#rebecca london

[aliesafenlock]

A Chicago-inspired "Rebecca Alternate Ending" video by Kara Lane and Lauren Jones!

"We've been sent so much fanfic from all over the world, and we've loved every single alternate ending! We thought we'd create our own. Chicago the play was first performed on Broadway in 1926, the same year Rebecca is set... Maybe that's where the similarities end... or maybe not!"

#this is INSANE #kara lane #lauren jones #mrs. danvers #ich #danvich #rebecca das musical #rebecca musical #rebecca london #lonbecca #rebecca daphne du maurier #daphne du maurier #chicago musical #bob fosse

[merinathropp]

"She's not a monster. She's a heartbroken woman living in a time that doesn't suit her."

- Kara Lane on Mrs. Danvers, Rebecca the musical, London 2023 (x)

#rebecca das musical #rebecca london #rebecca musical #mrs danvers #rebecca the musical #HER TAKES ARE SO CORRECT #she never misses I swear #I can't link to an Instagram story #so here's a link to her profile instead #merina rambles

[pipandco]

#mrs danvers #kara lane #rebecca das musical #rebecca musical #rebecca london #lonbecca #my art #I miss this cast #she just needs a hug #this is me coping with the show closing

[neednottoneed]

ok so i'm listening to some of the London Rebecca and parts of it are good but truly some of the translation choices they made don't seem to take singability into account? it could be I'm just used to the flow of the German but some of the internal rhyme scheme is gone and some of these vowels are just. not pleasant.

#rebecca das musical #rebecca london

[imightstealyourkneecaps]

Still thinking about how Kara sat down during “She’s invincible” and looked over to the empty seat where Rebecca would be sitting at…

#here you have a messy sketch #i wonder if i should finish it?? #lonbecca #rebecca london #rebecca the musical #rebecca das musical #rebecca #my art #fanart #kara lane #mrs danvers

[unpopularwiththepopulace]

Propelled chiefly by last year’s London production, I have written a (rather) long form piece to do with Rebecca the Musical. Though focusing mainly on this eventual and heavily expectant premiere of the English production of the musical, discussion relates also to the original and other iterations of the show, and musicals more generally, too.

The piece is anchored by the central theme of insatiability while looking in turn at:

the process of tracing the evasive histories of character representations and theatrical productions over many decades – including also flickered and largely forgotten records of the play and opera forms of Rebecca, and the “apparitional”, equivocal lens that queer female sexuality is handled with across large spans of time

decoding evidence of sparse, if periodically rather dire, female queerness in theatrical, musical contexts – guided by the disciples of dykeish dissatisfaction in the musical’s character of Mrs Danvers or the story’s primary author of Daphne du Maurier herself

considering what it means to exist as an audience member responding in situ to (principally female) performers with thrilling voices, both in and outside an auditorium, and the delicate but frequently under-discussed predicament of queer female diva devotion.

Take a look if you're interested!

In further expansion of photographic documentation of each of the examined stage-based, theatrical iterations of Rebecca, more images are presented below.

Discussion originates from the existence of the 2023 English premiere production of Rebecca the Musical at the Charing Cross Theatre in London, where cast principals included Kara Lane as Mrs Danvers (alternated by Melanie Bright), Lauren Jones as I (the new Mrs de Winter), and Richard Carson as Maxim. Photos by myself.

The first stage production of Rebecca arose much earlier, concerning the 1939 play by the same name at the Queen’s Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue (now The Sondheim Theatre). Daphne du Maurier herself wrote its script. Margaret Rutherford played Mrs Danvers, Celia Johnson was the new Mrs de Winter, Owen Nares appeared as Maxim. The Queen’s Theatre was bombed in 1940 during WWII at the time of Rebecca’s occupancy, becoming the first theatre in London to be hit by a wartime bomb, and bringing to an immediate premature close the show’s successful run - and highlighting earlier associations of this story's connection to tumultuous tales and dramatic events in histories of it's staging, as the attempted primary stagings of the English musical iteration would later return to.

