#mary vetsera

[dozydawn]

Mary Vetsera’s sheer black nightgown from Mayerling. Designed by Nicholas Georgiadis.

Row 1: Sarah Lamb, Melissa Hamilton, and Mara Galeazzi.

Row 2: Lauren Cuthbertson, Alessandra Ferri, and Melissa Hamilton.

Row 3: Viviana Durante, Alina Cojocaru, and Tamara Rojo.

[obscurehistoricalinterests]

'Sisi' was a terrible empress. Her romanticization needs to STOP.

In more recent decades, Elisabeth has received a growing attention in pop culture: there are several series, films and even a musical paying tribute to her legend. Her beauty is admired, her trials and tribulations are pitied, her struggle to escape the chafing constraints of royal life is celebrated. There's a whiff of feminism surrounding her lately - a strong, intelligent woman, metaphorically, and if we take the film Corsage, even literally flipping off the patriarchy. She's galloping through forests barefoot, she's facing off her tyrannical mother in law, she's fighting for her freedom, for control over her own life. German writer Karen Duve goes as far as to call Elisabeth "an undiscovered feminist icon." 

But... was she? One of her ladies in waiting once said that Elisabeth will "live on in legend, not in history". And right she was. You see, Elisabeth has triumphed. When I look around, it seems as if we see her exactly as she would have wanted us to. A tragic heroine, a beautiful apparition, a nymph who somehow got trapped in the mortal realm, to her immense suffering. And for a modern woman,  there is much to empathize with in Elisabeth: her sublime sensitivity, her iron self-discipline, her headstrong character, her inborn thirst for freedom. But upon lifting the starry veil of this ethereal fairy-tale queen, one will find the face of a much more complex, flawed and ultimately human woman. Self-obsessed and narcissistic, monstrously selfish and possessive, cruelly indifferent to her empire (with one all-consuming exception), incessantly self-victimizing and deeply, deeply unhappy - overwhelmingly through her own fault.  

[annebrontesrequiem]

Every time some historian or whatever calls Mary Vetsera an idiot I feel the need to once more scream into the universe that this girl was seven-fucking-teen when she died. Moreover she was seventeen when she was shot and killed (i.e. murdered) by the thirty year old heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne.

She said in the note she left that she was happy to die with her love but are you a historian really going to call a - I repeat - seventeen year old a nitwit (or worse a seductress/machinist of this plot)? Are you not going to think about the position she was in? Like, c'mon guys. Please. Grow a few braincells.

[archduchessofnowhere]

Letter from Baroness Mary Vetsera to her friend Hermine Tobbis, on her first meeting with Crown Prince Rudolf on November 5 of 1888:

Today you receive a blissful letter, because I was with him [Crown Prince Rudolf]; Marie Larisch [friend of the Vetseras and Rudolf's first cousin] took me along to do errands, then we went to “Adèle” to have ourselves photographed—for Him, naturally—and then we went behind the Grand Hotel again, where Bratfisch [Rudolf's coachman] was waiting for us. We buried our faces deep in our boas, and away we went at a racing gallop—to the [Hofburg] palace.—At a small iron door, an old manservant was waiting for us; he led us up through a number of dark staircases and rooms and finally stopped in front of a door and bade us enter. As we entered, a black bird, a kind of raven, flew at my head and a voice from the next room called out: “Please, Ladies, step in further, I’m here.” We went in, Marie introduced me, and we were soon deeply engaged in a Viennese conversation. Finally he said: “I must speak to the Countess alone” and went into another room with Marie. During this time, I examined everything: on his desk, there lay a revolver and a skull. I took the latter into my hand and peered at it from all sides. Suddenly he came back in and, quite startled, took it out of my hand. When I told him that I was not scared of him at all, he smiled. As we were leaving, he led us himself through a dark hall and to a staircase, and said to Marie: “Bring her to me again soon, please!”

You must swear to me to tell no one of this letter, neither Hanna [Mary's sister] nor Mama [Baroness Helene Vetsera], because if either of those two should ever hear of it, I would have to kill myself.

