Wasn't Thomas Borchart supposed to be in Sankt Gallen though? Who is Maxim there now?

Florian Fetterle, I think. The Theater Sankt Gallen's website isn't entirely clear as to whether they were/are sharing the role, if Mr Fetterle is the understudy, or if Mr Fetterle is supposed to be taking over completely.

No, and I've been trying to locate it for a very long time. My father saw it when it originally aired, and I think it was what started his love for the story, which is how I came to love it. It also starred Joanna David as the narrator. David's daughter is Emilia Fox, who played the narrator in the more recent TV version starring Charles Dance (which was appalling IMO).

I can't believe that it hasn't been released for the DVD market - I understand that it was very faithful to the book, where most adaptations aren't, and I love Jeremy Brett...

EDIT: But it is on Youtube... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSAMYpCSuJc

Florian Fetterle is Thomas Borchert's understudy. He will play very few shows in St. Gallen, Borchert is on stage most of time.

Thanks for sharing, Cindy. I guess that means he'll finish the run in St Gallen, and is only promoting the Stuttgart run now?

Thank you so much for finding that on Youtube, Megziid! I adored it greatly.

He is doing both shows at the same time. In Stuttgart they will be playing every day, in St. Gallen only a few shows per month. So when he is on stage there, his understudy plays Maxim in Stuttgart.

Oh okay, I get it now.

WOW. Say what we like about Thomas Borchert, but he sure is a trouper for doing two productions at the same time, even if it is the same show!

Also an indicator of how small the talent pool for Kunze/Levay shows can be in some cases...

I know this might be old news to some, but according to the New York Times today, Rebecca has finally found a theatre, a leading lady, and a tentative opening date of April 7 2012. The earlier rumours about Sierra Boggess as 'Ich' appear to have been true!

However, there's also the news that Carolee Carmello will be replacing Victoria Clark in Sister Act soon, so I suppose that she will not be reprising Mrs Danvers from her time in the New York reading. Might they get Pia Douwes...?

Despite all of our initial doubts and worries, I think that this is great news for the show and the visibility of Kunze/Levay in North America. Here's hoping for a good show!

Oh Yay! I really hope they snag a good American cast. Sierra Boggess seems like she'd make a good Ich, and I would die of happiness if Pia landed Danvers. If anyone deserves a big break on Broadway, it's her

She's already done so. She played Velma Kelly in Chicago on Broadway, around 2004, I think (as well as on West End).


Anyway, not that there is press footage from St. Gallen on youtube, you can see some of what it's like.

Design wise, it's pretty much the same as Vienna, but like all shows, they've neatened and streamlined it from practice, so it does look better.

Unfortunately, it seems Maya Harkvoot's belt is gone. She doesn't seem to have the vocal strength she did, and Mrs Danvers's songs suffer for it. Ich sounds good, and seems to have good acting. They wrote a new song "Zauberhaft natürlich" for Maxim to sing while Ich is drawing on the cliffs. I personally don't care for the song at all. It is another ballad that drags the action and seems to have little more purpose than to give Thomas Borchert another song. Which is a shame, since he doesn't even seem to be trying. Especially when he should be having an emotional breakdown at the sight of Ich's ball dress, he just points and says "get out." There is nothing in it. Mrs van Hopper seems good in her acting, and Niemals eine Lady, but I'm not sure she has to voice to pull off American Woman.

I heard they cut out Wir Sind Britisch in Sankt Gallen. And I'm really glad for that! They have a new ensemblesong, but I only heard it once, and I don't know what I think about it yet

I really like the way Maya is acting. She's making me scared of her... I have to see how her singing works out if I hear and see more of her, but she's just doing it differently from what we're used by Susan.

I know the new song for about 1,5 year now (Patrick Stanke sang it at a concert last year in May for the first time), and I think it's a really sweet song. It shows a Maxim who is able to care about things... He's not saying he loves her there (that would be giving away too much for me), but it's sweet... (and it's not written for Thomas Borchert, it existed already before Sankt Gallen announced they scheduled the musical, let alone before Thomas would play the part. I heard they cut it from the Viennese version).

