Elisabeth is a Viennese, German-language
musical commissioned by the
Vereinigte Bühnen Wien (VBW), with a book and lyrics by
Michael Kunze and music by
Sylvester Levay. It portrays the life and death of
Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as "Sisi", wife of
Emperor Franz Joseph I, from her engagement and marriage in 1854 to her murder in 1898 at the hands of the Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni, through the lens of her growing obsession with death, as her marriage and her empire crumble around her at the turn of the century.
It has been translated into seven languages and seen by over ten million spectators worldwide, making it the most successful German-language musical of all time. As of 2023[update], it has not been staged in English-speaking countries.
Synopsis
The show opens in the "world of the dead", where Luigi Lucheni is being interrogated by a Judge as to why he has murdered the Empress Elisabeth. Lucheni claims that he did no more than what Elisabeth herself wanted, since all her life Elisabeth has been in love with Death himself – and vice versa. As his witnesses, Lucheni brings back the dead aristocracy of the bygone era and takes us to the past, where he serves as a sarcastic narrator of the events that lead to the transformation of the sweet and innocent Sisi to the revered and infamous Elisabeth, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, and her decline through later years until her assassination.
At a young age, Sisi, grown up in a seemingly sorrowless environment, experiences her first encounter with Death, which launches a love–hate affair that will span her entire life.
Lucheni claims that once Franz Joseph, the Emperor of Austria, picks Elisabeth as his bride – for once opposing his domineering mother Sophie – he begins a chain of events that will eventually topple the Habsburg Empire. Elisabeth herself very soon comes to regret her seemingly "fairy-tale marriage". She feels abandoned by her careless husband, psychologically abused by her possessive mother-in-law, and is chronically depressed due to her loneliness. There is only one thing that keeps her emotionally stimulated—the dark and sensual shadow of Death; but Elisabeth is reluctant to consummate their relationship. When Death takes her infant daughter, the tragedy shakes the young Empress extremely, but she refuses to give in to Death's sway.
After her other two children, including her only son Rudolf, are taken away by Sophie, Elisabeth calluses over and becomes cold and selfish. She flees the Austrian court and spends decades restlessly travelling all over the world, trying in vain to escape from her fear of emptiness. Eventually, Elisabeth makes peace with her husband and finds new meaning in her life when she helps unify Austria and Hungary, but her newfound purpose makes her neglect her psychologically delicate son even further, sending young Rudolf into deep depression and causing him to bond with Death.
Eventually, Rudolf's own loneliness and his father's pressure cause him to snap and he embraces Death, committing suicide at Mayerling with his mistress, Mary Vetsera. This event completely breaks down Elisabeth and she begs Death to take her. However, her scorned lover now refuses to take her in.
Another decade goes by. Elisabeth still wanders from place to place, dressed in permanent mourning. Franz Joseph visits her from time to time, begging her to return home to Vienna, firmly believing that love is the answer to all sorrows, but Elisabeth refuses, citing that sometimes love is simply not enough to cure old wounds.
Finally, in a horrifying vision of the fall of the House of Habsburg, Franz Joseph at last meets his mysterious rival. He watches as Death throws Lucheni a dagger, but crushed by the weight of his imperial crest, he is powerless to save his wife.
On September 10, 1898, while on her way to board a ship in Geneva, Empress Elisabeth of Austria is mortally wounded, stabbed right in the heart with a crudely sharpened file. As she lies dying, Death comes to claim her spirit with a kiss. With their embrace, the show ends.
Death, the personification of the abstract concept of "
Death" or the "
Grim Reaper". His appearance is modeled on the poet
Heinrich Heine who was fascinated by Elisabeth, and the rock singer
David Bowie.
Luigi Lucheni, an
Italian anarchist and Elisabeth's assassin. He serves as the narrator in the story, quick to point out Elisabeth's flaws and fallibility.
Franz Joseph, the Emperor of Austria and later King of Hungary. Husband of Elisabeth.
The world premiere of Elisabeth, directed by
Harry Kupfer, took place on September 3, 1992, at the
Theater an der Wien in
Vienna,
Austria, where it ran until January 1997. After a brief hiatus, it reopened on September 4, 1997. The final closing date was on April 25, 1998. In October 2002, a 10th Anniversary miniseries of concerts took place at the
Wiener Konzerthaus in Vienna. The Vienna production was revived on October 1, 2003, and ran until December 4, 2005.a Other productions have been mounted in the following countries.
