Jonathon Collis
There are few names in German musicals bigger than Michael Kunze (picture: Alexander Wulz) - responsible for the German speaking scene's biggest hits, such as his series of "dramamusicals", including Elisabeth and Tanz der Vampire in addition to providing translations for the German productions of Aida, Wicked, and The Lion King.
Aiming to bring his work to the English speaking stage, Global Broadway Productions are workshopping an English version of Kunze's newest show, Rebecca, based on the Daphne Du Maurier novel, with a reading today (Friday October 2) starring Sierra Boggess, Pia Douwes, and Brent Barrett.
When Rebecca was first announced, there were plans to take it to Toronto, and then Broadway. Is that still the plan?
At the moment there are discussions to do it in London first, I think, after Toronto, but this has a lot to do with the plans of the producer, but it hasn't been decided yet.
Do you think it would do well in the West End?
I have two answers to that. I admire Daphne Du Maurier and her novel, and I really love the piece and think it belongs to England so it would be the natural thing to do it here and I think it's what she would prefer. On the other hand, it is also a most critical audience because it's kind of a treasure, this novel, and although I [think] we treated it very well and respectfully, you never know how people react, so it would make it more exciting if it would open in London.
You call your works "dramamusicals." Could you describe what makes a "dramamusical?"
The dramamusical is a tool to make clear that this is not a typical Broadway-type musical, which is more a musical-comedy. In what I do, we do drama with music. The way I write the shows is that I basically write the drama, of course with the music in mind, but the music is something that comes next, like a movie. The music is a very important element, but the most important element of the drama is the story, so the music really serves the story, and the music doesn't really have a right in its own beside the story, like a number that is just made for the music and the dance.
It really isn't something that I've invented. Jesus Christ Superstar [and] the other Andrew Lloyd Webber stuff, if you exclude Cats, follows the same kind of basic idea. Well, Andrew would never say that the music only serves the story, but that's what it really is. He uses the music to tell the story, and that's what all dramamusicals do.
If you look around the West End, what other shows would you classify as dramamusicals?
I think all the shows that concentrate on a dramatic story are dramamusicals. Billy Elliot is a dramamusical. Wicked is a dramamusical. I just want to distinguish where theatre is more theatrical than in a classical Broadway musical which is based on the vaudeville tradition, on dance, on spectacular things happening, and this is not what I look for. I believe in drama as the key entertainment in theatre, and I think I'm not the only one who does. I didn't even invent the name dramamusical, that was invented by a journalist.
I just think it's more European because I think the tradition of opera with the highly dramatic stories lent more to that kind of art-form, and I think that also our audiences in Europe, and I really include here in England, are more interested in going to theatre and have a real theatrical experience, a real emotional experience at last, not just an entertaining evening, but something they can discuss after the show.
You mentioned Wicked, for which which you translated the score. What drew you to it as a project, and did you feel any extra pressure on it because of the hype?
Not really, because the hype did not happen in Germany. As a matter of fact, I didn't want to adapt any more foreign musicals, but I've known Stephen Schwartz [for a long time] and he asked me to at least do the lyrics, and it was fun to do and I admire the show. I think it's a milestone in the development of the musical, because in the history of the musical, this show will be regarded as the first one that really combines the European tradition with the Broadway tradition.
You've done many, many translations, and this is your first time being properly translated into English. Do you find it difficult being on the other side of the translation fence?
