It is a known fact that most German-language musical actors will need to perform Sweet Transvestite at least once every few years in full drag or they'll literally die of sadness at being denied a chance to engage in species-typical behaviour
"This is the Greatest Show" Bonus with Jan Ammann, Mark Seibert, Annemieke Van Dam and Michaela Schober in Berlin 09/05/2022
First time a show in a full house after 2 years of pandemic. So glad to be back in a full theatre 🥰
The show was called "This is the Greatest Show" and they sung songs out of a lot of different film musicals including "The Greatest Showman", "A star is born", "Grease", "Mamma Mia" etc.
They filmed today's show, so a streaming option might be available soon.
On Thursday I spontaneously went to see the musical show This is the Greatest Show at the Stadthalle in Vienna. I was debating going for a while because Drew was part of the cast but the tickets are quite expensive (think 100€ for as far back as row 20+). In the end I got a ticket 2nd hand in row 30 for 55€ (instead of 77€).
So here's a little review of the evening (plus some nice drew Promo pics). Also, spoilers ahead.
The show started strong with "This is the greatest show" followed by "Totale Finsternis", sung by Jan Ammann, Maya Hakvoort and Michaela Schober. Andreas Bieber moderated the show.
The were songs from "Mamma Mia", "Kudamm 56", "Robin Hood", "Knocking on Heaven's Door", "Elisabeth", "Joseph and the amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat", "Hamilton", "The Prom", "&Juliette", "Frozen" and more that I have already forgotten. And quite a lot from the movie "The Greatest Showman" (obviously).
The entire cast was brilliant. I didn't expect the show to have quite a big ensemble. No wonder the tickets are pricey. The audience was also quite engaged and vibed with the songs. It was lovely to finally hear Jan Ammann sing live. something that has been on my list for quite a while. He's got a wonderful voice, although he wasn't the perfect fit for the "Greatest Showman" songs due to his classical training imho. Similar goes for Maya Hakvoort as well. she still slayed "Ich gehört nur mir" but wasn't delivering it for me with "Let it go". Someone that wasn't on my radar by now is Michaela Schober, who just delivered on every song. A great voice and performer to look out for. Andreas Bieber was a wonderful and charming host of the evening and a great singer.
Now for the most biased part of that review: Drew's performances were just perfection. He went all out as he always does and put his own spin on the songs. Most notable for me were "Wait for it" from Hamilton (in German no less and it didn't suck) and "Die Schatten werden länger" from Elisabeth with Andreas Bieber. So intense and slightly homoerotic (as it should be). He played Tod in a predatory and Krolock-ish way and I was living for it.
Have some nice promo pics of Drew:
(First two are from "Wait for it" and the last from "Die Schatten werden länger", Credit)
All in all a wonderful evening and great show. Definitely worth sleep deprevation the next day. I wouldn't have gone for the full price of a ticket though.
Anyone know if there's a recording anywhere of de Drie Muskitiere, either the original Dutch production or the Berlin production? All I can find anywhere is a smattering of the songs on Spotify and that Ammann/Seibert/Müller/Stanke medley from their tour. It's a shame because the few songs I can find go so hard