#djkt elisabeth

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Those DJKT Elisabeth photos of Der Schleier fällt where Smrt looks just at such a loss for words and fascinated at finally being able to embrace Elisabeth and touch her hands, and meanwhile, she just looks like the only thing going through her mind is "please, get this over and done with, I want to finally pass on" and these photos are my religion

If you've never seen them, these photos:

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Adding about Czech DJKT Elisabeth, as I always do, as Tumblr's resident DJKT Elisabeth nerd:

What I found interesting in the angle of relationships within this production was that Tod/Smrt and Elisabeth's relationship was very much a one-sided love, with Smrt just longing for any form of reciprocation of his newly discovered feelings, for any form of human connection and companionship. And Elisabeth, after the initial teenage love at first sight, is completely indifferent to Smrt as a being/person, and only sees him as a means to an end/a way out from Totenklage onward. She never pursues him as a romantic love interest. While from Smrt's side, what he shows as feelings for Elisabeth is in it's nature romantic, mixed in with the yearning for any type of human connection.

When it comes to Rudolf and Smrt, it's a bit more complicated specifying what is going on in between them, but Smrt definitely also feels some form of affection for Rudolf. And this affection is on all accounts genuine, not because Rudolf is a way to get to Elisabeth and to hurt her, but because Smrt does care for Rudolf as his own person. Just with the longing glances and the absolutely tender way Smrt lays Rudolf's head down onto the ground and looks absolutely devastated after Rudolf dies in his embrace. To Rudolf, Smrt is like a supportive extremely close friend that is maybe becoming more than a friend. Both Smrt and Rudolf are mutually attracted to one another within the production, but the both of them are also in a way scared of the other and what danger lies in getting closer together.

Ive been thinking about this. So, there are a few productions where der Tod is supposed to only have a romantic relationship with Elisabeth, like, their relationship is "special" because hes never been in love before, whch I dont like because I always thought that hes Like That with everyone, or atleast with everyone who thinks about death and dying a lot, its just presented as special because Elisabeth is the central character. But whatever, some productions wanna make it extra amatonormative romantic so hes never felt that kind of love towards anyone before and will never feel it again after the story is done, I know thats definitely the case in the takarazuka production and I think thats also what they did for the hungarian production (i havent seen that one in a while so im not sure) and from what Ive heard about the newer austrain productions, it seems like they do it like that as well. Okay, sure, Elisabeth is der Tods one true love, why not, yay heterosexuality. But then why is doing all that shit Rudolf though

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So this is from the premiere of the Czech (DJKT) production of Elisabeth and OMG I barely recognize Pavel (Smrt) and Pavel (Rudolf) just because both of them are now playing Jesus in JCS and so are rocking full Jesus hair as opposed to their much shorter hair that you see here.

[rm-blanik]

Divadelní nálož...  ...a to nejsou všechna představení naplánovaná na srpen a září. Tak snad vše proběhne. Kromě představení v rámci předplatného, tak v srpnu bude ještě Elisabeth.  (Lístky jsme kupovaly hned co šly do prodeje. Tak snad vše vyjde) @muzikal_djkt @cinohradjkt #plzen #plzen20 #DJKT #listky #ticket #divadlo #divadloplzen #muzikaldjkt #VASEcinoHRA #weartethehunters #wearrtethehunters20 #elisabeth #prodananevesta #pastnamysi #sweeneytodd  (v místě Plzen, Czech Republic) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDEJcVTJse8/?igshid=1shv9cxutms01

[kormoran78]

via Instagram http://bit.ly/2XfaLnT

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Elisabeth's Act 1 costumes in the Czech DJKT production of Elisabeth das musical

Note: the photoset is missing the shorter skirt and bloomers version of the Wie Du dress (pic 1), which was worn during the beginning of the scene and during Kein Kommen ohne Gehen and rust-colored dress worn during Stationen einer Ehe. It's the same dress as worn during Act 1 Schatten (photo 6), but without the red atilla over the shoulders.

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Elisabeth's Act 2 costumes from the Czech DJKT production of Elisabeth das musical

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Czech Schatten (explained for people who haven't seen Czech Elisabeth fully)

With the concert recording of Schatten I reposted gaining some traction a while ago, I felt like I needed to make this post because if you haven't seen this production in it's full iteration, I feel like you can't truly appreciate just how genius this staging is within it's full context. I'll separate this post into a few sections, so it's a bit more coherent

Content warning: the following post contains mentions of drug use

The characterizations of Smrt and Rudolf

I oftentimes like to call this production "what Schonbrunn Elisabeth could have been if the creative team weren't afraid of trying out new approaches" and I think the nuanced portrayal of Der Tod in this production is one of the most telling of that. The Tod of this production, Smrt, is unlike any other Tod I've ever seen.