Additional songs have been added for some productions of Elisabeth that are not featured in all productions. Also the order of songs is often switched, which is the most noticeable between the German and the Viennese versions. This song list and order, with titles in English, is based upon the original Vienna production except where noted.
Act One:
Prologue (Prolog) - Judge, Lucheni, Death
Like You (Wie du) - Elisabeth, Max
Lovely to Have You All Here - (Schön, euch alle zu seh'n) Ludovika, Hélène, Family
No Coming Without Going (Kein Kommen ohne Geh'n) - Death (Hungarian, Japanese, 2012 and 2022 Vienna productions only (sung by Death and Elisabeth in 2012 and 2022 Vienna production))
Black Prince (Schwarzer Prinz) - Elisabeth (originally a direct reprise of Like You, rewritten for the Dutch premiere and subsequent productions, cut in 2012 Vienna production)
To Each He Gives His Own (Jedem gibt er das Seine) - Sophie, Franz-Joseph, the Court
Things Never Happen As Planned (So wie man plant und denkt...) - Lucheni, Sophie, Hélène, Elisabeth, Franz-Joseph
Nothing is Difficult Any More (Nichts ist schwer) - Franz-Joseph, Elisabeth
All Questions Have Been Asked (Alle Fragen sind gestellt) - Wedding Chorus (and Death in Japanese productions)
She Doesn't Fit (Sie passt nicht) - Sophie, Max, Wedding Guests
The Last Dance (Der letzte Tanz) - Death
An Empress Must Shine (Eine Kaiserin muss glänzen) - Sophie, Countess Esterházy, Ladies-in-Waiting
I Belong to Me (Ich Gehör Nur Mir) - Elisabeth
The First Four Years (Die Ersten Vier Jahre) - Lucheni, Elisabeth, Sophie, Ladies-in-Waiting, Franz-Joseph, The Court, Hungarians (finale completely rewritten for the Takarazuka production and partially for the Hungarian version.)
The Shadows Grow Longer (Die Schatten werden länger) (Preview) - Death
The Cheerful Apocalypse (Die fröhliche Apokalypse) - Lucheni, a Student, a Journalist, a Poet, a Bohemian, a Professor, coffeehouse patrons
Child or Not (Kind oder nicht) - Sophie, Countess Esterházy, Young Rudolf (appears from the German premiere and subsequent productions, shortened in the Tohon production, snd not utilized in the Takarazuka production)
Elisabeth, Open Up My Angel (Elisabeth, mach auf mein Engel) - Franz-Joseph, Elisabeth, Death
Milk (Milch) - Lucheni, the Poor (and Death in the Takarazuka production)
Beauty Care (Schönheitspflege) - Countess Esterházy, Ladies-in-Waiting
I Just Want to Tell You (Ich will dir nur sagen) (I Belong to Me Reprise) - Franz-Joseph, Elisabeth, Death (originally only Franz-Joseph and Elisabeth in the original Vienna and Hungarian productions)
Act Two:
Kitsch (Kitsch) - Lucheni (heavily rewritten and shortened in the Takarazuka production)
Éljen (which is Hungarian for "long live...") (Éljen) - Hungarian Crowds, Lucheni (and Death in Japanese productions; omitted in stagings produced Stage Entertainment; only existed for a brief period during previews of their original Dutch production)
When I Want to Dance (Wenn ich tanzen will) - Death, Elisabeth (written for the German premiere and appears in subsequent productions, except the Hungarian staging; shortened and heavily rewritten for the Takarazuka version)
Mama, Where Are You? (Mama, wo bist du?) - Young Rudolf, Death
Mama, Where Are You? (reprise) (Mama, wo bist du reprise) - Young Rudolf, Death (Original Dutch production only; the scene was inserted into the narrative gap created by moving the earlier song into act one)
She Is Insane (Sie ist verrückt) - Elisabeth, Frau Windisch
Nothing, Nothing, Nothing at All (Nichts, nichts, gar nichts) - Elisabeth (originally a dance-sequence with Elisabeth as Titania from A Midsummer Night's Dream, song heavily truncated in the Takarazuka production)
I Belong To Me (Ich Gehör Nur Mir reprise) - Elisabeth (Takarazuka productions only)
