Tanz der Vampire / Berlin
How did you manage to learn all the lyrics in a foreign language in such a short
time?
I have no idea… I studied a lot. And the phonetic-teacher was going through the
week very, very quickly, to make my mouth faster than my brain. It's a trick I got
from Kelly Robertson actually. It's because sometimes your brain blacks out, but if
your mouth keeps going then your brain will catch up with it. I do that for feel
safer because if it's my panic-point and I forget the lyrics there I'll be dead!
Alfred has a lot of lyrics, yeah! But I also had a lot of rehearsals with Alfred for
about 3 weeks, I learned it by doing it. My resident director was like "If you don't
know the sentence, repeat it 10 times!" And I used to repeat it 10 times and then I
knew it. That's why it's important that up to your premier you play it a couple of
times, because then you can get it in your brain. It's always difficult…, and they
know it's difficult. That's why they - phonetically-wise - now start pushing. You
know you've got a lot of information in your head. It's hard, you have to think
about the character, first of all. You have to think about the words, you have to
think about what's your scene, and you have to think about how to interpret it,
where I am, how I feel. Like in the beginning I have to imagine it's 20 degrees
under zero, that I am in the middle of the woods, I have this older man following
me. And suddenly he's not there anymore, because he fell and he freezed himself.
So when I'm walking I'm actually looking for him and I turn around like "Professor,
where are you? Professor?" Every time there is a line there should be an underline,
that's what the resident director tells me all the time. He said imagine: "Professor,
where are you? Professor, where am I going? What am I doing? What am I supposed
to do now?" , like in these 2 words "Professor" has to be the whole thing! It's hard
like I had a lot of rehearsal, for those 3 weeks I rehearsed a lot!
How can you learn all this if you don't really speak the language?
But I know what I say, because they tell you. The phonetic-teacher translated and
said "This is what you're saying." Some things I understood by myself, anyway. But
some others, when I didn't know it I asked "What am I singing in this moment?" And
he said "This…" and then the resident director tells you "This is how you feel, you
have to give me this, this, this and that!" So then you remember the emotion, and
then it's up to you to find it back.
You know, like I look at the door, and I imagine that behind this door there is this
beautiful girl. So every time I look at the door for me it's like "Oh my God, behind
this door there is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my entire life!!" And
I've never seen a woman before, I'm only 17 years old in the show. Alfred is in his
puberty, and all he knows is the Professor, he's his guide who is like a grandfather
and a father in the same thing. So he respects him completely, and that's why he's
always like "Herr Professor…" He's really shy, and he sees this amazing, beautiful
young girl who is full of love just like he is. And I have to make the audience
understand that.
But I know what I'm singing, mostly! While I'm singing I understand about 60% of
the show. The other things I say because I know I have to say it. I mean when I say
"Die Zeit läuft ab" I know the time is off. "Ich beschwöre dich, komm' mit!" - "I beg
you to come with me!", "Begreif' doch, ich meine es gut mit dir!" - "You have to
understand I only mean good for you!". I know I'm saying that, so I can interpret
better. There are things in the show I say just like a parrot, because I know I have
to say it but I don't really understand what I'm saying. These are the hard parts,
and this is why it's important to play. And at the end I hope my German is gonna be
good enough that you can understand every word I'm saying. So even if I forget a
word… like the other day instead of "Komm' zu mir" I said "Bleib bei mir", because
that's actually the end of the sentence. But it doesn't matter, it makes sense
anyway, so I didn't go in panic but just kept going, it was fine.
I still don't know some lyrics, like for the finale, I have to fake it. And as well the
"Tanzsaal". Especially because now the last week I was playing Kevin [Hudson] and
he's not in Tanzsaal.
Do you prefer being a swing now instead of a steady ensemble-member?
Actually I like to be a swing, because sooner or later I actually have some shows
off. Like as firstcast you're always on, it doesn't matter what you do. And for the
swings, no matter how many times you're on, it always comes the time when the
whole firstcast is there you don't have to play. It's more interesting, especially as a
singer, I exchange 5 parts, and also because I'm one of the 2 nightmare-covers,
then I will have a little solo, anyway. I hope to do it soon, I'm really looking
forward for that! As a swing I exchange the position, change the line as well, like
in "Knoblauch" you have different lines, different "where-you-ares". In the
nightmare you have different lines, as well.
Was it easier or more difficult to join an existing cast?
