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- Dear
Julee,
- As
an American living in Switzerland since 19 years now, I have had the
great pleasure to
- see
Ian Jon
Bourg in
both “Phantom Of The Opera” in Hamburg and now recently in
- "Tanz
der Vampire" in Stuttgart, Germany. I was so impressed, that
I feel the distinct
- need
to write a short report of our recent visit to TdV.
-
- The
idea to travel to Stuttgart to see TdV was Jutta’s. I had
given notice at my job, and
- was
finishing off the last few days there until July 12th.
Because Jutta knew that I had been totally frustrated with my job and
was so glad that it was all over, she asked me if I’d like
- to
go to Stuttgart. I automatically answered YES, and said let’s go
right after I’m finished
- at
my old job. Nothing better than a short break from my own four walls
at home to make
- the
future look brighter. My new job starts on August 2nd.
-
- Was
I glad that I wanted to travel right away, because otherwise we would
have
- missed
Ian
if we had waited a week. We must have had a guardian angel whisper to
us
- to
go immediately, as he flew off on vacation two days later!
-
- Stuttgart
was engulfed in rainy, cool, miserable weather upon our arrival. But
not to worry,
- we
were just so glad to have the tickets in our hands!! After freshening
up at our hotel
- and
meeting up with Bettina (who lives not far from Stuttgart), off we
went to the
- SI-Centrum.
My girlfriends already knew their way around the mall, but to me it
was all
- new
and I enjoyed the little shops in the arcade beneath the theater. We
had a bite to eat
- (not
a vampire bite) then headed for the theater entrance. The decorations
around the
- theater
sent some chills down my spine. By the looks of it, and all the staff
members that
- were
dressed in blood red shirts and black capes, I began to think that it
all had a very
- definite
spooky effect. Most everything was colored in black or red; even the
cocktails
- from
the bar were all bloody looking!
-
- The
souvenir shops were requested to return most of their merchandise, due
to the
- changeover
from Stella to Stage Holding, so not too many goodies were available.
We
- took
a long look at the roster of the players for the afternoon
performance. Jutta was
- grinning
ear to ear as the name Ian
Jon Bourg
stood opposite Count Krolock! Both
- Bettina
and Jutta gave me a short synopsis of this vampire story, and
confessed that all
- else
would have to be absorbed from the show live.
-
- Off
we went to our seats…uh-oh, they were already taken!!
Two rather arrogant and beady-eyed men said adamantly that
those were their seats. A ticket control showed that
- the
seats were given out twice (once by Stella; once by Stage Holding).
Off we went to
- the
usherette, who put us in the same row, but on the left-hand side
instead of the right, so luckily we had no further problems.
-
- Just
as I was fiddling with my ear plugs, the music started with such a
loud crescendo that
- both
Jutta and I jumped a foot from our seats!!
Quickly I got them in and settled back in
- great
expectations. Well, we weren’t disappointed!!! From the very first
moment on, this unusually sinister musical pulled us into it’s
spell. The spoken and
sung diction was
- excellent
in German and I was glued to the stage happenings. There was just so
much to
- look
at, to marvel at, to take in!!
-
- Enter
Ian Jon
Bourg as
Count Krolock stage right...wow, he truly looked like a vampire!!
- He
immediately took command of our emotions. His every motion was so
flowing, so overwhelming, so convincing!!
Ian
showed such an unbelievable stage presence, but this
- is
not strictly because of his tall height. He sinks into his character
the way a surgeon cuts
- open
a body…with precision!! Every
swaying of his cape, every controlled turn, every
- sharp
concentrated look into the eyes of his prey, every dramatically sung
word was so
- exact,
graceful and charming that one yearns for more.
-
- I
was anxious for the second act to start. Again, the music made me jump
as the second
- act
commenced. Honestly I found the music terrific and notable to become
catchy tunes,
- but
it was too loud!!
Without ear plugs I would have been suffering.
All the characters
- gave
their utmost and received roaring applause already during the show.
The
- choreography
was fantastic!! I must mention the name of the dancer who most
impressed
- me:
Stéphane Le Breton danced with such incredible, synchronized,
heartwarming, and
- sensual
movements, that I was wishing for more...
-
- The
graveyard scene was especially good! The dancers showed such expertise
in their
- field,
and I loved the terrific costumes they wore to the midnight ball!! The
music at this
- time
is haunting, yet had a strong beat. The vampire dance was enthralling;
the
- choreography
super!! What I also liked was the use of the theater aisles for the
performers.
- It
brought them a bit closer and integrates them with us!!
Then Ian
gave his extra best solo rendition of “Die unstillbare Gier”
(never-ending hunger) which stimulated every last nerve
- going
down my spine……brrrrr!! Bravo
Monsieur, sehr geistreich gesungen!!
-
- The
surprise ending (which I
won’t divulge) made a final statement to the whole story,
- and
left a haunting premonition that we would certainly be back again. I
particularly
- enjoyed
the last segment of dancing, which made the whole audience want to get
up
- and
dance too!! I don’t
usually jump up from my seat to give a standing ovation, but I
- was
just soooo impressed that I stood up the very first moment when the
dancers came on stage for curtain call. I wanted to be sure to let
them know how great they did too!!
The
- whole
audience was standing and clapping and stomping!
I love the way Ian
takes a bow,
- and
puts a hand to his heart!!
-
- I
try not to compare performers in musicals. Many a Phantom won my heart
with a super performance. I have my favorites like everyone else. But
I would just like to add my own personal comparison in that Ian
did an outstanding job, and a more perfect one than Kevin Tarte. Oh
dear, Kevin’s fans will be hounding me….it is only my
personal opinion. But I
- will
return to the TdV musical in Stuttgart and see what they both
have to offer a second
- time.
;-)
-
- Thanks
to you Ian
for a fantastic performance and making our weekend extra special. I
celebrate my birthday in September, and am now making plans to travel
to Stuttgart again
- as
a present to myself !! All
the very best to you and enjoy your stay in Germany…hey,
- btw,
your German is getting better and better !
-
- Respectfully
submitted,
- Denice
Rüegg xo
=
Fan story 4 =
-
-
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