Drama Musicals » Chats With Michael Kunze

Dream Drama Musical Seeks Producer

Achim — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:22:46 +0000

Michael Kunze dreams of creating a drama musical about flying. And then he wonders about two things…

why has it never been done before?
will it ever be produced?

Dream Musical

“The idea that the human mind can invent something that enables us to fly…is an incredible musical theme”, says Michael, “and it must be done on stage!”

Is there a producer out there who would like to do a show on flying?

Image courtesy of vramak. Thank you.

Libretto Translation | German Adaptions Of English Hit Musicals

Achim — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:00:48 +0000

In our video chat about libretto translation, I asked Michael Kunze about his highly successful German adaptions of famous hit musicals, such as Cats, A Chorus Line, Phantom Of The Opera, The Lion King, Evita, Mamma Mia, and numerous other musical world hits. I wondered how easy (or difficult) it is to translate a libretto from English into German.

A simple manual on wikiHow emphasizes the following points:

Always remember that your translation must preserve the meaning of the original libretto (song).
Remember how you feel the music? Sometimes it fills you with sadness sometimes with joy. First of all listen to the music. It will give you the main impression of the piece.
Then listen to or read a text. Understand its meaning and translate it word for word.
Then find suitable words in your own language which fit to the line and have rhymes. In the same time keep an eye or an ear on what you write.
Sometimes your text may argue with the original one and may not express the meaning of the original, but it must provoke the same feelings as the original piece. But the main idea of the story must remain unchanged.

Michael Kunze goes much deeper with his answer. He explains the need to crawl or “creep” inside the original author’s mind and create the adaptation as if that author knew how to speak German with all its nuances and were writing the new libretto himself…

But what if the English or American author does not understand German one bit – how can he verify that the adaptation reflects the original spirit of his work? Andrew Lloyd Webber would certainly make sure that the quality of his masterpieces won’t suffer in a foreign-language translation…

Phantom image courtesy of Monique Wingard. Thank you.

Working With Roman Polanski

Achim — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 03:19:20 +0000

Michael Kunze’s hit musical Tanz der Vampire (Dance of the Vampires) was based on Roman Polanski’s 1967 spoof horror film The Fearless Vampire Killers.

I asked Michael about his experience working with someone as eccentric as the great Polish director…

Seven Deadly Sins Of A Bad Musical

Achim — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:37:31 +0000

Michael presents what he regards as the 7 Deadly Sins Of A Bad Musical – mistakes that leave us bored and empty after a performance rather than inspired, energized and entertained from a rousing master piece of musical theater.

Did we “get” the purpose of the story withing the first few minutes?

Did we identify with the main characters and benefit from their learning experience?

Did the music facilitate our own transformation throughout the play?

Listen to Michael Kunze’s definition of a killer musical digging its own grave…

The Structure Of A Drama Musical

Achim — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:35:35 +0000

Michael calls himself a ‘story architect’ because he thinks that building a solid structure is his most important job in a drama musical…

Michael Kunze’s Path From Pop Music To Drama Musical

Achim — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:38:32 +0000

I was curious about Michael Kunze’s motivation to move away from a highly-successful pop producer’s career and enter a somewhat risky enterprise – reinventing a popular and established genre – the musical.

Michael said, “Jesus Christ Superstar by Andrew Lloyd Webber changed everything!” How about a trip down “Memory Lane”…