Photos from this first theatrical, London production include those by Angus McBean from a periodical spread entitled ‘Mystery and Murder in Stately Cornish Home - Dramatic Moments of Du Maurier’s “Rebecca.”’, published in The Sketch (vol. 190), May 1940.

The play also then appeared on the road in America, and subsequently on Broadway in 1945 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre for a fleeting 20 performances; and of this entity, record remains even more scarce. Cast principals included: Florence Reed (Mrs Danvers), Diana Barrymore (the new Mrs de Winter), Bramwell Fletcher (Maxim).

The next and last distinct adaptation of Rebecca to appear on stage before the musical was the 1983 opera production devised for Opera North, with music by Wilfred Josephs and libretto by Edward Marsh. It toured the UK before being revived briefly in 1988 and never seen again. Cast principals included: Ann Howard as Mrs Danvers, with Gillian Sullivan and later Anne Williams-King as the new Mrs de Winter, and Peter Knapp as Maxim.

Finding these few, historic photographs in obscure newspapers or consulting original scripts and librettos, for instance, in libraries and archives during this effortful and active treasure-hunting felt special and rewarding. But possible reconstruction of these stage iterations in the present day is only incompletely possible, because of reduced ease of access to or apparent remaining visceral evidence of a visceral art form.

The frustration in trying to seek out these apparitional traces not only foregrounds the importance of maintaining accessible, comprehensive primary records within the theatre, but mirrors also the act of trying to seek out records of queer female sexuality across history in works of literature, cinema or theatre, as a process typified by a similarly effortful navigation of apparitional erasure. This facet connects with the notion that consideration around Rebecca entangles with a web of insatiability or dykeish dissatisfaction, a web that stretches from this erasure and liminality of representation, to character constructions within the work – including of its infamous housekeeper, Mrs Danvers, to contextual backgrounds like those of the story’s primary author itself, Daphne du Maurier.

The entity of Rebecca, then, across its many themes, productions and decades, is uniquely useful in the way it can in turn encompass and facilitate explorations of these many facets – being capable of simultaneously holding consideration of these expansive webs of documentation, erasure or dykeish dissatisfaction that can be found lurking in historical margins, as well as also the contrasting luminous energy that can be produced in the present in association with the musical, as physical audiences interact with and respond to the material of the show and its performers within theatres in real time. These considerations have transferrable applicability beyond this singular context of this particular show to more general notions of theatrical pieces and the practice of theatregoing, too, as they foreground the question of how audience members respond to, process, and interact with shows; and, as a matter of far less common discussion or scholarly writing on the subject of diva devotion, how female fans specifically navigate the complex predicament of queer, female, performance-driven high regard.

#rebecca the musical #rebecca das musical #rebecca #mrs danvers #ich #the new mrs de winter #daphne du maurier #lonbecca #rebecca london #kara lane #willemijn verkaik #musical theatre #musicals #terry castle #wayne koestenbaum #the apparitional lesbian #theatre

[sassmill]

“Did Rebecca ever do that?” I whispered, a second story unfolding within my memory of the last few months, of Mrs. Danvers’ reverence for Her: not just devotion, I now realized, but something more complicated. Deeper.

Adoration. Ardor. Need.

"No."

“But you wanted her to, didn’t you?”

She didn’t make a sound. Refused to look up at me.

“Answer me, Mrs. Danvers.”

#it’s finally done!!!! #at least the first chapter is #I’m actually really insanely proud of this one #I feel like it’s different from anything I’ve written before #Rebecca #rebecca daphne du maurier #rebecca das musical #rebecca 1940 #rebecca musical #rebecca london #charing cross rebecca #rebecca wien #rebecca vienna #mrs. danvers #ich #mrs de winter #Mrs de winter is here #Mrs de winter bin ich #DanvIch

[emeraldskulblaka]

Is there an official song list for Rebecca London?

