Dance of the Vampires

[EvanstonDad]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 9:50am

I watched Roman Polanski's "The Fearless Vampire Killers" last night and thought it was dreadful (that's for another message board). But it led me to some clips of the original Broadway production of "Dance of the Vampires," and I have to say I'm sort of....uh....fascinated. I know it was a notorious flop, but for those who saw it I'm wondering....was the audience laughing at the production or with it? The very first scene seems to establish a campy tone, but then later clips seem to play things straight, yet the audience is whooping it up. It's hard to know out of context whether or not the comedy was intentional. If it wasn't, that had to be incredibly uncomfortable for the actors. Did anyone see this and what were your thoughts about the show?

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 10:05am

In short:

Mostly at it, yes the comedy was (mostly) intentional (although how a lot of it ultimately landed was not), and if you want to see a better version (well, depending on your mileage; if you hated the movie, you may not especially like something that's closer), the European version is your best bet.

The Broadway variant scrapped most of the darkly humorous original story and libretto, in favor of a broadly comic rewrite -- ultra-campy, slapstick, more "Americanized" -- which you might have noticed did not sit well alongside the (mostly) intact score. (Indeed, it was such a critical and commercial disaster upon its New York debut that it reset the bar for famous Broadway flops, at least until Spider-Man came along.)

Updated On: 10/31/18 at 10:05 AM

[EvanstonDad]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 10:18am

Thanks for the reply. I do have to say that Total Eclipse of the Heart seemed completely incongruous given everything happening around it, yet at the same time, as a child of the 80s, it was weirdly satisfying to hear it being belted out by Mandy Gonzalez. Michael Crawford, on the other hand, sounded ridiculous. 

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 10:41am

Sigh. Dance of the Vampires. Those were the days back on the old broadway.com message board.

The audience was definitely laughing at it. The show was a disaster. Although a much more fun to watch disaster than Spiderman.

Who can forget the scene where Michael Crawford was reduced to singing about a dildo shaped sponge? Or the garlic song. Or Total Eclipse of Heart. Hilarious!

It had it's defenders on the message board though. I think it started the trend of people saying the show was so good that people were rushing to the box office after the curtain fell to buy more tickets.

[HunterK]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 10:41am

I have to be honest, this show was my guilty pleasure for 3 months. Yes, it was a huge flop in every sense of the word. But what a great cast! Even the ensemble dancing Hip Hop in th graveyard. They were dedicated. This was my first time hearing Mandy Gonzalez and I have to say she was the shining star of this show. Her belt was beyond amazing, and a lot of people came back for more. To me it was just a lot of fun. The sets and costumes were incredible, including Michael Crawford 5” heels on his boots!

Yes it was a flop and people HATED IT! But I had a good time and always took advantage of every promo they had for tickets. It’s worth a watch on YouTube or wherever it may be.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 11:27am

The Broadway production was a misguided revision of the superior original musical adaptation, Tanz der Vampire.  I saw it in Berlin in 2005 and LOVED IT.  I'm seeing it again in Berlin next March.

 

[Lot666]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 11:29am

HunterK said: "I have to be honest, this show was my guilty pleasure for 3 months. Yes, it was a huge flop in every sense of the word. But what a great cast! Even the ensemble dancing Hip Hop in th graveyard. They were dedicated. This was my first time hearing Mandy Gonzalez and I have to say she was the shining star of this show. Her belt was beyond amazing, and a lot of people came back for more. To me it was just a lot of fun. The sets and costumes were incredible, including Michael Crawford 5” heels on his boots!

Yes it was a flop and people HATED IT! But I had a good time and always took advantage of every promo they had for tickets. It’s worth a watch on YouTube or wherever it may be."

 I admire people who own their unpopular opinions!

 

[HunterK]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 11:36am

Lot666 said: "HunterK said: "I have to be honest, this show was my guilty pleasure for 3 months. Yes, it was a huge flop in every sense of the word. But what a great cast! Even the ensemble dancing Hip Hop in th graveyard. They were dedicated. This was my first time hearing Mandy Gonzalez and I have to say she was the shining star of this show. Her belt was beyond amazing, and a lot of people came back for more. To me it was just a lot of fun. The sets and costumes were incredible, including Michael Crawford 5” heels on his boots!

Yes it was a flop and people HATED IT! But I had a good time and always took advantage of every promo they had for tickets. It’s worth a watch on YouTube or wherever it may be."

I admire people who own their unpopular opinions!

"

And I appreciate that Lot666! ?? Thinking Back one time would have been sufficient! 

[Scarlet Leigh]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 11:36am

I mainly remember the reaction at the performance more or less being, in a word, awkward. Three moments especially. The first being that "Wait is this ACTUALLY Total Eclipse of the Heart?" awkward chuckle at the top of Act 2 and then the dick jokes about the sponge (God that's a thing I actually had to type out cus it's an ACTUAL thing... Dance of the Vampires had sponge dick jokes). And the last being the closing number as where in the original they more or lest dance it on a blank stage, the Broadway production has them.... SIGH.... dancing around in trenchcoats with a series of modern day vampire parodies in Times Square such as a billboard for 'BATS' instead of 'CATS,' an ad for canned blood instead of a can of Coke (RIP the old Coke can sign with the straw that would come out of the top BTW), or a sign for 'VSPN' instead of 'ESPN.' The stunned reaction of the people around me still sticks with me. It might be the top "WTF IS HAPPENING?!" moment I have ever experienced at a show. And I've seen Brooklyn: The Musical!

