BWW Feature: COACH BACHMANNS HIDDEN HANDSTAND THEATRE at Imhere Aerial Dance StudioMarch 3, 2020Ever thought of taking classes with Acrobats who have been seen at Cirque Du Soleil, Palazzo, Cirque De Demain, and Les Sept Doigts De La Main. Sascha Bachmann, trained at the National Circus School under the supervision of Yury Bozyan opened his Hidden Handstand Theatre in the heart of Vienna. For the next three months, you can join Coach Bachmann to learn what it means to be a great Artist. Bachmann has been in PIPPIN on Broadway and has taken the road with the show.
BWW Interview: Stephen Martin Allan of CATS at RONACHERFebruary 27, 2020Andrew Lloyd Webbers show based on T.S. Elliotts Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats is still a record-breaker. The current Viennese production is playing in front of a full house seven times a week. We got the chance to sit down and talk about the show with Stephen Martin Allan Broadwayworld Austria Award Winner ( Best Supporting Actor in a Musical) who is giving his musical debut as the sparkling Mr. Mistoffelees.
BWW Review: DAS MUSICAL-ISCHE WOHNZIMMER at Ankersaal ViennaFebruary 27, 2020Barbara Obermeier (Jellylorum/US Grizabella) and Stefan Konrad (Chairman of Nestwärme Austria) came up with the idea about doing a charity concert as a kickstart for NESTWÄRME in Austria after they ran into each other on the street. As Mondays are OFF-Days for Musical Actors in Vienna, there might be no better day to gather together some fine voices. Spending their only day off doing a concert for a good cause is something you never can take for granted. Obermeier and Konrad brought together an A-List of Top Acts, a few of them sadly had to cancel their performance due to sickness. Instead of cutting the set-list short, others took over some songs on a very short term. Charity Events are sometimes badly rehearsed and poorly staged. It takes a lot of tact and sensitivity and the right bunch of people when you want to create a night to remember. Konrad narrated through the evening with comedy and class. A first-class Conférencier who knows how to flirt with his audience in a charming way.
BWW Previews: ROLANDO VILLAZÓN IN L'ORFEO at Konzerthaus ViennaFebruary 21, 2020Rolando Villazón, one of the world's most handsome tenors together with the Ensemble L'Apreggiata under the baton of Christina Pluhar is bringing Monteverdi's masterpiece L`Orfeo to Vienna. Claudio Monteverdi's L`Orfeo the world's very first Opera can be seen as one if not the most important work in classic history. Orpheus myth is brought to live by Monteverdi's phenomenal creation. The concert has played only one performance before back in 2016 in Germany. Vienna and his historical background are perfect for a concert like this. Rolando Villazón a Multi-talented artist is not only one of the finest voices, in 2017 he was appointed as the ambassador of the Salzburg Mozarteum Foundation and he was named as the artistic director of the Salzburg Mozart Week. L`Orfeo is based on the Greek legend of Orpheus and tells the story of his descent to Hades and his futile attempts to bring his dead bride Eurydice back to life.
BWW Feature: VALENTINES DAY at ViennaFebruary 4, 2020Not sure how to spend Valentines Day? There are plenty of options to spend the afternoon/evening with your beloved one. Apart from all the fine restaurants and Jewellery stores, there is some fine entertainment, offering something for everyone's taste. Here are some of our favorites for Valentine's day.
BWW Interview: MARKUS SCHÖTTL of HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD at Mehr! Theater HamburgFebruary 4, 2020It's busy at the Mehr! Theater in Hamburg these days. The German-speaking premiere of J.K. Rowling's epic Masterpiece is just around the corner. Rehearsals are in full swing, the level of excitement is growing as everybody can't wait to see how HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD is going to be live on stage. 'The Chosen One', Austrias Markus Schöttl, who will be Harry Potter in Hamburg found some time during rehearsals to talk with us about his journey into the Wizarding World of J.K. Rowling.
CATS at RONACHER Extends RunJanuary 20, 2020Christian Struppeck announced earlier today the extension of Andrew Lloyd Webbers CATS. Due to the sold-out run, CATS will be back at the RONACHER after a short summer break in October 2020. Tickets will be on sale on January 21st. Get sure to grab yours as soon as possible. It is, after all these years, as magical as ever! Click here to read everything about Opening Night.
