Roman Polanski to Helm THE DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES in Paris this Fall

According to the L.A. Times, Roman Polanski will helm the Paris premiere of THE DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES, based on his 1967 film THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS, and featuring a score by Jim Steinman, and book and lyrics by Michael Kunze. The production is slated to begin performances on October 16 at Théâtre Mogador, with the French title LE BAL DES VAMPIRES.

The musical, originally billed as TANZ DER VAMPIRE when it premiered in Vienna in 1997, which Polanski also directed, had a brief Broadway run in 2002, with David Ives at the helm and Michael Crawford starring. The production closed shortly thereafter.

"I would never have thought that we could bring together so many people for a stress conference -- um, press," Polanski said, confirming his involvement at a French press conference yesterday. Journalists probed the acclaimed director, asking if he'd be interested in appearing in the musical. He said: "Yes, but there's too much text to learn, and I don't know how to sing."

Last October, Kunze first announced that the production would be making its Paris premiere this fall, writing in a blog post: "Besides being the center of fashion and the paradise of lovers, Paris is a city of of art and entertainment. Nevertheless for a long time none of the famous Broadway and West End musicals made a splash here. Not even "Les Miserables" had a long run production in Paris. A few years ago the Dutch Stage Entertainment Company rented the legendary Mogador Theatre and turned it in a musical palace, and since that time the art form of the musical has found a home in France. So far,Cabaret, Mamma Mia, Sister Actand Beauty and the Beast had successful runs at the Mogador. I'm excited about the news that the next show coming to Paris will be my Dance Of The Vampires, slated to open in October 2014."

Polanski is a Polish film director, producer, writer and actor. Having made films in Poland, Britain, France and the USA, he is considered one of the few truly international filmmakers. His most notable films include THE PIANIST, ROSEMARY'S BABY, CHINATOWN and more. He recently directed the film adaptation of Ives' Tony-winning play VENUS IN FUR.

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