Arens, Katherine (2014). Belle Necropolis: Ghosts of Imperial Vienna

Pictured: Countess Marie Larisch (left) and Baroness Mary Vetsera (right). Mary dated this picture and gave it to her friend Hermine as a present, saying to her that "that was the first time I was at the Crown Prince's". Via Wikimedia Commons.

[kaiserinelisabethsposts]

Marie Vetsera wearing her beautiful moon pin 🌙

[vixonimus]

i'm thinking about twilight of empire and how they speculate that rudolf could have been bipolar which makes a lot of sense and adds a lot of context. time to do endless research

[colorizedhistory]

[ronnydeschepper]

135 jaar geleden: het drama van Mayerling

Le 30 janvier 1889, dans un pavillon de chasse de Mayerling, au sud de Vienne, sont retrouvés les corps de l’archiduc Rodolphe et de sa maîtresse, la baronne Marie Vetsera, âgée de 17 ans. Les deux amants se sont suicidés. À 31 ans, Rodolphe, fils de l’empereur François-Joseph et d’Elisabeth alias “Sissi”, est l’héritier de la couronne des Habsbourg. Il devait, à la mort de son père, lui succéder…

[fitzrove]

You've heard of the sparkly Empress Elisabeth nail file. Now get ready for um.....

the crown prince Rudolf and Mary Vetsera shot glass........ only available for purchase AT MAYERLING...

(Thank you so much for getting me this @distinguished-shipper !!!!!!! 🤣🤣🤣)

[yuzukahibiscus]

Jewels of Takarazuka – Yuzuka Rei-san [Flower Troupe] (from Fujingaho May Issue)

This series documents the words of Takarazuka Top Stars, and their strength of living in the current age and Yuzuka Rei of Flower Troupe appears on this month’s issue.  Like a king that shines ever brightly on stage, Yuzuka-san appears on the photoshoot scene and we compliment her for having a flawless beauty like a deer in the wild. Then when she’s standing in front of the camera now, it seems like some kind of story is about to begin… Yuzuka-san speaks with carefully woven words and with a soft voice, talks about what she is thinking now.

Even if the acting is decided already every day, I just love presenting a new vibe to it

The one we admire in Shoujo Manga, the piano magician with fervent fans, the Broadway Star Dancer. With her gorgeous visual and delicate acting, Yuzuka-san brings such beautiful characters you couldn’t see in reality to life. If you watch her stage performances, you’d see that the world of dreams is here now……That’s what I firmly believe. When we interviewed Yuzuka-san, she was challenging to perform the famous work in Takarazuka Revue, the renowned musical of “MAYERLING”. It is about the tragic love story between Austria Crown Prince Rudolf and his lover Mary Vetsera. Yuzuka-san used to express it uniquely, “I don’t want [my performance] to look like it was cultivated artificially but to deliver one that is naturally moving”, so how did she feel when she was working on this famous musical?

“I’ve said that, haven’t I (LOL). I really like fresh air. So in the world that I’m portraying, even though we’d be doing the same things every day… That’s quite the opposite of what I said [about natural acting] (LOL). But even if we’re doing the same things every day, those first encounters and experiences are different every time. In contrast, even though it may be the first time I’m seeing some audience, I can feel that they’re the important people who’ve always known me… Performers and the audience can create some feelings and reactions together that not even we can imagine, and that’s something that I always find enjoyable. The premiere of this performance was 40 years ago. Even though there’s a little change in direction, the prologue song and the choreography was similar to how it was back then. I’d act according to what I understand from the whole setup of the musical. I won’t think about what I think is correct, instead I’ll continue to question my interpretation and delve into it more to act while thinking about it.”

In this musical with such intensity, you’d have to build up so much strength for the ending…

“Amidst the intensity and while continuing to maintain focused, there’s a unique kind of energy in musicals, surprisingly I’m not too overwhelmed by that. But while that builds up and accumulates densely, I think it’s difficult to overcome the “gap” or that “space” when [the tension] couldn’t build up well. Or maybe I should say, that it feels like those Jenga building blocks…… But the concentration the audience have for this musical is higher than before, so I felt that they also helped us create this ambience for us together.”