It's more difficult… because when you arrive, everybody is really curious. They are
very nice, but somehow you don't know… There're already groups, and when you
see them you don't really know what to do and what to say. On stage it's fine
actually, they're nicer to you because you are the last one who arrived. I think
they're all really nice to me because I've been thrown on stage for the ensemble
without a rehearsal with the ensemble. It's completely different when you
rehearse alone in a balletroom, and then go on the stage and be surrounded by 20
people. You have no idea where to go, especially I don't want to be in anybodys
way, so it's really, really difficult. But they're all nice and they're like with their
head "This way, not that way!!" The first show I did I played the track of Mathias
Edenborn, with Matthias Dressel, and he was dragging me by hand through the
stages where I have to go because I had one single rehearsal with the people, and
only for 2 scenes, for "Knoblauch" and "Ewigkeit". Everything else was like "You
have to go here, here and there…" and I saw it in the book. There is a "bible"
where you can look where you are. But it's completely different on the stage,
because there is traffic, a lot of traffic! In the "Tanzsaal-scene" I was completely
like "Okay, where am I?" And I arrived, and the people were like with their eyes
moving "Right, left, right…" They just needed me to be on stage because they
already had a cut-show lately. So they asked me if I'd feel like going on stage and I
said "Yes, okay!" I think they all admire me for that. Like especially I went on stage
Tuesday and Wednesday for Alfred, all the other shows since I played on different
ensemble-positions. I was really like "Where the *** I have to go? Who am I?" You
know, this kind of things. And the people like with their eyes moving me, and with
their head, it was really funny! It's a challenge, it's really good for the brain, and if
you manage to do it, maybe not perfect, but well, it's nice!
Do you put on your make-up on your own?
For Alfred, they always do it for you, because it takes 20 minutes just for the hair!
They put in an incredible thing for the microphone, you have a lot of Federstahl.
They divide the hair in two, like for Alfred, but in the other side, because the
microphone has to be right at the end of the forehead on the left side. And then
they take a few hair, they cover the microphone and they put Federstahl, and then
they throw the hair on the other side, put a lot of lack, and then they do the line
on the right side, so the microphone is hidden by the hair. And they do the make-
up as well, but for Alfred it's not so much.
For the ensemble I do it on my own. Today I did it completely on my own for the
first time. Yesterday they helped me… because usually they do a make-up-call, for
me they didn't… So my first show on Sunday night and I was like "Can somebody
put the make-up on me, because I have no idea what to do!" And they were like
"We didn't do a make-up-call?" And I said "No, you didn't do it for me!" But there is
a very nice lady from the Maske, her name is Susi, and she helped me with the
make-up up until yesterday. Today was the first time I did both shows on my own.
Is it something special for you that you now have no dancing- but your first
singing-contract?
Vampire now is the first show as a singer, first show as a transaction for me
between dancing and singing, although now I still have a dancing-choreo. I still
love dancing, sometimes I miss it. That's why I'd like to learn the Finale for
dancing, the dancer track, because I think it would be… more satisfying.
Yes, I'm quite satisfied, because I didn't expect it. When they called me to the
office I knew it was for the Nightmare 1 and 2, because I had to be in their
concept. So I did one rehearsal for the first, and twice for the second. And then
the musical director said "It's fine for me!" So then I went, with my resident
director, to the company management, and I sat on the couch, and it was like "We
have 3 things to ask you." And I was like "Three?", "Nightmare Solo No. 1, No. 2,
and would you like to cover White Vampire?" And I was like "Äääh, NO!" This was
Friday afternoon, and they said "And also… can you do it on Sunday night?" And I
said "What, learning this in 2 days?" Actually not 2 days but a few hours… I did like
2 hours with Vanni [Viscusi] and Kym [Boyson] on Friday, and then I did 1 hour of
rehearsal again on Saturday, and then I went on on Sunday. It was hysterical…
because I had to learn the whole 2nd act for Kevin [Hudson] as well. And I had to
learn the mirror, and I had to learn "Ewigkeit", it's different for Kevin as well.
'Cause everytime you change position you have different entrance, different exit
as well, different choreography.
Is Alfred a kind of a dreamrole for you?
It was my dreamrole! Alfred and Rusty in Starlight Express is my dreamrole. It's
just that Rusty for me there is the complication of the skates. I would love to learn
how to go out on skates, but I'd probably break myself in a million pieces. I don't
know if I'm really cut for that. But I'd still really like to play that! And Alfred was
definitely my Traumrolle, since I saw it in Stuttgart 5 years ago. And I never, never
thought I was gonna play it, so this is incredible! Well, there is a web-page called
musicalcast… There is a normal CV and a few questions, and on this page my
dreamrole was to be in a dance-company and I did it (it was some time before
Hagen), I would like to play Rusty and to play Alfred in "Tanz der Vampire", and
now I did 2 of them! So maybe…. you never know! I don't really know if I'll ever do
Starlight Express, but it would definitely be my dreamrole.
