The History
Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie von Wittelsbach was born on December 24, 1837 in Munich, second daughter of Duke Max in Bavaria and his wife Ludovika (whose siblings included King Ludwig I of Bavaria, Queen Marie of Saxony, Queen Amalie of Saxony, Queen Elise of Prussia, and Sophie, mother of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria.) She grew up in Munich and at Possenhofen, on Starnbergersee (Lake Starnberg), which she loved. As a child, Sisi was never considered "special"--not particularly bright or pretty--and was very shy among strangers. She shared her father's love of the circus, the "lower classes", long walks, horseback riding, and the zither. In 1853, her mother Ludovika and aunt Sophie decided that Sisi's elder sister Helene would marry Emperor Franz Joseph; Ludovika, Helene, and Sisi joined Sophie and her sons in Bad Ischl in order for the two cousins to get acquainted. Franz Joseph, however, fell in love at first sight with fifteen-year-old Sisi instead, and two days later (on August 18, his 23rd birthday) had his mother ask if Elisabeth would marry him. Less than a year afterwards, on 24 April 1854, at the age of sixteen and a quarter, Elisabeth became Empress of Austria, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, etc, etc, etc.
Sophie never cared for Elisabeth, and her attempts to train Sisi to become a proper Empress did not take into account the girl's own wishes and needs. Franz Joseph was deeply devoted to his mother, and only rarely supported his wife against her. The couple's first two children, Sophie (born in 1855, and named by her grandmother without Sisi's being consulted) and Gisela (born in 1856), were installed in a nursery near Sophie's apartments, and raised by attendants chosen by--and loyal to--their grandmother (as were those who had been chosen to attend Elisabeth upon her arrival in Vienna); Sisi had little power over their upbringing, and little contact with the girls at all. She did insist that the children accompany her and Franz Joseph on a state visit to Hungary in 1857, during which they became ill and little Sophie died--a misfortune which became used as proof that the young Empress was unfit to be a mother.
The eagerly-awaited heir to the throne, Crown Prince Rudolf, was born on 21 August 1858, and, like the first two children, was given over to the care of Sophie. Over the next few years, Elisabeth's health began to decline, and she started spending a great deal of time away from Vienna, "for the sake of her health". (The first such trip may have been prompted in part by the discovery that Franz Joseph was unfaithful to her.) These trips grew longer and more frequent as time went on, and for the most part reports indicate that she looked perfectly healthy--until she returned to Vienna, where she always grew worse, leading to another escape from the court she detested. In 1865, however, shortly after a still-tentative reconciliation with Franz Joseph, she was forced to take action. One of the men responsible for Rudolf's education came to her begging for her assistance; he feared that the sadistic military training of the precocious but delicate boy--at the Emperor's orders--was endangering his life. On August 27, the Empress presented her husband with a written ultimatum: either she would be in charge of everything concerning the children until their majority, as well as anything touching on her own personal life--or she would leave him. The Emperor gave in.
By this time Elisabeth was widely regarded as one of the most beautiful women in Europe--a distinction which she took great pains to maintain. Much of her time and attention was taken up with preserving and improving her looks; it took three hours each morning just to dress her hair (which fell to somewhere between her knees and her ankles), and she was compulsive about physical exercise. Periodically she would bathe in olive oil, and an entire day was consumed every three weeks for washing her hair (with brandy and raw eggs). In her efforts to keep her waistline as small as possible, she frequently subjected herself to starvation diets, and often would eat nothing more than eggs, milk, and broth. When travelling, she would bring along some of her cows to ensure a supply of "acceptable" milk, and she was constantly buying new ones to be sent back to Vienna. The one aspect of her appearance Elisabeth was unable to control was her teeth, which remained yellow despite the efforts of the best dentists in Europe. To disguise this fact, she took to opening her mouth as little as possible when speaking and holding a handkerchief in front of it; when added to the low speaking voice which was a result of her shyness, these mannerisms made understanding the Empress nearly impossible at times.