I want to walk a path that won’t feel like I’m betraying myself

This is perhaps the charm that’s only unique in live performances.

But in these 3 years, the previous situation was still unstable and as a leader she led the troupe to overcome very tough circumstances.

“I really thought that while I’ve been learning, I’ve already walked this far. Even in the same scenarios, I’ve come to learn that depending on people’s circumstances, there would be different feelings and the way we approach things also change. I know that it’s not good to just evaluate things while thinking only of ourselves. If everything was successful, I think it might be difficult to have the experience where everyone aims at “facing wholeheartedly towards stage performances” together…… so I thought I acquired a lot [during this time.] Whatever something happens, I want to be the person that people can trust in. Even if I covered it up, only I would know how I have dealt with that problem. Sometimes I may not know if I’ve made a wrong decision, and I won’t even know if that would be the best decision for that time, yet there must be something that I could learn from in failure. That’s why, I’ve decided not to do things that would make me lose confidence in myself. I often say be confident in yourself, but it’s difficult to believe in yourself without evidence. “Trust” might be a slightly different word, but I don’t try to deceive myself, instead I worked hard for it desperately… I wish I could feel that way without any hesitation,  and I would want to say that my underclassmen self when I was still trying to find that confidence.”

That delicate and soft feeling may be different from what she said a few years ago about “wanting to face my weaknesses earnestly”. 

“When we act, we think about humans, but it’s difficult to comment on whether they’re strong and weak. If they’re “weak”, they may seem negative at first glance, but they also may be someone that has great observation, a profound imagination,  and that they sincerely care only for a particular something. So “strengths” and “weaknesses” are two sides of a coin. If one believes too much that “I am strong”, that may instead lead to this pushing force that overwhelms oneself. So I’d say, it’s fine to be weak. Because humans are not born to be perfect. Rest a little, recover yourself, find your strategy to face your next task. When you find that strategy, if someone else has troubles, you could then help them. When I was playing as Rudolf, I really felt how greatly people impact others. That’s probably why I have such thought.”

Embracing her internal weaknesses with that resilient strength bestows her with the persuasion capacity on stage. Perhaps the Flower Troupe stage performances she lead will continue to shine radiantly.

MY JEWEL ~The jewel of the heart~

This is a photo of my nephew and my dog. “Even though they don’t always meet, but when they do, they’d always take a walk. My dog loves my nephew and is always smiling. My nephew leads the dog carefully like an adult when they walk together and I can slowly feel his growth. Now as I’m playing as Rudolf, I’d have to say, “Because of everyone’s great love, I have also progressed and grown.”

ON STAGE...

“ENCHANTEMENT –A Luxurious Perfume–” is a stylish  revue with perfume as the theme. This is a Takarazuka-styled revue wound in the gorgeous world of black tailcoats, silk hat and cane. Apart from singing and dancing, you could see her sometimes chic and sometimes sexy, that you couldn’t miss her out in any instant.

Next stage: Musical Romance “A Battlefield for the Two of Us” (Author/Director: Masatsuka Haruhiko)

In a stage of a fictitious federation formed by numerous autonomous states, this is about a young military officer with burning passions and how he struggles between the gap of the country and the individual, portraying his story of an “unacceptable” love and great friendship. Yuzuka-san says, “It’s very interesting learning from the rehearsal of Masatsuka (Hirohiko)-sensei’s musical. “War” is still sometimes that is relevant to us in this age, so I will cherish the importance of performing this production and do my best to create this production.”

[theresamouseinmyhouse]

go ahead. ask me abt my mayerling ballet au. i can be normal. i promise. im totally normal and wont yap about sarah lamb and steven mcrae as mary vetsera and rudolf for hours i wont i swear

[mew-the-classic-peach]

My unsolicited headcanon about der Tod's veil

Please note that my headcanon only applies to 2 productions: Original Vienna (1992) and Vienna Revival I (2004).