A big difference between the Der Tod most of us are familiar with and Smrt is while Tod takes souls with kisses, Smrt kills merely on touch. And while written out, it might sound like a gimmick that will just hinder the actor during a performance by limiting his range of interactions, I feel like it did the exact opposite and only helped to flesh out Smrt as a character. Sure, some of us might not be a fan of Der Tod being portrayed as a physical supernatural entity, but this way, Smrt ended up a complex self-contradicting being, who despite not being a human had all the human capacity for feeling and who was consequently full of angst due to this, since there was no way for him to properly fulfill his deepest desires for human connection. Anything he touches gets destroyed, yet he must put on a front of indifference.

The characterization of Rudolf was also unlike any production before. I think what played a major part in that was the entire company and creative team doing extensive historical research into everything surrounding the show's characters and time period, so both of the show's Rudolves indeed felt more historical than all other Rudolves I've seen. I can't really put it into words, but there was just this feeling like the way they acted could have happened in the historical time period.

The Rudolf and Smrt relationship dynamic

A unique take on this relationship was that these two felt more like companions brought together by circumstance rather than a physiological pull. When they first meet, both Smrt and Rudolf are full of angst and yearning for a genuine human connection, which draws them together. Both of them have been abandoned by Elisabeth and they find solace in one another. Yet, despite this, despite them equally being fascinated and drawn towards the other, there's also this underlying fear and unsureness they both have.

Also, an important addition: in general, this production, from an outside perspective, very much favors an asexual reading on the source material, especially when it comes to the approach to Elisabeth herself and Smrt as well. The type of outward attraction Smrt shows for both Elisabeth and Rudolf is in no way outwardly sexual, but it's driven by the yearning for a companion, for being understood and for romantic attraction to some degree, but the most prominent is just the simple need for someone who just understands.

Rastlose Jahre

Another very creative choice this production did was making Rastlose Jahre a sort of foreword to Schatten. The two scenes flowed seamlessly into one another and by Rudolf getting included in the scene, we as viewers got more insight into him.

One touching idea the scene had was the way it showed the progression of time (since this single scene spans 18 years). The scene was staged with Franz sitting at his table downstage right and Elisabeth flitting around the stage in the back, followed by a giant entourage of ladies in waiting. During the first verse, little Rudolf appeared downstage left and tried waving at his mom, trying to catch her attention, but after she ignored him, he looked hopelessly into the audience and ran back into the wings. And a few moments later, adult Rudolf ran out in the same manner, showing just how quickly the time went by.

Adult Rudolf tries to catch his mother's attention and she still ignores him. He looks out into the audience again before he suddenly takes off his jacket, rolls up his sleeve, ties a tourniquet above his elbow and pulling out a syringe from his pocket, he injects the contents into his arm with pained gasps before throwing the syringe away. This is a reference to Rudolf IRL actually taking morphine as a drug and this staging cleverly incorporated the historical detail into the transition into Schatten. Rudolf ashamedly rolls his sleeve back down and puts his jacket back on. He tries calling out for his mother, but she once again ignores him (Michaela's Sisi didn't notice him at all, while Soňa's Sisi did notice him, but decided to run away rather than console and help him).

What happens during Schatten?

The lyric translation stays very close to the original, while adding some interesting spins to some sections (like Smrt saying that he promised to Rudolf to always be his guardian angel and that he will gladly stand by Rudolf's side).

Rudolf stumbles around the stage, still calling out for his mother, as the drugs take effect and Smrt appears at the back of the stage, holding a whip in his hand and cracking it. The hydraulic platform Smrt is standing on gets raised and a stucco decoration resembling a rearing horse can be seen to the side, making a hint at a carriage.

Rudolf is at first afraid of Smrt arriving, but by the first chorus, he gladly climbs up onto the carriage and lets Smrt lead the ride. But, after a while, he begs Smrt to slow down or stop the carriage and jumps back down.

Smrt sees Rudolf being dejected about how powerless he is when it comes to the political situation and making use of the whip, Smrt lifts Rudolf's chin up with it. But, to Smrt's surprise, Rudolf snatches the whip from Smrt's grasp and runs to the carriage, taking control of the ride himself. Smrt jumps up after him, seeing how Rudolf visibly can't manage the chaos of the situation.

Meanwhile, Rudolf is just trying to get a hand of having control over the carriage while evidently being delighted over actually having control over something for the first time in his life. Smrt tries reasoning with him and offers Rudolf a gun with the words "You can defend yourself".

Rudolf takes the gun, almost sobering at Smrt's words, while Smrt takes his whip back. Rudolf approaches the audience as the Death angels crowd around him and he raises up the gun to his head as he and Smrt sing the lyrics "We are only guests in this world, one must remember that". Rudolf looks almost ready to pull the trigger, but realizes what he was about to do and tears the gun away from his head at the last minute.

Smrt looks at him with a longing look of "I wish I could help you escape the pain now and spare you of any other suffering" before he exits. Rudolf looks after Smrt, both horrified over what he was about to do, but also somewhat contemplating following after him, before he turns back to the audience with tears in his eyes and once again clutching his arm over the spot where he injected the drug. He is left completely alone on the now empty stage, helplessly looking into the audience for any sort of hope he could find.