#rebecca das musical #rebecca london

[aliesafenlock]

When two worlds collide: Vienna vs London!

Nienke Latten & Lauren Jones as Ich/I

Marcella Adema & Kara Lane as Mrs Danvers

Photo from Kara's Instagram.

#kara lane #lauren jones #marcella adema #nienke latten #mrs danvers #ich #rebecca das musical #rebecca vienna #rebecca london #lonbecca #daphne du maurier

[merinathropp]

hi yeah so Kara's portrayal of Mrs. Danvers absolutely tore my heart out and blew the roof off when I saw Rebecca London two weeks ago so here are some observations I'm finally writing down

- after the costume ball scene, Ich was trying to run back up the stairs, and Danny came down them towards her with THE MOST SWEETLY EVIL GRIN IMAGINABLE, just absolutely smug and delighted and totally unashamed of herself, I have literally never loved Danny more, good for her, let her be happy etc. you just know she slept SO well that night

- balcony scene, when she's telling Ich to jump: for the first few lines, she wasn't looking at Ich at all, she was gazing out into the ocean, and she had this awful twisted look of despair/panic on her face as she said 'you'll never be happy, no one wants you, no one needs you', and my heart literally plummeted because it seemed as though Danny was talking to herself*, not Ich. she snapped out of it a second later and very deliberately turned to look at Ich to deliver the rest of her speech, but oh my gosh, WHAT an inspired and heartbreaking choice???

(*apparently Kara confirmed on Instagram that this is her intention with those first few lines huuhhjsdhfksajdf I'm obsessed)

- the first time I saw this production, I was confused by how polite and normal Danny behaved to Ich for most of Act 1, BUT NOW I SEE THE LIGHT!!!! the whole brilliance of Kara's portrayal is this delicate slow burn effect, she's perfectly cool and collected during their first interactions, then gradually gets more mad and emotional as the show goes on

- Rebecca IIII (after the phonecall) she walked very, very slowly down the stairs with one hand clapped over her mouth, fell to her knees clutching the banister, and sobbed. she hadn't sung a note and I was already crying watching her. so many Dannys make that moment about anger and betrayal (which is valid!!!), but I was bowled over to see Kara make it about Danny just crumpling to pieces and finally allowing herself to cry and cry for the woman she loved.

- (then she somehow proceeded to sob and belt her way FLAWLESSLY through the entire reprise, I couldn't believe how clean her notes were when she had tears streaming down her face???? and the absolute icing on the cake: on the final few lines, it was like all her grief just iced over, her face hardened into this look of total focus and hatred, and she stood up slowly singing 'now it's time for your revenge on Manderley' absolute perfection honestly.)

basically we're all blessed beyond belief by Kara's Danny and idk what I will do when this production closes. live in perpetual grief forever I guess.

#rebecca musical #rebecca das musical #rebecca london #kara lane #mrs danvers #merina rambles

[jon-withnoh]

Btw, if any of you lovely people who have seen London Rebecca and are dying to describe some of the pivotal scenes (read: scenes involving Mrs Danvers) to someone, my dms are open…

#rebecca das musical #lonbecca #rebecca london #how I WISH I could fly out for a weekend #but I can’t because I’m no longer near an airport #and also I’m working half the weekends until the charing cross run is over #Kara posted a snippet of how they staged „Ich hab geträumt von Manderley #and ughhhh I wanna see what it looks like from the audience

[pdouwes]

sooo, rebecca london is not it, i take it ??