The first appearance of the veil occurs in Act 2 during Die Schatten werden länger, and the next time the veil is seen is during the Mayerling Walzer. If you have sharp eyes and pay close attention, you can observe der Tod draping the veil over his shoulders and then covering Rudolf’s body with it after the prince’s suicide. From that point onwards until the end of the musical, the veil does not appear again.

The question arises as to why der Tod used the veil when he met Rudolf in his carriage during Die Schatten werden länger.

Now, let’s go back to when Rudolf was a child. When the little prince asks him to stay, der Tod responds, “I’ll stay close to you.” Due to this promise, it is likely that der Tod and Rudolf would meet again before decades pass and the prince grows up. This is based on the timeline rather than what the audience sees on stage. It is highly possible that der Tod was often with Rudolf, more so than with Elisabeth, as Rudolf was easier for him to manipulate.

We all know that der Tod does not have a fixed appearance but can take on different forms depending on who is allowed to see him. For example, in Die letzte Chance/Maladie, der Tod appears as a doctor to Elisabeth. This suggests that der Tod could be anyone around Elisabeth and Rudolf, making it impossible to recognize him. So how did Rudolf recognize der Tod in the Die Schatten werden länger? The answer lies in the veil.

It is possible that der Tod appeared in a different form when Rudolf encountered him during that time. The veil served as a symbol for Rudolf to identify that the person before him was der Tod.

To further support this argument, let’s consider the Mayerling Walzer. In this waltz, the Death Angels and der Tod resemble Mary Vetsera and are indistinguishable. So how does Rudolf know which one is the “Mary” he seeks to embrace? Once again, the answer lies in the same veil that is draped over der Tod’s shoulders. The kiss of death occurs, Rudolf pulls the trigger, and der Tod covers the prince’s body with the veil. After this point, the veil does not appear again because der Tod no longer requires it.

Visit my WordPress for more Elisabeth das Musical headcanons.

[catullus101]

Lynn Seymour, a dancer of extraordinary intensity, died yesterday on the eve of her 84th birthday. A muse of Kenneth MacMillan and Frederick Ashton, she originated some of the most electrifying roles conceived during the 60s and 70s.

In this clip from 1978 you can see her dance with David Wall in Mayerling as Mary Vetsera, a role she originated during her last full season with the Royal Ballet. She was described as “a dance-actress without peer in her generation”.

[kdreader02]

Aight remember this post of mine, positing an Elisabeth AU for Alien Stage, specifically Hyuna and Luka?

Well let’s just say after round 7 Luka is even MORE Tod coded to me, especially when you look at the very first Elisabeth production, in 1992.

In that version, during Mayerling, Tod comes to Rudolf wearing a completely different outfit. It has been speculated here he is disguised as Mary Vetsera, the real life Rudolf’s mistress and the girl he committed murder-suicide with.

Now, think about what Luka does. He mimicked Sua to Mizi, and Ivan to Till, driving both of them deeper into depression and likely suicidal ideation.

Plus we have Hyuna wanting to live her life for herself, and when she told a young Luka this, he got confused and said “But your life belongs to me,” which is EXACTLY how Tod feels about Elisabeth in the musical…

Idk, I think my hyperfixations are completely merging at this point lmao

[archduchessofnowhere]

Re-read the chapter from Twilight of Empire in which Greg King and Penny Wilson introduce Mary Vetsera and it was way worse than I remembered: they don't cite a single primary source, relying almost entirely on memoirs usually written at least 10 years after Mayerling by people of varying credibility (some who didn't even knew Mary!), all which of course characterize her as a vain seductress. Kinda crazy how at no point they question whether these testimonies are credible or if the authors were just repeating the rumors of the time, specially when you are quoting people as dubious as Catherine Radziwill and Marguerite Cunliffe-Owen.

[femmes-et-art]

J. Frederick Smith, Baroness Mary Vetsera.