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He truly went from "might bite if threatened" at the beginning of the run, through "will definitely bite if unguarded" in the middle of the run, to the saddest, wet-eyed, most traumatized blorbo at the production closing. And I truly love that for him.

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DJKT Elisabeth will continue to be the only production where I don't mind the inclusion of Kein Kommen ohne Gehen, just for the way it is staged. Elisabeth is just so wide eyed at seeing Smrt, totally not taking any caution just because "oooh, weird and mysterious pretty man with feathers", teenaged short-lived love at first sight. And then there is Smrt, completely thrown out of his element by not being able to kick himself into taking Elisabeth's soul and even more weirded out because he's feeling something for a human soul for the first time. And he is panicking. So hard, but he is trying to keep all that panic in and seem in control of the situation. But then Elisabeth tries to run at him and hug him and he panics even harder. And then the mutual fascination with one another and being millimeters close to actually touching before Elisabeth returns back to life.

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Jen já vím jak mám žít (Ich gehör nur mir) performed by Soňa Hanzlíčková from the DJKT Plzeň production of Elisabeth das musical for the concert Michael Prostějovský Superstar

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Today's thoughts are all about Pavel Režný as Smrt <3 A true icon

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So all I've seen of Czech Elisabeth is what you've posted, but - thoughts/notes on Smrt's and the angels' costumes?

I'm always here to talk about the Smrt and angel costumes because oh my god, do I love them.

(More under the cut)

Smrt and his angels are designed to look very birdlike, specifically like carrion crows/ravens, who are frequently associated as symbols/bringers of death. The choice to really lean into the bird-inspired costumes was especially smart when combined with the Czech translated lyrics, which really leaned into the bird-associated symbolism in the text.

I must confess that when I first saw the production photos, I didn't like the costumes. I think it might have been because I already had the association formed that Tod in a pleather costume is not a good choice. However, what really made me love the costumes is when I saw them onstage and saw them in movement. I don't know what kind of weird pleather the costume workshop used, but despite obviously being pleather, it had such beautiful light movement on both Smrt and the angels and flowed so beautifully every time they moved.

The angels all wear long coats with hoods, one of their sleeves is close fitting and covered in little "feathers" and the other is made to look like a wing. The wings, aside from creating gorgeous movement, were also used to create Rudolf's grave during Totenklage, which was an absolutely genius move.

(Two of the angel dancers with Jan Kříž as Smrt)

Smrt is given a different costume to clearly differentiate him as the leader of the flock/not an angel himself. And I honestly think his costume is ICONIC. He wears a pretty standard undercostume of pants with knee high boots and a vest, but I like that instead of buttoning straight down the front, Smrt's vest buttons diagonally. Which is a tiny detail, but it shows that Smrt is not a human.

And then, there is that absolutely EPIC coat. The coat is pretty simple at first glance, but just the way it's patterned and cut is very interesting, since the front is cut a bit shorter so the Smrt actors don't step on it, but the back pieces are kept longer to have more movement in the garment. And the back was given triangular gores in the "skirt" of the coat for even more movement.

And of course, instead of the wing sleeves, Smrt has a feathered shoulderpiece made out of various types of feathers, most prominently rooster feathers, which throw subtle green and blue reflections under the stage lights. Once again, I have to mention the movement, because those feathers at moments seemed to live a life of their own, almost ruffling themselves up with the movement.

Also, you might have noticed I talked about the coat and vest, but not a shirt and that is because Smrt just doesn't wear one. Which is just a detail that is so subtle, but when you know about it, it is just one more of those details that just show that Smrt is not a human. And if you need proof that there indeed isn't a shirt (and this is an excuse for me to include one of my favorite silly pictures of Pavel Režný as Smrt):

And of course, the makeup deserves a mention, because once again, it's ICONIC. Both Smrt and the angels wear a bold black eyepaint, with the angels sporting a more graphic liner look alongside black lipstick and Smrt having a more simple, but varied look through the production's 4 year run.

And what I think speaks to the greatness of the costumes is that the actors themselves were fond of wearing them. Pavel Režný in particular seemed very fond of his Smrt costume and makeup, doing the pre-show soundchecks in almost full costume and with the eyepaint, donning the full Smrt costume and makeup for concerts only to have to immediately take the full thing off and after the production derniere in Brno evidently not taking the Smrt makeup off until he returned home in the middle of the night.

Pavel Režný also went through multiple hairstyle changes through his run as Smrt, since he had to grow his hair out for Jesus Christ Superstar. So, after the derniere, we got a full on Jesus!Smrt moment for an offstage event. Tbh, I wish we had gotten this more flowy hairstyle on Smrt onstage while the show ran, because it is a look tbh:

Hope I didn't make this one too long and overwhelming, but I just love this production so damn much and feel free to ask more about it!

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5 years ago today, DJKT Elisabeth premiered. And, yes, I still miss this production

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I think I spotted a re-ocurring theme here, but DJKT really loves it when costume designers give memorable statement jackets to their leading men

And I honestly love it <3