And now directing, too

Off the top of your head, do you know how many plays you’ve worked on as an assistant director and stage manager?

No, you’d probably have to ask my mom. She’s the expert when it comes to things like that! I got to be the first assistant director on Dreimäderlhaus, and that was over 25 years ago now. The Bühne Baden has always been an important part of my life — both professionally and personally. My mother has always been part of the theater with her heart and soul; I met my husband here, and by now, each of my children has performed on this stage at least once. I started out as a child actor myself and, over the years, got to experience many different roles before ending up as an assistant director. It’s just wonderful to know the theater and everyone who works there so well. Of course, this also helps me immensely in my work on DAS VEILCHEN VOM MONTMARTRE.

How are you feeling now, with the transition to directing?

I’m very excited about this opportunity for my first directing project. I love musicals and am glad that I get to work on so many — including many different kinds — but ultimately, my heart belongs to operetta. My favorite composer is Emmerich Kálmán, so naturally I’m all the more excited about this piece for my directorial debut.

Why was DAS VEILCHEN VOM MONTMARTRE chosen, of all things?

DAS VEILCHEN VOM MONTMARTRE is a wonderful operetta for the Max Reinhardt Foyer; it thrives on its characters, and it can be performed effectively even without a large ensemble. I think it’s comparable to Lehár’s THE COUNT OF LUXEMBOURG, where you also often find yourself wondering why the entire chorus suddenly appears. It’s similar with DAS VEILCHEN VOM MONTMARTRE — it doesn’t need the big crowd scenes; on the contrary, in my opinion, they’re actually out of place.

What was — or is — it like working on DAS VEILCHEN VOM MONTMARTRE? And what makes your production unique?

We’re performing a very specific, revised version, because there were two aspects of the original piece that bothered me. First, the medallion, which is introduced in a big way at the beginning, then disappears or is forgotten, only to reappear at the end and resolve the entire plot: Violetta can stay with the man and no longer has to worry about money. I find that extremely illogical, so we’ve reworked that part. In our version, the medallion appears every now and then before it leads to the resolution in Act 3. The second point is more complex. As I read and revised the play several times, I found the character of Raoul increasingly unsympathetic. And so, together with the text adapter, Juliane Weigel-Krämer, we came to the decision that in the end, Raoul won’t win the heroine’s heart —Florimond will; a character who generally takes center stage more prominently in our adaptation. I’m very glad to have Juliane Weigel-Krämer on the team. She’s incorporated all my wishes and has wonderful ideas for the resolution of the piece.

What do you think sets DAS VEILCHEN VOM MONTMARTRE apart musically?

It’s one of Kálmán’s later works, and you can really hear that — it stands out in several ways. Kálmán usually incorporates Hungarian music into his works, but DAS VEILCHEN VOM MONTMARTRE features a great many French influences. It’s also fascinating that this piece is hardly known in Austria, in stark contrast to Russia and Ukraine, where DAS VEILCHEN VOM MONTMARTRE is actually one of the most frequently performed operettas of all time. We perform this operetta with eight orchestra musicians plus piano. And when talking about DAS VEILCHEN VOM MONTMARTRE and its music, one naturally cannot overlook the most famous piece from this operetta: “Tonight I Dreamed of You.” This is interesting because everyone knows this number, and it’s universally cited as the operetta’s best-known piece, yet it doesn’t appear in the original piano score. Of course, it will still be featured in our production. But since the number is already in the spotlight anyway, we’re taking it a step further: We’ve given “Last Night I Dreamed of You” to Florimond as an unorchestrated piece, accompanied only by piano. And that’s exactly why, in my opinion, it gets under your skin even more.

Are there any other unique aspects to your production?

I’m setting the play in the era of its premiere — that is, the 1920s and 1930s — with sets and costumes that are clearly rooted in that period. That seemed more appropriate to me than in the original, where the action takes place 100 years earlier. The set design will be kept neutral in terms of time period, with the grand piano serving as a central element on stage. For me, the music is such a crucial aspect of operetta that it must be highlighted by any means necessary. That’s why I’m also very glad that we’ve found a way to position the orchestra in a very specific way — as far as I know, this is a first for this kind of production. In addition, we’ll be working with a platform consisting of three elements that can be arranged flexibly as needed.

And now for the most classic of all questions when it comes to operetta: Is the genre still relevant today? Can these pieces still be performed today?

There are many who say that DAS VEILCHEN VOM MONTMARTRE is unperformable because of its terrible female characters. I don’t agree at all; on the contrary: it is the two female characters who drive the story; they are the starting point, and the play is guided by them. Of course, Ninon, as a grisette, is supported by men, but she chooses the men and makes the decisions — she would never stay with someone against her will, but would move on to the next one if her demands aren’t met. Violetta is the complete opposite; she makes herself dependent on Raoul and would do anything for him. But she, in particular, undergoes an enormous transformation —from a submissive girl to a woman who determines for herself how her life will unfold. To me, these are great female roles — perhaps only in the form in which we’ve rewritten them, but definitely in that version. What’s particularly important to me as a director, though, is that no role is black and white! So I don’t want a thoroughly unsympathetic Raoul or a timid Florimond. Each of the three bohemians has their own facets and is a multi-layered character. That’s very important, because these three characters set the tone and provide the framework for the play. Raoul is the self-assured one who thinks he can play games with women. Henry is the clumsy one who sometimes comes across as awkward, but is the most empathetic of the three, and Florimond doesn’t know how to deal with his feelings — he’s the one who always takes a back seat. I think DAS VEILCHEN VOM MONTMARTRE is a truly wonderful play that explores absolutely timeless themes — namely, that one should always strive for higher goals and must shape one’s own life in order to find happiness — all set to breathtakingly beautiful music.