And as for the acting of Thomas... I think I've seen the emotional breakdown in a complete other way... I don't know what it was, but it made me feel really uneasy, and I really did see/hear a breakdown. But I can't tell what he did, it was just how he moved and stuff... hard to describe (I couldn't even describe it in Dutch, let alone in English)

But I'm really really curious about the complete production... And I'll be seeing it Saturday and Sunday

I just copy my report from another website:

Thomas was somehow sweet and sometimes even adorable…his voice did all the emotional work, and for me that worked fine. In the second act he broke with his entire body and that was heartbreaking…his “Zauberthaft Natürlich” is so beautiful!

The real star of the show, for me, is Maya Hakvoort as Danvers. She’s not playing her just mean, she’s giving this women a heart and a soul. She was like the mother who lost her child and still couldn’t see goodbye…the moment she brushed the hair of the imaginary women in the chair was creepy! (No, ich was not in the chair…it was no-one…but it looked as if there was someone…) Her scream when Ich ruïnes the amor in the second act was heartbreaking…I felt so sorry for this poor creature! Maya made a real human out of it. A poor, sad, mourning women….Her last scene was great to watch! There was no burning staircase, but it was bautiful to see the last moments of mrs. Danvers! She walked through the burning house with the sleepingdress of Rebecca in her arms, reached for heaven on top of the staircase and then died…The mrs. Danvers Maya created was not someone you hated…you felt just so sorry for her…

I’m still in doubt about Lisa…her acting was really good, but her voice was, in my opinion, way to strong for the part. She sounded too grown up in the beginning…Some parts were great (when she used her classical voice), but it was as if she couldn’t sing with that voice in the lower parts and most part of Ich aren’t that high…Her acting made up a lot, but her voice did bother me a little… (And it didn’t help that you couldn’t hear Borchert anymore at “Hilf mir durch die Nacht” because they turned his microphone down…Lisa doesn’t need that…)

As for the other parts: I liked actually the entire cast, just the one playing Jack Favell was annoying in a wrong way. I like vibrato in a voice, but it can be too much…His acting was also a bit flat…

In the ensemble two people stood out for me: Florian Fetterle and Tim Reichwein. At first because they are having so much fun on stage, at second because it are still two Herberts…seriously…the hip movements were so funny! The way they both move is so nice! And next to eachother…it could have been brothers! I wish there will be material of Florian Fetterle as Maxim, cause it will be hilarious, I guess! (Know La cage aux folles? The scene were Zaza learns to walk like a man? That was how Florian looked like as Giles…hilarious!)

@Mungojerrie: Borchert doesn't break with his body like Uwe does, it wouldn't fit the way he plays Maxim. His Maxim doesn't show his weakness to the world, also not at that scene. But his voice DOES break. It's his voice that breaks and sounds completely shocked and hurt...it felt really really uneasy. He does break down in the second act, when only Ich can see it. Because he doesn't break like that in the first act, it makes his break down in the second act even more worthful! He only trusts ich with his deeper feelings AND his weakness! (And that's what makes her so strong!)

About Maya's voice: where did you hear her strong belt? I don't think she ever had it...at least not on the Elisabeth DVD...that's her classical voice with a lot of volume, but no belt, at least that's my opinion. I guess Maya uses Twang most of the time (Making a lot of volume with your classical voice, Wietske van Tongeren does the same...she doesn't belt too, I asked my singing teacher for it!) and it fits her Danvers. Maya's Danvers is a lot more human, as far as I can see, as Susans Danvers. Maya's danvers is just a sad creature mourning for someone who felt like a doughter. Like Maya told us: This women lost with Rebecca all she had, all she lived for...She has a hard time accepting that and it makes her a sad creature...a human with a heart and an soul you can feel sorry for!