#i8r musicals

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"Elisabeth" Side by Side:

I suggest watching full screen

Left: Yu Shirota as death and Ikusaburo Yamazaki as Lucheni

Right: Yoshio Inoue as death and Songha as Lucheni

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Kissed By Death vs. Kissing Death

Trigger Warning: This Post Contains Discussions and Depictions of Suicide.

Warning: Spoilers for "Elisabeth Das Musical"

This should come as no surprise, but I enjoy different variations of the same story. The most subtle differences can change things resulting in a different interpretation.

The performance inspiring this post is the 2016 Japanese production of “Elisabeth das Musical” staring Yuu Shirota as Der Todd (death) and Furukawa Yuta as Prince Rudolph.  The scene: Mayerling Waltz.

In act 2, Rudolph commits suicide at the imperial hunting lodge in Mayerling. This production differentiates itself from others by having Prince Rudolph kiss death rather than death kissing Rudolph. Not only that, but Rudolph independently pulls the trigger rather than in tandem with Der Todd. I thought this was a fantastic artistic choice.

Above: A 2006 production of Elisabeth das Musical

It’s subtle, but REALLY drives home that Rudolph made a conscious decision to end his own life. He holds the gun, thinks about it, then embraces death, taking the kiss for himself. This is a departure from the standard portrayal where death is often seen holding the gun along with Rudolph (sometimes forcing it into his hands) and stealing the kiss just seconds before the gun goes off. Both renditions tell the story of suicide, showing the manic franticness and fear of a person about to make a life ending decision. However, that last part, being kissed by death vs kissing death gives different a slightly different meaning.

Below I have some scenes for comparison (after MUCH trial and error due to tumblr only allowing one upload per post.) -_-

This first clip is from the 2005 Austrian production at the Theater an der Wien staring Máté Kamarás as Der Todd and Johann Ebert as Rudolph.

This second clip is from the 2009 Belgium production in Antwerp staring Oliver Arno as Der Todd and Thomas Hohler as Rudolph.

Finally the 2016 Japanese production of “Elisabeth das Musical” staring Yuu Shirota as Der Todd (death) and Furukawa Yuta as Prince Rudolph.

There's a peace there, a release, a forfeit. He fought for as long as he could, but then he just didn't want to fight anymore.

In the typical portrayal of this scene, it seems (to me) that Rudolph's death is rash, impulsive, and he is unsure until the end. Which is also much closer to the historical truth btw.

In refence to the personification of death, there is also the implication that, although Rudolph is suicidal, death is making the ultimate decision, pushing and (in some productions) even forcing Rudolph to kill himself. It makes it as though Der Todd killed Elisabeth's son, which again, in the context of personifying death is a metaphor.

This may not be the last you see of Elisabeth das Musical from me, I'll leave you with a 17mintue comparison compilation I found on YouTube:

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I forgot I did this. Yes, it was a middle of the night project lol. (I suggest watching it full screen.)

TOHO's production of Elisabeth das Musical

Left: Yu Shirota (White Version)

Right: Inoue Yoshio (Black Version)