Her one real political contribution in 45 years as Empress occurred in 1867, when she helped pressure Franz Joseph into the Hungarian Compromise, which reestablished the Hungarian Constitution and turned the Austrian Empire into the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary. The couple's coronation as King and Queen of Hungary took place on June 8. As a reward for complying with her wishes in this affair, Elisabeth's letters to her husband during this time show a marked increase in tenderness; their third daughter Marie Valerie was born in Hungary in 1868. Unlike with the first three children, Elisabeth insisted on raising the fourth herself, and throughout her life showed considerably more affection for and interest in Marie Valerie than she ever had for Gisela or Rudolf.
Rudolf, like his mother, was liberal, anti-aristocratic, republican, and a supporter of Hungary. Despite the startling similarity in their views on politics, literature, religion, etc, Elisabeth and Rudolf were far from close; indeed, after the ultimatum insisting on her being in charge of his upbringing, the Empress showed no interest whatsoever in her only son. His relationship with his father was no better. In addition to refusing to allow him to attend university--the Habsburg heir was to be a soldier, not a scientist--Franz Joseph continued to deny his heir any responsibilities in the running of the Empire even as Rudolf approached thirty, and his forced idleness made the Crown Prince increasingly frustrated. In time he, like Elisabeth, came to view the future of the Austrian Empire after Franz Joseph's death as hopeless, and he became more and more disgusted at the country's growing anti-Semitism. His health had never been very good, nor was his marriage a happy one. On 30 January 1889 Rudolf and his 17-year-old mistress Mary Vetsera committed suicide in his hunting lodge at Mayerling. (It is still unknown what prompted him to finally do what he had been contemplating for years.) Elisabeth was the first member of the Imperial family to be told of the Crown Prince's death, and at first she bore up well, breaking the news herself to the Emperor, Mary's mother, and others. After the first few days, however, her grief exploded in rage at her daughter-in-law (whom she accused of being responsible for Rudolf's death, because she hadn't loved him) and a great deal of self-accusation. She blamed herself not because she had shown her son no more (and perhaps even less) affection than his wife had, but because Rudolf, as a suicide, had had to be declared insane in order to be given a church funeral; the Empress believed that it was the Wittelsbach inclination towards mental illnesses that Rudolf had inherited from her which was ultimately at fault, and she began to fear even more than before the manifestation of such a family history within herself. She wore mourning for the rest of her life.
Following her youngest daughter's wedding in 1890, Elisabeth's travels grew even more restless. She rarely stayed long in any given place and spent no more than a few weeks each year in Vienna. During an overnight stop in Geneva in 1898, her presence in the city was revealed in a newspaper, although she had been travelling under an assumed name for privacy. On September 10, as she was walking from her hotel to the ship on which she was to leave for Montreux, Elisabeth was stabbed with a sharpened file by Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni. Lucheni had come to Geneva planning to assassinate the Prince of Orléans; when he failed to arrive, Lucheni had chosen the Empress of Austria, whose presence in the city he'd learned about in the newspaper, as the next best victim available to him, unaware--and uncaring--that in fact she shared his opinions on aristocracy. The file poked a tiny hole in Elisabeth's heart; blood leaked out so slowly that at first no one was aware that she had been injured. She made it to the ship, but shortly afterwards collapsed. Her companion at first assumed the Empress had merely fainted, and when loosening her bodice noticed a spot of blood and a hole in her camisole. She was rushed back to the hotel, but it was too late for the doctors to do anything. Lucheni, sentenced to life in prison, hanged himself in 1910.
The information in this section was taken primarily from The Reluctant Empress, by Brigitte Hamann, and The Eagles Die, by George R. Marek.
The Show
Its History
Elisabeth opened in Vienna on 3 September 1992 at the Theater an der Wien. It closed there in January 1997, but reopened on 4 September 1997. The "final" closing date was 25 April 1998 The Japanese Takarazuka troupe opened their version of the show, with an additional song and dialogue not in the Viennese production, in 1996; the Japanese and Austrian productions were both highly popular. A Hungarian production opened on 17 August 1996 in Szeged, and later played in rep at the Fõvárosi Operett Színház in Budapest, where it opened on 5 October 1996. In 1998 the Takarazuka troupe opened a third Japanese cast of the show, and there was an amateur Dutch production. A Swedish version opened in Karlstad on 30 September 1999; a professional Dutch production opened in Scheveningen on 21 November 1999; and that same autumn, there was another Hungarian production in Miskolc. The long-rumoured German production opened in Essen, not Dresden, in 2001. The first co-ed Japanese production, starring a former Takarazuka Death as Elisabeth, opened in 2000.
