No, the reason is that it was the Essen-cast of Elisbeth who did this demo years and years before they even started thinking about Vienna, so they took the leading team (Uwe, Pia, Michael and Maike) for the main roles in Rebecca as well.

But I'd swear it is Wietske Von Tongeren as I on the demo... Certainly sounds a lot like her.

Although being done then would explain why so much is different to the Vienna show.

It definately is Maike Boerdam as I and it IS done back in 2001 or 02! The only goal then was to convince the heirs of Daphne du Maurier to give them the rights for a stage production and to win sponsors for it afterwards!

Yup, it's definitely Maike on the demo. Though she sounds better there than I've heard her sounding in other things, but certainly it's not Wietske.

Well, they sound alike to me then.


Ok, so I don't like how this sounds at all, but it is interesting none the less. Apparently it was released a short time before the Vienna production started.

Yeah, they released this as a kind of promo, to be played on the radio before the musical started... Before Rudolf started, they did this with "I was born to love you" as well, with Lisa and Drew singing it. Which was a WAY better idea, if you ask me

Well, I think both are horrible ideas, but unfortunately nobody asks me when it comes to these things...

Interestingly, I never used to like "Die Stärker einer liebenden Frau" in the Vienna version, because I thought it was too sappy and dull, but somehow some other productions I've seen have managed to arrange it so that it sounds less sappy and more believable. And I've seen some Ichs (Dóra Szinetár and the Ich of the second Finnish production) play it so that it isn't just Ich declaring how she will be strong for her man because love can make her strong, but rather it's a part of her deceit act: by acting this part with Beatrice, she ensures that Beatrice thinks she's still the sweet innocent girl who has now found her purpose in defending her man... but we viewers know that she's already transformed to someone different and that the game behind the facade is more gruesome than Beatrice thinks.

Strike off the "un"

Well, unfortunately for me and other people with tastes like mine. Though fortunately I have the option to simply not listen to them.

No offence here, I was just kidding!

It's fine, I figured. And just to be clear, my dislike of the Rudolf single has nothing to do with Lisa - she sings it fine - I just really really dislike that song and think the world would be a better place if nobody ever sang it. I generally wonder why the VBW has to always release the dullest song of the show as a single... I guess it's an attempt to appeal to the pop-music-listener crowd.

Forgot to say, thanks for posting the full cast list earlier!

I agree with Valancy about the pop version that Drew and Lisa sung... I really love the musicalversion, but the popversion? I hate it... (and unfortunately, it's the only version the musicalradio here in the Netherlands plays... I wrote them an email about it, but I'm afraid I have as much influence as Valancy... None Although... they haven't been playing Totale Finsternis with Pia and Uwe for a long long time... I complained about that one too )