Premiere "Tanz der Vampire" in Russia. Review

7th October, 2011. Сhannel "Culture", Russia
Elena Gazaeva (Sarah): «Yesterday they had fun, people were screaming in the hall...»
Vera Sveshnikova (Sarah -- second cast, ensemble): «Once walk past a human and I want him to bite a little...»
Manana Gogitidze (Rebecca): «I think, everybody are vampires a little».
Irina Ivanova (ensemble): «We decided that we shall start our show with the words «with God». We decided that since probably will be better».
«Tanz der Vampire» is a musical remake of Roman Polanski's film «The Fearless Vampire Killers» shot in 1967, and though the film had not become a landmark in the career of the famous film director, its musical version created quite a stir. Polanski set it in Vienna in 1997. Since then, the musical has become the most famous in Europe. It is even called «a hit on a planetary scale». For this production 23 experts from all over the world came to Russia lead by the director Cornelius Baltus from Holland.
Cornelius Baltus (director): « I do think, that vampires, if we look at the famous movie «Twilight», are very actual theme, because they appeal to our fantasy. So a lot of moments of the show refer to nowadays, to today's thinking, actually».
Anna Lukoyanova (Magda -- second cast, swing): «Everybody has grown accustomed already to what happens around - dirt, fear, some horror, and people have long ceased to pay attention to it. And here it is exaggerated to such an extent that you begin to wonder: why do you think this is a fairytale?»
Having learnt that the celebrated musical was set in Russia, Roman Polanski was delighted and even expressed his pleasure in video message.
Ekaterina Popova (ensemble): «We are very friendly, we are glad that we met, because we are all from different cities, and this new atmosphere, the situation is not like in the stationary theater. This is very cool. And everybody has different experience, and it is very interesting to communicate».
Elena Gazaeva (Sarah): «In Moscow I have a lot of different work, and when I learned that in St. Petersburg a casting would start a lot of people told me: «Lena, what for? Here you have plenty of work! Will you go all over the country for various castings? I replied: «It's «Tanz der vampire», it's Roman Polanski».
Cornelius Baltus (director): « If we look at the plot of this show -- a young girl falls in love with a young man, but then she decides to marry an old man, a flatterer, a vampire. I think this plotline is very actual. It happened anywhere and at all times».
Ivan Ozhogin (Graf von Krolock): «Nobody knows, who vampires actually are, but to perform it an actor has fantasy. He's a deep-feeling vampire, who is going through a very subtle and deep tragedy. He has lived for 400 years, he knows what will happen tomorrow and it's very hard. All this has already happened, life revolves for him like a carousel. He has to look for something something personal, some pleasures of life, sense. And here he is in constant search, he is trying to find».
To attend St. Petersburg premiere Kevin Tarte, the oldest of the existing Krolocks, the idol of modern Germany's youth, came flying from Stuttgart. He plays the aristocratic vampire for 11 years, and now decided to support his novice colleague.
Ivan Ozhogin (count von Krolock): «Kevin gave me his ring, with which he had played for 11 years. Now it is with me».
About the scope of the project can be judged by these facts: the scenery changes 75 times, more than 220 original costumes, wigs and make-up options were made.
Volfgang Huelbig (Austria, producer): «There were a lot of comical moments. For example, the sewn costumes were entirely new, and we began to prepare them for the show - to brush with metal scraper to wear out. And the people who sewed them were shocked».
Eugenia Vorobieva (ensemble): «From a technical point of view it is a very complex show».
Manana Gogitidze (Rebecca): «I think that mounters have never run like this before., with such big eyes! They are fine people, they do a tremendous job! I think that they have never had such experience, so lots of respect to them from the actors».
Elena Gazaeva (Sarah): «Everyone discovered something in himself, it's some new emotions and feelings. I'm going offstage, I am shaking - oh, I've never experienced this, how is it cool! Just music, text, images - all are very impressive».
Ivan Ozhogin (Graf von Krolock): «It's very interesting to feel in a different way, I began to live differently, to think differently. I began to appreciate life and every moment of my life».
This project is not just a luxury that the Theater of Musical Comedy can afford, but a big risk which the director Yuri Schwarzkopf decided to take. And this risk seems to be quite reasonable. We saw the staging of the highest level. This musical has the nerve that can hit not only fans of gothic, but also the most divine audience.