Return to Manderley

As soon as the couple returns to de Winter’s Estate Manderley, trouble arises in the form of long-time housekeeper Mrs. Danvers. The ghost of Maxim’s first wife Rebecca seems to dominate everything that happens at Manderley, and Mrs. Danvers won’t hide her lack of respect for the new Lady of the House.

Mrs. Danvers

Just one year earlier, Rebecca had died in an alleged boating accident. She must have been a perfect wife and the most beautiful woman in the world…according to Mrs. Danvers. Maxim seems to be taken aback by his young woman’s loneliness and insecurities, and when she wears one of Rebecca’s precious gowns for a society ball, the new marriage begins to crumble…

Rebecca The Musical

And then police find Rebecca’s boat…with her corpse in it! At the time of the accident, Maxim had apparently identified a different victim’s remains as his wife’s body. Now, police consider him as their prime suspect…

Rebecca's Boating Accident?

Intrigues abound and de Winter’s situation seems hopeless. His young wife, however, discovers new strength and self-confidence through standing by his side. After a series of dramatic turns, Maxim gets cleared by police. The trials of this experience reward the couple with a truly happy ending. But Mrs. Danvers and Manderley must face a terrible finale…

Read the latest news about REBECCA’s North American debut:
Michael Kunze Interview – REBECCA U.S. Premiere, Toronto And Broadway

UPDATE…as of early 2010, a London premiere of REBECCA is planned for 2011.

• 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.

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.

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

It is very interesting to read Michael’s thoughts about “…winning over the British audience will be very difficult – especially if you come from continental Europe and tell them to watch the dramatisation of one of their literary treasures”.

Don’t miss this fascinating conversation!

Find the complete interview at “BWW Interviews: Writer and Interpreter Michael Kunze”

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…

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

Rebecca – The Story By Daphne Du Maurier

First, 2 years work on the libretto, then 2 more years on Sylvester Levay’s compositions, and a dream team began to form around sensational production plans. American director Francesca Zambelli and British set designer Peter Davison took the reigns of the creative crew. And on September 28, 2006…

Rebecca – The Musical! World Premiere At The Raimund Theater In Vienna

Please find the latest developments on the North American/Broadway plans for Rebecca in the news section of this site.

Rebecca The Musical

Rebecca - Mrs. Danvers

All images by Alexander Christopher Wulz.

I went on to become a successful rock musician with even more successful self-destructive tendencies. Poor me. (But nobody had forced me to create!) Poorer Amadeus! His upbringing was much more dramatic and Michael Kunze tells us all about it in his Hit Drama Musical Mozart!

On this page, I’d like to take a closer look at the historical version of Mozart’s life story. We might not hear too much about the real person but rather find a description of the legend as his contemporaries wanted to see him. But this will give us a good basis for the upcoming post on Michael’s work – a deeply emotional interpretation of Mozart’s life in the context of the artistic spirit’s timeless struggles.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Timeline Of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

What Instruments Did Mozart Play?

Clavier (pianoforte), harpsichord, organ, violin and viola.

The Music

The Operas

Mozart Comedy by Victor Borge

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