Recordings
- Original Vienna Cast
- Released in 1992
- Highlights; one disc
- Prolog
- Wie du
- Jedem gibt er das Seine
- So wie man denkt, so kommt es nie
- Alle Fragen sind gestellt
- Sie passt nicht
- Der letzte Tanz
- Eine Kaiserin muss glaenzen
- Ich gehör nur mir
- Die fröhliche Apokalypse
- Elisabeth, mach auf mein Engel
- Milch
- Schoenheitspflege
- Ich will dir nur sagen
- Kitsch
- Mama, wo bist du
- Nur kein Genieren
- Rastlose Jahre
- Die Schatten werden länger
- Wenn ich dein Spiegel wär
- Mayerling-Walzer
- Totenklage
- Mein neues Sortiment
- Boote in der Nacht
- Epilog
- Der Schleier fällt
- Cast:
Elisabeth: Pia Douwes
Franz Joseph: Viktor Gernot
der Tod: Uwe Kröger
Lucheni: Ethan Freeman
Max: Wolfgang Pampel
Ludovika/Frau Wolf: Christa Wettstein
Sophie: Else Ludwig
Rudolf, age 10: Markus Neubauer
Rudolf, age 30: Andreas Bieber
- Live Vienna recording
- Released in 1996
- Complete show; two discs
- Cast:
Elisabeth: Maya Hakvoort
Franz Joseph: Leon van Leeuwenberg
der Tod: Addo Kruizinga
Lucheni: Bruno Grassini
Max: Wolfgang Pampel
Ludovika/Frau Wolf: Christa Wettstein
Sophie: Isabel Weicken
Rudolf, age 10: Thomas Lichtenecker
Rudolf, age 30: Thomas Harke
- Japanese Snowtroupe Recording
- Released in 1996
- Complete show; live; three discs
- Cast:
Elisabeth: Mari Hanafusa
Franz Joseph: Fubuki Takane
Toto: Maki Ichiro
Lucheni: Yuh Todoroki
Max: Mizuki Kodai
Ludovika: Misa Kyou
Sophie: Michiru Syu
Rudolf, age 10: Kei Aran
Rudolf, age 30: Tatsuki Kouju
- Japanese Startroupe Recording
- Released in 1997
- Two discs
- Cast:
Elisabeth: Ayaka Shiraki
Franz Joseph: Koh Minoru
Toto: Saki Asaji
Lucheni: Jun Shibuki
Max: Chihiro Ituki
Ludovika: Naoki Ema
Sophie: Aya Idumo
Rudolf, age 10: Hitomi Tukikage
Rudolf, age 30: Yuh Emao
- Original Hungarian Cast
- Released in 1996
- Highlights; one disc
- Prológus
- Mint Te
- Útvesztõ Minden Út
- Mindenkinek Érdeme Szerint
- Ahogy Azt Az Ember Gondoija
- Minden Kérdés Elhangzott
- Nem Illik
- A Végsõ Tánc
- Mert Egy Császárnénak Illik...
- Az Már Nem Én Lennék...
- A Vidám Apokalipszis
- Nyisd Ki Elisabeth
- Tej
- Az Már Nem Én Lennék...(repríz)
- Giccs
- Éljen
- Mama, Hol Vagy?
