Not bad! They are playing "Les Misérables" in Berlin
The Theater des Westens is more to guess than to be seen at present time. The house at the Kantstraße has disappeared behind a huge tarpaulin. That has nothing to do with the packaging artist Chisto but with the rebuilding of the theatre.
The new TdW owner Stage Holding invested 10 million dollar in the house. Stage, foyer, dressing rooms - everything undergoes a "facelifting". That's why it's still dusty everywhere. But the construction workers are in a hurry: on September 26th the curtain should be raised again. That's the day of the premiere of "Les Misérables".
The revolution musical - not really new. But a classic in every way. Performed in 21 languages and 38 countries. Now also in Berlin. This "delay" needn't mean any bad thing.
On a CD the TdW has send the first samples of the new production. And they sound really promising. Which means: a lot of great voices! More than 1000 singers had applied for a part, 38 were chosen for the cast. Three of them: Ann Christin Elverum (27), Vera Bolten (26) and Valerie Link (24). The three grace have much stress now, rehearsing nearly around the clock.
Vera is crazy about the range of her part as Eponine: "I have rocking numbers as the boyish street girl but also great ballads in the love scenes." A happy ending is bared from her - she dies at the barricades. Her claim: "My death has to touch the audience. It touches the soul and the heart."