Berlin 23.06.2007 (c) Sabine
time?
I have no idea… I studied a lot. And the phonetic-teacher was going through the
week very, very quickly, to make my mouth faster than my brain. It's a trick I got
from Kelly Robertson actually. It's because sometimes your brain blacks out, but if
your mouth keeps going then your brain will catch up with it. I do that for feel
safer because if it's my panic-point and I forget the lyrics there I'll be dead!
Alfred has a lot of lyrics, yeah! But I also had a lot of rehearsals with Alfred for
about 3 weeks, I learned it by doing it. My resident director was like "If you don't
know the sentence, repeat it 10 times!" And I used to repeat it 10 times and then I
knew it. That's why it's important that up to your premier you play it a couple of
times, because then you can get it in your brain. It's always difficult…, and they
know it's difficult. That's why they - phonetically-wise - now start pushing. You
know you've got a lot of information in your head. It's hard, you have to think
about the character, first of all. You have to think about the words, you have to
think about what's your scene, and you have to think about how to interpret it,
where I am, how I feel. Like in the beginning I have to imagine it's 20 degrees
under zero, that I am in the middle of the woods, I have this older man following
me. And suddenly he's not there anymore, because he fell and he freezed himself.
So when I'm walking I'm actually looking for him and I turn around like "Professor,
where are you? Professor?" Every time there is a line there should be an underline,
that's what the resident director tells me all the time. He said imagine: "Professor,
where are you? Professor, where am I going? What am I doing? What am I supposed
to do now?" , like in these 2 words "Professor" has to be the whole thing! It's hard
like I had a lot of rehearsal, for those 3 weeks I rehearsed a lot!
How can you learn all this if you don't really speak the language?
But I know what I say, because they tell you. The phonetic-teacher translated and
said "This is what you're saying." Some things I understood by myself, anyway. But
some others, when I didn't know it I asked "What am I singing in this moment?" And
he said "This…" and then the resident director tells you "This is how you feel, you
have to give me this, this, this and that!" So then you remember the emotion, and
then it's up to you to find it back.
You know, like I look at the door, and I imagine that behind this door there is this
beautiful girl. So every time I look at the door for me it's like "Oh my God, behind
this door there is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my entire life!!" And
I've never seen a woman before, I'm only 17 years old in the show. Alfred is in his
puberty, and all he knows is the Professor, he's his guide who is like a grandfather
and a father in the same thing. So he respects him completely, and that's why he's
always like "Herr Professor…" He's really shy, and he sees this amazing, beautiful
young girl who is full of love just like he is. And I have to make the audience
understand that.
But I know what I'm singing, mostly! While I'm singing I understand about 60% of
the show. The other things I say because I know I have to say it. I mean when I say
"Die Zeit läuft ab" I know the time is off. "Ich beschwöre dich, komm' mit!" - "I beg
you to come with me!", "Begreif' doch, ich meine es gut mit dir!" - "You have to
understand I only mean good for you!". I know I'm saying that, so I can interpret
better. There are things in the show I say just like a parrot, because I know I have
to say it but I don't really understand what I'm saying. These are the hard parts,
and this is why it's important to play. And at the end I hope my German is gonna be
good enough that you can understand every word I'm saying. So even if I forget a
word… like the other day instead of "Komm' zu mir" I said "Bleib bei mir", because
that's actually the end of the sentence. But it doesn't matter, it makes sense
anyway, so I didn't go in panic but just kept going, it was fine.
I still don't know some lyrics, like for the finale, I have to fake it. And as well the
"Tanzsaal". Especially because now the last week I was playing Kevin [Hudson] and
he's not in Tanzsaal.
Do you prefer being a swing now instead of a steady ensemble-member?
Actually I like to be a swing, because sooner or later I actually have some shows
off. Like as firstcast you're always on, it doesn't matter what you do. And for the
swings, no matter how many times you're on, it always comes the time when the
whole firstcast is there you don't have to play. It's more interesting, especially as a
singer, I exchange 5 parts, and also because I'm one of the 2 nightmare-covers,
then I will have a little solo, anyway. I hope to do it soon, I'm really looking
forward for that! As a swing I exchange the position, change the line as well, like
in "Knoblauch" you have different lines, different "where-you-ares". In the
nightmare you have different lines, as well.
Was it easier or more difficult to join an existing cast?