- Elpirulni, Ó, Itt Az Nem Való
- Ma Nagyot Nõtt Az Árnyék (repríz)
- Bennem Mint Tükörben
- Sirató
- Az Új Kollekcióm
- Mint Két Gálya
- Epilógus
- Lehull A Fátyol
- Cast:
Elisabeth: Sáfár Mónika, Janza Kata
Ferenc Jozsef: Sasvári Sándor
A Halál: Mester Tamás
Lucheni: Földes Tamás
Max: Marik Péter
Ludovika/Wolfné: Felföldi Anikó
Sophie: Molnár Piroska
Rudolf, age 10: Kékesi Gábor
Rudolf, age 30: Szomor György
- Eurotrend (Tring-like) Studio Recording
- Released in 1997
- Studio highlights; one disc
- Tribut für Elisabeth, Teil 1
- Wie du
- Der letzte Tanz
- Ich gehör nur mir
- Elisabeth, mach auf mein Engel
- Milch
- Ich will dir nur sagen
- Kitsch
- Mama, wo bist du
- Die Schatten werden länger
- Wenn ich dein Spiegel wär
- Totenklage
- Mein neues Sortiment
- Boote in der Nacht
- Der Schleier fällt
- Tribut für Elisabeth, Teil 2
- No cast info included
- 1998 Japanese recording
- Complete show; live
- Cast:
Elisabeth: Mari Hanafusa
Franz Joseph: Yoko Wao
Toto: Asato Shizuki
Lucheni: Wataru Kozuki
Max: Misao Hoshihara
Ludovika: Hizuru Ko
Sophie: Aya Izumo
Rudolf, age 10: Mayo Hatsune
Rudolf, age 30: Hikaru Asami
- Dutch recording
- Highlights; one disc
- Proloog: Lucheni's verhoor
- Als jij
- De laatste dans
- Mijn leven is van mij
- Mama, waar ben je?
- Elisabeth, doe open liefste
- Melk
- Jij gaf mij dit schrijven/Mijn leven is van mij (reprise)
- Kitsch
- Zonder gêne
- Niets, niets, echt niets
- Er valt een zwarte schaduw
- Was ik jouw spiegel maar
- Mayerling-dodendans
- Schepen in de nacht
- De sluier valt
- Cast:
Elisabeth: Pia Douwes
Franz Joseph: Jeroen Phaff
De Dood: Stanley Burleson
Lucheni: Wim van den Driessche
Max: Nico Schaap
Sophie: Doris Baaten
Rudolf, age 10: Robbert Klein
Rudolf, age 30: Addo Kruizinga
- Highlights; one disc
- 2000 Japanese recordings
- Complete show; live
- Two recordings, each with different Deaths
- Cast:
Elisabeth: Maki Ichiro
Franz Joseph: Sohma Suzuki
Death: Yuhichiro Yamaguchi, Masaaki Uchino
Lucheni: Nasahiro Takashima
- Essen recording
- Highlights; one disc
- Prolog
- Wie Du
- Der letzte Tanz
- Ich gehör nur mir
- Elisabeth, mach auf mein Engel
- Milch
- Ich will dir nur sagen
- Kitsch!
- Wenn ich tanzen will
- Mama, wo bist Du?
- Nur kein Genieren!
- Nichts, nichts, gar nichts
- Die Schatten werden länger
- Wenn ich dein Spiegel wär
- Boote in der Nacht
- Der Schleier fällt
- Cast:
Elisabeth: Pia Douwes
Franz Joseph: Michael Lewis
Der Tod: Uwe Kröger
Lucheni: Carsten Lepper
Sophie: Gabriele Ramm
Rudolf, age 10: Kaj Bender
Rudolf, age 30: Jesper Tyden
- Highlights; one disc
- Various singles from the above recordings
- Original Vienna Cast
Casts
- Vienna
Elisabeth: Pia Douwes (03 Sept 92-17 Apr 94), Maya Hakvoort (15 July 94-25 Apr 98), Patricia Nessy (alternate; 05 Sept 97-1998)
Franz Joseph: Viktor Gernot (03 Sept 92-18 Apr 93), Nik Breidenbach (July 1993-17 Apr 94), Viktor Gernot (15 July 94-15 Apr 95), Leon van Leeuwenberg (12 July 95-25 Apr 98)
der Tod: Uwe Kröger (03 Sept 92-05 Oct 94), Paul Kribbe (24 Nov 94-15 Apr 95), Addo Kruizinga (12 July 95-21 Apr 96), Paul Kribbe (19 July 96-08 Jan 97) [except Matthias Kostya (24 July 96-17 Aug 96)], Uwe Kröger (13 Dec 96-22 Dec 96; 06, 07, and 09 Jan 97), Felix Martin (04 Sept 97-25 Apr 98), Paul Kribbe (occasional performances, Dec 97-1998)
Lucheni: Ethan Freeman (03 Sept 92-18 Apr 93), Thomas Borchert (July 1993-17 Apr 94), Mattias Kostya (15 July 94-09 Jan 97) [except Bruno Grassini (24 July 96-17 Aug 96)], Thomas Borchert (04 Sept 97-25 Apr 98)
Max: Wolfgang Pampel (03 Sept 92-Jan 97), Reinhard Schulze (04 Sept 97-25 Apr 98)
Ludovika/Frau Wolf: Christa Wittstein (03 Sept 92-?), Susanne Altschul (?-25 Apr 98)
Sophie: Else Ludwig (03 Sept 92-autumn 1995), Isabel Weicken (autumn 1995-25 Apr 98)
Rudolf, adult: Andreas Bieber (03 Sept 92-18 Apr 93), Jens Janke (July 1993-17 Apr 94), Rolf Koster (15 July 94-15 Apr 95), Thomas Harke (12 July 95-25 Apr 98)
Helene: Rebecca Rashid (03 Sept 92-18 Apr 93), Barbara Wallner (July 1993-17 Apr 94), Doris Metnitzer (15 July 94-?), Birgit Moser (?-09 Jan 97), Jutta Ellinger (04 Sept 97-25 Apr 98)
Any help filling in any of the remaining dates would be greatly appreciated!