BWW Review: MUSICAL UNPLUGGED at Studio 44January 17, 2020MUSICAL UNPLUGGED, by now an institution in Austria's entertainment sector, invited into the Studio 44, near the beautiful Baroque Palace Belvedere in the heart of Vienna. Only once or twice a year, Florian Schützenhofer, the founder of MU gathers together some great voices for a unique concert experience, the perfect entertainment after a long day in the office. Due to a sudden illness of Richard Redl, Jakob Semotan ( MU Veteran) took over all of Redls songs and got himself a busy evening on stage. Semotan opened the evening on a high with Heaven On Their Minds (Jesus Christ Superstar) and set himself a high standard for the rest of the evening. One spouse said during the intermission that Semotans voice sounded crystal clear, it's like listening to a professional recording in your own living room. Concerts like these are on risk to bore audiences by wrong song choices, or by hiring just names instead of artists. Neither did the MU-Team. The likes of DENISE SCHRENZER, Drag Queen NAOMI KING, RANDY DIAMOND, MICHAEL VINZENZ, and Creator FLORIAN SCH?oeTZENHOFER followed JAKOB SEMOTANS energetic Opening. It went out to be a firework of beautiful often and not so often heard Musical Anthems as well as some Chart Hits. Another one great voice took over the microphone, CHRISTOPH APFELBECK ( U/S Count KROLOCK; Dance Of The Vampires Stuttgart). It's a mess that a voice like his is going to leave Vienna, Apfelbecks voice is something you can't get enough from. It's one thing to belt out loud but it's so much harder to enchant the room with soft notes. The audience got beguiled by APFELBECKS tempting voice. The artists got accompanied by MICHAEL R?-MER, who is currently conducting the VBW Orchestra at the city's most beautiful Junkyard. Sometimes, a piano and a guy who knows how to use it are all that you need. R?-MER set the Feurich 218 literally on fire with passion and precision. When you get the chance to see MUSICAL UNPLUGGED, do not hesitate, go for it and you will get an entertaining evening, free voices, one piano, a promise MU is able to fulfill.
BWW Review: ABLA AND FRIENDS at Local Bar ViennaDecember 19, 2019Mondays are made for Musicals. There might be no better way to start the week than with a lovely concert on a cold December night. Imagine a bunch of talented Artists, gathered together for a very intimate concert, like the ones at Feinstein's/54 Below. The only difference is, you can't buy any tickets, you had to put your name into a hat and if you are lucky enough you got an invitation for this unique and free event.
BWW Previews: EVITA at Musicalsommer WinzendorfDecember 6, 2019Well-known Musical Actress Wietske van Tongeren is going to play EVITA next summer in the Musicalsommer Winzendorf production. Van Tongeren is currently stepping in as Grizabella in the sold-out run of CATS in Vienna. Winzendorf will be a breathtaking location for the Andrew Lloyd Webbers dramatic show about the most famous and powerful women in Argentine history. Director Marika Lichter told the press, that she knew in the moment she was watching pictures from Evita, who would be a perfect fit for her production in Winzendorf.
BWW Previews: HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD at Mehr! Theater Am Großmarkt HamburgOctober 21, 2019Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is going to open the first German production in march 2020 at the Mehr! Theater am Großmarkt in Hamburg. Today, Producer Maik Klokow presented the Cast for Germany's Harry Potter. Austria's Markus Schöttl (from Klagenfurt) is going to play Harry Potter. Schöttl is well known for his talents on and off stage. He will be the first German Harry Potter in this magnificent and unique show. We are looking forward to see some magic, created live on stage by Markus Schöttl and the Cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
BWW Previews: INTO THE WOODS at BRUNO CENTER BRUNN AM GEBIRGEOctober 17, 2019The magical masterpiece from Stephen Sondheim ( Music and Lyrics) and James Lapine (Book) is coming back to Austria for 12 nights only in 2020. Maya Hakvoort (Elisabeth, Evita, Fantine, Norma Desmond, and many others) gathered together some of the finest artists for one of the must-see events next summer. Linda Hold and Birgit Noisternig ( Choreography), Dean Welterlen (Director) and Jeff Frohner (Musical Director) are taking care of Sondheims not so fairy tale. Into the Woods/ Ab in den Wald (German lyrics by Michael Kunze) is a very unusual choice for a summer production. Apart from cheesy funny shows, Maya Hakvoort is showing some guts for putting on such a pretentious show. Hakvoort is not only producing the show she is also playing the Witch, accompanied by Ann Mandrella ( the Baker's Wife), Reinwald Kranner ( the Baker), Jan Amann ( the Wolf, Prince), Andreas Kammerzelt ( Stepmother, Prince), Eve Rades ( Cinderella), Missy May ( Little Red Ridding Hood), Nazide Aylin ( Rapunzel), Matthias Trattner ( Jack), Inez Timmer ( Jacks Mother and others), Thomas Weissengruber ( The Narrator), Stephanie Rieger ( Stepsister) and Silke Braas-Wolter (Stepsister). For tickets and further information visit www.somerfestspiele-brunn.at
BWW Feature: ELISABETH IN CONCERT THE RECORDING at Schönbrunn PalaceOctober 5, 2019HitSquad released the Live Recording from the Musical Mega Event of this year's summer, ELISABETH in CONCERT. An All-Star Cast lead by Pia Douwes, together with the amazing Orchestra of the Vereinigte Bühnen Wien, created a special night for an audience of 22000 people at the two night only event.