acted a tiny bit better, but I had nothing to complain with Éva, either. I'm sad that I didn't get to hear Réka Koós as Svetlana. Anyway, I enjoyed the both ladies' performance very much.

Then the singing and dancing ensemble. Ernö Zsolt Kiss (Arbiter) is in many ways a pleasure to the eyes: he looks good, he's dressed well, and I like the way he moves. The male singers kept catching my attention with their detailed acting, and I loved their "Embassy Lament". The British choreographer said in an interview that she'd like to take all the dancers with her to England, and I understand her, since especially the "Soviet Machine" and the chess matches were stunning. (Video link: The Arbiter) Also the Jazz and More choir sounded excellent, and I loved it how the huge choir loomed behind the actors like some half-demonic Angel Choir of Doom.

The musical plays very very rarely, and though they actually were supposed to quit last year, they announced two more shows in April 2012.

Links:
Production homepage
Photo gallery
Official Facebook page
Official YouTube channel