Us or Her (Wir oder sie) - Sophie, The Court
Don't Play the Prude (Nur kein Genieren) - Madame Wolf, Lucheni, Whores
The Last Chance (Or 'The Malady') (Die letzte Chance (Maladie)) - Death, Elisabeth
Between Dream and Reality (Zwischen Traum und Wirklichkeit) - Elisabeth (Toho 2000-2001 Japanese productions only, also recorded for the Stuttgart production cast recording, though not utilised in the actual show)
Argument between Mother and Son - Franz Josef & Sophie (Streit Mutter und Sohn) (proceeds Sophie's solo "Bellaria")
Bellaria (Bellaria) - Sophie (first appeared in Hungarian and Japanese productions starting in 1996; Has been present in all productions since then, except for the Takarazuka production)
The Restless Years (Die rastlosen Jahre) - Franz-Joseph, The Court, Ladies-in-Waiting, Lucheni
Hunt (Jagd) - A sequence referencing Elisabeth's hunting trips in Europe in the original Viennese production (deleted in almost w subsequent versions and currently exists only in the Hungarian production)
The Shadows Grow Longer (Die Schatten werden länger (Reprise)) - Death, Rudolf
Argument Between Father and Son (Streit Vater & Sohn) - Rudolf, Franz Joseph (first seen in the Dutch and Essen productions, then inserted into the Viennese revival and subsequent international productions)
Hate (Hass) - Anti-Semites & Lucheni (cut from the Takarazuka and South Korean productions due to controversial content, truncated for the 2001 & 2005 German production, heavily rewritten and abridged in the Japanese Toho production)
Conspiracy (Verschwörung) - Rudolf, Hungarian Nationalists, Death (does not appear in the Vienna production; expanded for the Takarazuka version)
Like You (Wie du (Reprise)) - Elisabeth, Max's Ghost (cut in the Takarazuka production)
If I Were Your Mirror (Wenn ich dein Spiegel wär) - Rudolf, Elisabeth
The Mayerling Waltz (Mayerling-Walzer) - Rudolf, Death, Mary Vetsera (musical sequence expanded in the Takarazuka production since the Star Troupe 1996 performance and used for all their current productions)
Rudolf, Where Are You? (Dirge) (Rudolf, wo bist du? (Totenklage)) - Elisabeth (a duet with Sophie's Ghost in the Dutch and Hungarian productions)
No Coming Without Going (Kein Kommen ohne Geh'n Reprise) - Death (Takarazuka productions only)
My New Assortment (Mein neues Sortiment) (Kitsch reprise) - Lucheni
Ships in the Night (Boote in der Nacht) - Elisabeth, Franz-Joseph (shortened and rewritten for the Takarazuka version)
On the Deck of the Sinking World (Am Deck der sinkenden Welt) - Lucheni, Death, Franz-Joseph, the Habsburgs (Missing first half of the song in the Takarazuka stagings)
The Veil Descends (Der Schleier fällt) - Elisabeth, Death
Closing Music (Schlussapplaus) - Instrumental (Length and assortment of themes vary from production to production)
CD and DVD releases
As of November 2007[update], there have been a total of at least twenty-five cast albums, complete works, demos, and promotional albums/singles, as well as eight commercial DVDs of the show, released to the public. These releases do not include countless other artists' solo albums and special compilations that also feature songs from the musical. Listed here are a few from the more mainstream, or better-known, productions.
VIENNA 1992 Elisabeth — original cast recording (Originalaufnahmen aus dem Musical Elisabeth) Elisabeth:
Pia Douwes, Der Tod:
Uwe Kröger, Luigi Lucheni:
Ethan Freeman Producer –
Jimmy Bowien Polydor GMBH - 513 792-2
VIENNA 1996 Elisabeth — complete live recording (Live aus dem Theater an der Wien Gesamtaufnahme des Musicals Elisabeth) Elisabeth:
Maya Hakvoort, Der Tod: Addo Kruizinga, Luigi Lucheni: Bruno Grassini Polydor GMBH - 531 481-2
On 19 and 20 January 1996, a complete live recording was made of the original Vienna run.
