Interview: Catching up with Christian Struppeck, Book Writer of New Stephen Schwartz Musical SCHIKANEDER

Behind the scenes of the Raimund Theater in Vienna, Austria everybody is working in high gear at the newest in-house production of the Vereinigte Bühnen Wien: SCHIKANEDER - the turbulent love story behind The Magic Flute. The new musical by Stephen Schwartz (music and lyrics), Christian Struppeck (book) and Sir Trevor Nunn (director) will have its world premiere in Vienna on September 30th.

Just a little over a year after our last interview with Christian Struppeck, shortly after the musical SCHIKANEDER was announced, we got to catch up with him again to find out how the show has developed since then and how things are going in the rehearsal room.

Broadwayworld: It is well known that musicals often go through many drafts, both music and book. Scenes are rewritten, rearranged, songs get cut and new ones are written. What can you tell us about the process of working with Stephen Schwartz from the first draft to the finished show?

Christian Struppeck: At first we spent a long time doing research, over months Stephen Schwartz and I just talked about the plot and the characters, so that we could really get to know our protagonists. Then there were of course many steps from the first draft to the almost finished stage show: from the conception of book and songs (because we were both on the road all the time we were writing in Vienna, New York, London and Los Angeles), to readings and workshops in London and Vienna, to many work meetings with Trevor Nunn in London and New York, and finally the adaptation from the original English-language version to German with Dr. Michael Kunze, who also translated WICKED and THE HUNCHBACK OF NORTE DAME.

Fortunately, it is certainly easier today than it used to be, to collaborate internationally because you can write, compose and be creative anywhere. Modern technology makes it possible to communicate with colleagues quickly and easily without being in the same country. Now that the rehearsals have been underway for a few weeks in Vienna it is of course very exciting to see how the show develops from day to day and how it starts to take real shape.

BWW: Perhaps you can tell us something about the search for your leading actors. What makes Mark Seibert and Milica Jovanovic and the rest of the cast perfect for these parts?

CS: We had auditions for SCHIKANEDER in many German-speaking cities to find the perfect cast - there were over 1000 auditions - and we are proud to have found this exact cast to bring this production to life for the first time. Milica Jovanovic is an excellent, enchanting artist who brings lightness and optimism, but also self-assertion and strength to the part of "Eleonore". With Mark Seibert we were lucky to find the perfect actor for the renowned impresario, who will give wonderful utterance to this unique figure of the 18th Century Theater. He brings charm, charisma, self-assertion and determination to personify the part of Emanuel Schikaneder - this most powerful theater guy of his time who, in his own way, revolutionized the theater, and could create excitement about the theater among people of all classes like no other. All the other cast members of SCHIKANEDER are fabulous as well, and together they are the perfect team for this world premiere.

BWW: What's the rehearsal process like? Do you as author and artistic director have a lot of say, or do all the strings lie in the hands of director Trevor Nunn?

CS: Of course! The rehearsal and staging are fully under the leadership of our fantastic director, Sir Trevor Nunn. Rehearsals started at the end of July, we rehearse six days a week - we are in the middle of a very intense time right now. While Trevor Nunn is staging the show, Stephen Schwartz and I are still very involved in the creative process. We look at it as a joint artistic process, from the first draft of the book to ultimately the world premiere of the piece.

BWW: You decided to stage the show very historically accurate, especially in terms of sets and costumes, while MOZART for example was modernized. Why was that important to you?

CS: We liked the idea of telling the story of Schikaneder as authentically as possible, and to portrait that iridescent time period. Besides the opulent costumes by Anthony Ward that very much draw on historical clothing, we're also keeping the set very close to history. The 18th century was a very exciting time, especially for the theater, and we are fascinated by it. Because of that we thought it was only right to give the audience the chance to dive into this time with historical authenticity. By creating costumes and sets close to the originals we want to give the audience a real glimpse into Schikaneder's life and work.

BWW: What are your feelings ahead of the premiere? A world premiere is something really special you don't experience every day.

Of course it is very exciting to see, how an audience is going to react to a completely new show. With previews, we have a chance to make little changes, or if needed even something bigger, ahead of the premiere. The preview period is very exciting because you can feel for the first time you how a show is received, but it also a really good opportunity for some finishing touches. The whole team needs to work closely together and give it their all!

Photo Credit: VBW/ Herwig Prammer