These are just a few of my favourites of those that I have seen and/or heard in this show!
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Ethan Freeman. For a trained opera singer, Lucheni is not really the sort of part you’d expect someone like Ethan to play. But he is *amazing* in the role. Vocally, he’s perfect, and I love the sarcasm as the narrator, the relish in his tone at certain points. He is just a wonderful actor. To find out more about Ethan, please visit my Ethan Freeman Website. |
Pia Douwes. She’s Elisabeth in the original cast, and I can’t imagine anyone singing this role better than she does. She simply has a stunningly beautiful voice, so pure, and her ability to make her emotions come through is amazing as well. There aren’t all that many women’s voices that I really love, but hers is definitely one of them. I just simply adore her. Visit the Pia Douwes Club to find out more. |
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Uwe Kröger. He plays Der Tod, or Death, in the original cast, and he’s fantastic! Several of the songs he sings are my favourites, probably at least in part because of his great voice. He’s also really wonderful in other things he’s done, and I finally got to see him on stage, in Les Mis. For more, visit the Uwe Kröger Fanpage. |
Jesper Tydén. Jesper can be heard on the Essen recording as Rudolf, and he sounds fabulous there, but I saw him on stage as Der Tod, and he was really amazing. He has a great voice, but more than that, it was the way in which he portrayed Death, the stillness and power that radiated from his stance and countenance. It was very compelling! Learn more about Jesper at my Jesper Tydén website! |
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Maya Hakvoort. I had seen Maya in concert a few times, but Elisabeth was the first time I saw her in character on stage, and she was really wonderful. She was very different from Pia, so there’s not really any way to compare them, other than to say that they were both great in their own way! Visit the Official Maya Hakvoort Fan Club site to learn more! |
Carsten Lepper. I knew nobody would really equal Ethan’s performance in the role of Lucheni for me, but Carsten really surprised me with how close he came. He took a totally different approach to it, and it was really effective! He also really made me laugh, though I couldn’t understand exactly what he was saying. 🙂 For much more, visit the Carsten Axel Lepper Homepage. |  |
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Michael Lewis. Franz Joseph is a rather thankless role in this show – you are supposed to see the story from Elisabeth’s point of view, and Franz Joseph, if not necessarily the enemy, is at least not an ally. But Michael provided a very sympathetic view of him, so that, although you still saw his failings, you were able to see the good things as well, and to feel for him. You can find out more at the Michael Lewis Fansite. |
Andreas Bieber. He plays the grown Rudolf in the original cast, and the song that he and Uwe sing together is probably my absolute favourite in the show (though it’s close with “Ich gehör nur mir”!). I had a chance to see him perform at the Sommernacht des Musicals concert in 2001, and he was really great! You can find out more by visiting the Andy Bieber Homepage. |
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