- Japan (Takarazuka production)
Elisabeth: Mari Hanafusa (1996), Ayaka Shiraki (1997), Mari Hanafusa (1998)
Franz Joseph: Fubuki Takane (1996), Koh Minoru (1997), Yoko Wao (1998)
Toto: Maki Ichiro (1996), Saki Asaji (1997), Asato Shizuki (1998)
Lucheni: Yuh Todoroki (1996), Jun Shibuki (1997), Wataru Kozuki (1998)
Max: Mizuki Kodai (1996), Chihiro Ituki (1997), Misao Hoshihara (1998)
Ludovika: Misa Kyou (1996), Naoki Ema (1997), Hizuru Ko (1998)
Sophie: Michiru Syu (1996), Aya Idumo (1997), Aya Izumo (1998)
Rudolf, adult: Tatsuki Kouju (1996), Yuh Emao (1997), Hikaru Asami (1998)
- Hungary
Elisabeth: Sáfár Mónika, Janza Kata
Ferenc Jozsef: Sasvári Sándor
A Halál: Mester Tamás, Szabo Szilveszter, Kamarás Máté
Lucheni: Földes Tamás, Forgacs Peter
Max: Marik Péter
Ludovika/Wolfné: Felföldi Anikó
Sophie: Molnár Piroska
Rudolf, adult: Szomor György - Sweden
Elisabeth: Cecilie Nerfont Thorgersen
Franz Joseph: Björn Eduard
Döden : Patrik Martinsson
Lucheni: Christer Nerfont
Max: Kjell Kvarnevik
Sophie: Sylvia Härwell
Rudolf, adult: Martin Kagemark - Netherlands
Elisabeth: Pia Douwes, Maaike Widdershoven
Franz Joseph: Jeroen Phaff
Dood: Stanley Burleson
Lucheni: Wim van den Driessche
Sophie: Doris Baaten
Rudolf, adult: Addo Kruizinga - Japan (2000)
Elisabeth: Maki Ichiro
Franz Joseph: Sohma Suzuki
Death: Yuhichiro Yamaguchi, Masaaki Uchino
Lucheni: Nasahiro Takashima - Germany
Elisabeth: Pia Douwes
Franz Joseph: Michael Lewis
Der Tod: Uwe Kröger
Lucheni: Carsten Lepper
Sophie: Gabriele Ramm
Rudolf, age 10: Kaj Bender
Rudolf, age 30: Jesper Tyden
- Vienna
Awards
- 1996 IMAGE Awards
- For Elisabeth:
- Best Musical
- Best Script (Michael Kunze)
- Best Actress in a Leading Role (Pia Douwes; one of the other nominees in this category was Maya Hakvoort, also for Elisabeth)
- Other awards given to Elisabeth alumni:
- For open-ended productions:
- Best Actor in a Leading Role: Uwe Kröger for Sunset Boulevard; other nominees included Ethan Freeman for Beauty and the Beast, Felix Martin for Les Miserables
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Viktor Gernot for Beauty and the Beast
- For other productions:
- Best Script: Michael Kunze, for numerous shows and translations
- Best Actor in a Leading Role: Paul Kribbe, for Mann von la Mancha; other nominees included Ethan Freeman for Evita, Andreas Bieber for Jimmy Dean, and Felix Martin for Elvis
- For open-ended productions:
- For Elisabeth:
- 1998 IMAGE Awards given to Elisabeth alumni
- For open-ended productions:
- Best Book: Michael Kunze for Tanz der Vampire
- Best Actor in a Leading Role nominees: Andreas Bieber for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Uwe Kröger for Beauty and the Beast
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Gernot Kranner for Tanz der Vampire; other nominees included Nik Breidenbach for Tanz der Vampire and Viktor Gernot for Beauty and the Beast
- For other productions:
- Best Translation nominee: Michael Kunze for Aspects of Love
- Best Actor in a Leading Role: Felix Martin for Aspects of Love; other nominees included Leon van Leeuwenberg for Godspell
- Best Actress in a Leading Role nominee: Maya Hakvoort for Catherine