SCHEVENINGEN 1999 Elisabeth — original Dutch cast album Elisabeth: Pia Douwes, De Dood: Stanley Burleson, Luigi Luicheni: Wim van den Driessche Polydor - 543 335-2
ESSEN 2001 Elisabeth — original German cast album (Highlights der deutschen Urauffürung im Colosseum Theater Essen) Elisabeth: Pia Douwes, Der Tod: Uwe Kröger, Luigi Lucheni: Carsten Lepper Polydor GMBH - 549 800-2
VIENNA 2004 Elisabeth — Revival cast recording (Aktuelles Cast Album, Wien) Elisabeth: Maya Hakvoort, Der Tod: Máté Kamarás, Luigi Luicheni: Serkan Kaya HitSquad Records 6680530
VIENNA 2005 Elisabeth — complete live recording (Gesamtaufnahme live aus dem Theater an der Wien) Elisabeth: Maya Hakvoort, Der Tod: Máté Kamarás, Luigi Luicheni: Serkan Kaya, Kaiser Franz Joseph: André Bauer, Erzherzogin Sophie: Else Ludwig, Erzherzog Rudolf:
Fritz Schmid HitSquad Records 668262
On 30 and 31 October 2005, a complete live recording of the Vienna Revival was made. A more popular item among fans is a DVD of the show recorded on these same two nights. A November 2007 release of the same live recording in widescreen spread over 2 DVDs also boasts a 1-disc companion with a short history of backstage interviews, pictures, and production videos from the last thirteen years of the musical, subtitled in English and Japanese.
CDs and DVDs have also been released for each of the nine Japanese productions of the
Takarazuka Revue since 2016, and additionally for the Japanese 10th anniversary concert in February 2006. A CD has been released for the Vienna 10th anniversary concert which was staged in 2002.
Notes
^a The Vienna Revival also went on to tour Japan in 2007. It opened in
Osaka at the Umeda Arts Theatre on March 28, 2007, and showed 40 performances through April 30, 2007. On May 7, 2007, the production opened (in concert version) at the Koma Stadium Theatre in Tokyo. The Japan Tour of the Vienna Revival run ended on May 20, 2007.
^b For two consecutive summers, these special, week-long invitational concerts were held by the historic
Miramare Castle to promote the Vienna Revival. These performances were held during the show's annual summer pause, and several cast members from the Vienna Revival participated. The concerts were performed in German and Italian.
^cElisabeth premiered in the Hungarian language at The Open-Air Theatre of Szeged in August 1996. The Budapest production that premiered at The Operetta Theatre in October 1996, took over the repertoire for the previous Open-Air production. Between the years of 1996 and 2005, with allowance for casting changes and the use of the theatre's space for other various events, subsequent productions were held (including the Miskolc run). The Hungarian production has a running history of eight years, the longest running, un-interrupted Elisabeth production in the world.
A new production of the musical with a partially new cast opened at the Operetta Theatre in Budapest in July 2007. Since then, Elisabeth enjoys a regular run at The Operetta Theatre.
^d Since 1996, the musical has been performed at least once by each of the five troupes of the all-female Japanese
Takarazuka Revue.
Yukigumi/Snow Troupe- The Takarazuka Grand Theatre (February 16 - March 25, 1996); The Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre (June 3–30, 1996)
Reprise: The Takarazuka Grand Theatre (May 4 - June 18, 2007); The Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre (July 6 - August 12, 2007)
Hoshigumi/Star Troupe- The Takarazuka Grand Theater (November 8 - December 16, 1996); The Tokyo Takarazuka Theater (March 4–31, 1997)
Soragumi/Cosmos Troupe- The Takarazuka Grand Theater (October 30 - December 20, 1998); The 1000 Days Theater (February 19 - March 29, 1999)
Hanagumi/Flower Troupe- The Takarazuka Grand Theater (October 4 - November 18, 2002); The Tokyo Takarazuka Theater (January 2 - February 9, 2003)
Reprise: The Takarazuka Grand Theatre (July 22 - August 22, 2014); The Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre (October 11 - November 16, 2014)
Tsukigumi/Moon Troupe- The Takarazuka Grand Theater (February 4 - March 21, 2005); The Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre (April 28 - May 22, 2005)
Reprise: The Takarazuka Grand Theatre (May 22 - June 22, 2009); The Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre (July 10 - August 9, 2009)
^e After its run in Berlin, the Semmel Concerts production of Elisabeth proceeded to tour Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, and Austria. Dates for the Semmel Concerts Tour are as follows:
^f After its run in Seoul, Interpark revealed other cities EMK Musical Company's 2013 production of the Korean version of Elisabeth will travel to and perform in South Korea. Dates are as follows:
Busan, South Korea- Busan Cultural Center (September 14–15, 2013)
Daegu, South Korea- Keimyung Art Center (September 21–22, 2013)
Gwangju, South Korea- Gwangju Culture & Art Center (September 28–29, 2013)
Changwon, South Korea- Sungsan Art Hall (October 19–20, 2013)