#feel free to tell me all your thoughts about it if you've already seen it!! #i'm very curious #(also if anyone has an audio pls message me) #rebecca london

[mrsdannydanvers]

Rebecca London is certainly different…

#rebecca #rebecca the musical #rebecca london #lonbecca #amazing voices tho #rebecca's bed… had to laugh #but danny is basically making love to her nightgown and she got on her bed!! #quite a few song changes/cut/added songs #no die neue mrs de winter 😢 #after the costume drama danny flashes ich a broad wicked smile with teeth 😁 #rebecca reprise gay af! danny couldn't stop touching ich #also she puts rebecca's lipstick on ich!!! #no danny at court :/ #i thought ​i was her closest friend….. #no burning staircase as expected but smoke filling the auditorium #w/ danny walking up the stairs w/ her hair open and dragging rebecca's nightgown behind her #my rambles

[neednottoneed]

"Die neue Mrs de Winter" - Translation of Danny's part

SO in the new London production they cut Danny's part of "Die neue Mrs de Winter," which I'm frankly annoyed by because I like that moment for her character--it's the musical version of the Hitchcock camera zoom onto her. So with that in mind I thought I'd try my hand at translating her part in the German into English, with some explanation for why I made the choices I did.

The original German lyrics are below, as well as a literal word-for-word English translation, and then my translation after that. I'll put my thoughts under the cut as I'm afraid it'll get really long otherwise.

German:

Selbst wenn sie eine Fürstin wär' Was will sie hier in Manderley? Für mich gibt es auf dieser Welt nur eine Mrs. de Winter Denn ruht dein Körper auch im Grab Dein Geist ist noch in Manderley Und keine nimmt dir deinen Platz Niemals!

Literal English:

Even if she were a princess What does she want in Manderley? For me there's only one Mrs de Winter in this world Your body rests then in the grave Your ghost is still in Manderley And no one can take your place Never!

My translation:

No matter how well bred she is She has no place in Manderley I know there can only be One true Mrs de Winter They say you’re lying in your grave, But you’re still here in Manderley And nobody can take your place Ever

Explanation of choices under the cut!

SO right off the bat I've never been huge fan of the "princess" line though it works in German (and Fürstin has a nice old-fashioned nobility connotation) but I wanted something that still got that meaning across, and between that and "she has no place" I wanted to get across the point of what Ich believes is Danvers' disdain for Ich's lower-class upbringing (something Ich obsesses over in the novel), as well as make it clear her feelings on someone replacing Rebecca.

I could've stuck with "For me there can only be" instead of "I know there can only be" but I thought "I know" sounded nicer. "One true Mrs de Winter" - same effect.

"They say you're lying in your grave" - I wanted to set up the echo of this line we get in "She's invincible" and go ahead and get that across, plus there's my favorite detail in the German where Danny addresses Rebecca here (and throughout) with the informal "you," something she only does a few other times--to Ich, when she's mad at her or terrorizing her (Nur ein Schritt/Mrs de Winter bin Ich.) I wanted to keep that direct address, so this works here.

"But you're still here in Manderley" a little less subtle than "Your spirit/ghost is still in Manderley."

"And nobody can take your place / ever" - I toyed between "never" and "ever" as Never would be more a direct translation, but "Nobody would ever take your place" flows if this were just a sentence spoken in English, where never does not, so I went with that.

If you made it this far, congrats! I find all of this extremely interesting and fun and love talking/thinking about translation choices.

#rebecca das musical #rebecca #daphne du maurier #rebecca london #rebecca musical #translation #meta #i shouldn't have to say it but i'm gonna #translation copyright here belongs to me

[imightstealyourkneecaps]

From Kara Lane’s stories

#shes so right #how do we have the same take on the character?? #lonbecca #kara lane #mrs danvers #rebecca london #Rebecca #rebecca the musical

[sassmill]

Chapter 2 is complete! Thank you all for your patience—it will be well rewarded in the next chapter :)

#Rebecca #rebecca daphne du maurier #rebecca das musical #Rebecca (1940) #Rebecca London #mrs. danvers #Mrs Danvers #DanvIch #fanfic #fanfiction #words words words #mine #my stuff #wieder zu scherben