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Jens Janke for Sweeney Todd; other nominees included Paul Kribbe for Blondel
- For open-ended productions:
- Any information about other awards received by Elisabeth or people involved in the show would be appreciated
- 1996 IMAGE Awards
Recommended Books on Empress Elisabeth
- Kaiserin wider Willen/The Reluctant Empress, by Brigitte Hamann
- The Eagles Die, by George Marek
- Elisabeth: Bilder einer Kaiserin, by Brigitte Hamann
Related Links
The Empress
- Sisi--Kaiserin Elisabeth--Die wahre Königen der Herzen (in German)
http://www.sisi-net.com/ - Empress Elisabeth of Austria Centennial Commemorative Web Page
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/7023/sisi.html - Sisi--Elisabeth--Empress of Austria
http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/1605/sissy.htm - Empress Elisabeth of Austria--Princess Sisi
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Temple/8485/sissi.htm
- Sisi--Kaiserin Elisabeth--Die wahre Königen der Herzen (in German)
The show
- Vereinigte Bühnen Wien
http://www.musicalvienna.at - A fan review (in German) of the Szeged, Hungary, production
http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/1015/Elisszeg.html - Some photos of the Vienna cast (Maya Hakvoort, Paul Kribbe, Matthias Kostya, Leon van Leeuwenberg)
http://atpforest.tuwien.ac.at/~dusty/lisa.html - Geoff's page in English, which includes a review of the Karlstad production
http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/8851/elisabet.htm - A page in German
http://www.fun.co.at/Musical/Elisabeth/elisabeth.html
- Vereinigte Bühnen Wien
Where To Get Recordings
Germany
Sound of Music Schornstrasse 33 D-45128 Essen Germany (0201) 721381http://www.soundofmusic.de/In addition to loads of hard-to-find theatre-related recordings from all over the world, Sound of Music has at one point or another carried all Elisabeth cast recordings, including the NTSC videos of both Japanese casts, and most if not all of the other recordings on which Elisabeth alumni have appeared. Prices for the Elisabeth recordings range from 35DM for the original Vienna to 130DM for the three-disc Snowtroupe. (The videos are 300DM each.)
USA
Footlights Records 113 E. 12th St. New York, NY 10003 (212) 533-1572 Hours: Monday-Friday 11am-7pm Saturday 10am-6pm Sunday noon-5pmColony Records 1619 Broadway Corner 49th Street New York, NY 10019 (212) 265-2050 (212) 265-1260 Hours: 9:30am-2:30am dailyColony carries just about everything, but at very, very high prices. Use only as a very last resort.
Star Classics 425 Hayes Street San Francisco, CA 94102 (415) 552-1110 Hours: Mon-Sat 11-8, Sun 12-6They do mail order.
United Kingdom
Dress Circle 57/59 Monmouth St. Upper St. Martin's Lane London WC2H 9DG (071) 240-2227 (071) 836-8279 (071) 379-8540 FAX Hours: Monday-Saturday 10am-7pmThis store has a great selection and gets British new releases in before the US stores. It also has a comprehensive catalog. It is more expensive than Footlights, but not nearly as expensive as Colony. The telephone country code for Great Britain from the US is 44.