It's more difficult… because when you arrive, everybody is really curious. They are
very nice, but somehow you don't know… There're already groups, and when you
see them you don't really know what to do and what to say. On stage it's fine
actually, they're nicer to you because you are the last one who arrived. I think
they're all really nice to me because I've been thrown on stage for the ensemble
without a rehearsal with the ensemble. It's completely different when you
rehearse alone in a balletroom, and then go on the stage and be surrounded by 20
people. You have no idea where to go, especially I don't want to be in anybodys
way, so it's really, really difficult. But they're all nice and they're like with their
head "This way, not that way!!" The first show I did I played the track of Mathias
Edenborn, with Matthias Dressel, and he was dragging me by hand through the
stages where I have to go because I had one single rehearsal with the people, and
only for 2 scenes, for "Knoblauch" and "Ewigkeit". Everything else was like "You
have to go here, here and there…" and I saw it in the book. There is a "bible"
where you can look where you are. But it's completely different on the stage,
because there is traffic, a lot of traffic! In the "Tanzsaal-scene" I was completely
like "Okay, where am I?" And I arrived, and the people were like with their eyes
moving "Right, left, right…" They just needed me to be on stage because they
already had a cut-show lately. So they asked me if I'd feel like going on stage and I
said "Yes, okay!" I think they all admire me for that. Like especially I went on stage
Tuesday and Wednesday for Alfred, all the other shows since I played on different
ensemble-positions. I was really like "Where the *** I have to go? Who am I?" You
know, this kind of things. And the people like with their eyes moving me, and with
their head, it was really funny! It's a challenge, it's really good for the brain, and if
you manage to do it, maybe not perfect, but well, it's nice!
Do you put on your make-up on your own?
For Alfred, they always do it for you, because it takes 20 minutes just for the hair!
They put in an incredible thing for the microphone, you have a lot of Federstahl.
They divide the hair in two, like for Alfred, but in the other side, because the
microphone has to be right at the end of the forehead on the left side. And then
they take a few hair, they cover the microphone and they put Federstahl, and then
they throw the hair on the other side, put a lot of lack, and then they do the line
on the right side, so the microphone is hidden by the hair. And they do the make-
up as well, but for Alfred it's not so much.
For the ensemble I do it on my own. Today I did it completely on my own for the
first time. Yesterday they helped me… because usually they do a make-up-call, for
me they didn't… So my first show on Sunday night and I was like "Can somebody
put the make-up on me, because I have no idea what to do!" And they were like
"We didn't do a make-up-call?" And I said "No, you didn't do it for me!" But there is
a very nice lady from the Maske, her name is Susi, and she helped me with the
make-up up until yesterday. Today was the first time I did both shows on my own.
Is it something special for you that you now have no dancing- but your first
singing-contract?
Vampire now is the first show as a singer, first show as a transaction for me
between dancing and singing, although now I still have a dancing-choreo. I still
love dancing, sometimes I miss it. That's why I'd like to learn the Finale for
dancing, the dancer track, because I think it would be… more satisfying.
Yes, I'm quite satisfied, because I didn't expect it. When they called me to the
office I knew it was for the Nightmare 1 and 2, because I had to be in their
concept. So I did one rehearsal for the first, and twice for the second. And then
the musical director said "It's fine for me!" So then I went, with my resident
director, to the company management, and I sat on the couch, and it was like "We
have 3 things to ask you." And I was like "Three?", "Nightmare Solo No. 1, No. 2,
and would you like to cover White Vampire?" And I was like "Äääh, NO!" This was
Friday afternoon, and they said "And also… can you do it on Sunday night?" And I
said "What, learning this in 2 days?" Actually not 2 days but a few hours… I did like
2 hours with Vanni [Viscusi] and Kym [Boyson] on Friday, and then I did 1 hour of
rehearsal again on Saturday, and then I went on on Sunday. It was hysterical…
because I had to learn the whole 2nd act for Kevin [Hudson] as well. And I had to
learn the mirror, and I had to learn "Ewigkeit", it's different for Kevin as well.
'Cause everytime you change position you have different entrance, different exit
as well, different choreography.
Is Alfred a kind of a dreamrole for you?
It was my dreamrole! Alfred and Rusty in Starlight Express is my dreamrole. It's
just that Rusty for me there is the complication of the skates. I would love to learn
how to go out on skates, but I'd probably break myself in a million pieces. I don't
know if I'm really cut for that. But I'd still really like to play that! And Alfred was
definitely my Traumrolle, since I saw it in Stuttgart 5 years ago. And I never, never
thought I was gonna play it, so this is incredible! Well, there is a web-page called
musicalcast… There is a normal CV and a few questions, and on this page my
dreamrole was to be in a dance-company and I did it (it was some time before
Hagen), I would like to play Rusty and to play Alfred in "Tanz der Vampire", and
now I did 2 of them! So maybe…. you never know! I don't really know if I'll ever do
Starlight Express, but it would definitely be my dreamrole.
Berlin 23.06.2007 (c) Sabine