It had a few impressive elements. The "Carpe Noctem" dance sequence was pretty great and there were effects used that wow simply on the spectacle factor of them. The one performance that stood out as a bright light in the dark was Mandy Gonzalez. Her belting in "Braver Than We Are" could melt your face off. Oh... and now that I think about about it, one OTHER moment. 

Crawford was of course a puzzle the entire show. Why was he here? What was he doing? Did he REALLY just make a sponge dick joke!? But he had a song towards the end of the show that kind of reminded you why he was considered a master of the stage. It's a song called "Confessions of a Vampire" and it's for the most part the one piece that is devoid of the campy and terribleness of the rest of the production and it gives you a glimpse of what could have been in the show if Crawford had not been permitted for put his idea of comedy all over it.

[ImAProphet]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 11:43am

Mister Matt said: "I'm seeing it again in Berlin next March."

Hey, me too! But for the first time. I was already planning to go to Berlin in April/May-ish, but I saw Tanz was playing so I bumped it up. I love the music and what I've seen of the show online so I'm super excited.

Updated On: 10/31/18 at 11:43 AM

[vampire musical]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 1:00pm

THE BEST MUSICAL OF ALL TIME!  /s

The Broadway version was hokey and just couldn't relax into the dry humor of the European version (which I have yet to see on stage and have only seen clips of) as others have said.

Sounds like I need a trip to Berlin 

Updated On: 10/31/18 at 01:00 PM

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 1:25pm

I still hope to one day see a faithful translation and staging of the German production in English. All they had to do was find a lyricists who could translate and adapt the original German lyrics and libretto for American audiences. Not a literal word for word translation but something equally poetic that matches the tone of the original. The complete overhaul and rewriting of the show for the Broadway version obviously didn't work.

[DCS]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 2:08pm

I saw the show with some theatre buddies and I remember during intermission the lobby was buzzing about how exciting it was to be seeing a truly great flop show crashing and burning on stage.  I had friends very close to the creative team and the story they told me afterwards was this.....the show had been a big hit in it's European incarnation and the US producers approached Crawford to play the lead on Broadway....it would be his return to NY after taking the city by storm in Phantom.  The problem was that Crawford didn't want to play another dramatic villain so he demanded that he play it as a comedy so the book was given an overhaul to add jokes and schtick for Crawford, but on the score side they were stuck with Steinman's heavy gothic songs and Steinman wasn't budging on his side.  John Rando did his best to make it all work, but it was a lost cause as the comedy elements of the show were battling the overly dramatic score onstage....it truly was a mess!

[Elfuhbuh]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 2:08pm

I wish they’d give this show another go as a tour or a Paper Mill Playhouse “Halloween Event” or something. I still think it could be a lot of fun if they stuck closer to the European version; my American friends whom I’ve showed my Hamburg DVD to have all loved it despite having to read subtitles the whole time.

[IronMan]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 2:52pm

Even worse than the "Garlic" number, which had the villagers singing about how they have to hang garlic strands everywhere to protect themselves ("It's why we're so well hung!" was when the song ended and they all picked up and took down the garlic to clear the stage. 
Then there was Michael Crawford's vampire death, as he's lying on a set of risers and is hit by a sunbeam... and a puff of fog came up from under him.  I wasn't sure if that meant he was dead, or just farted. 

Updated On: 10/31/18 at 02:52 PM

[Scarlet Leigh]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 2:59pm

Yeeeeeeeeeeah it's really hard to watch a score that was written to be sung by THIS:



And was instead sung by THIS:

It's like..... if The Count from Sesame Street played Jareth in the Labyrinth movie. "1 Magic Dance! 2 Magic Dance! Aha! Aha! Aha! Aha!"

[bowtie7]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 7:12pm

Be vary careful not to be sucked into the black hole that is Tanz der Vampire. You will soon be obsessing over who sang which roles best. Watching Total Eclipse in every language imaginable. Comparing the William Dudley/Sue Blaine design with the Kentaur design. Charting the evolution of Braver than we are/Red Boots Ballet. And never getting tired of the massive spiral staircase raising up from below the stage. (which of course then leads to obsessing over the even bigger Rebecca staircase descending into the floor while rotating and being on fire)

You have been warned!

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 7:22pm

CATSNYrevival said: "I still hope to one day see a faithful translation and staging of the German production in English.All they had to do was find a lyricists who could translate and adapt the original German lyrics and libretto for American audiences. Not a literal word for word translation but something equally poetic that matches the tone of the original."

Funny story: someone did. Ten years ago. And I was the exec producer who made it all happen. I even stuck a couple of demos from it on YouTube a while back.

Here's our version of "Die unstillbare Gier":

 

 

And our version of "Gott ist tot":

I like to think that this captures what worked best about our version. The demos are rough, but the good kind of rough; the vocalists have a gorgeous quality, and they show how well the lyrics fit the melody (accurate to the German recordings, with a few of our accents thrown in).

For a variety of reasons, this project has not yet moved forward. A planned reading in the summer of 2010 with Broadway caliber talent didn't happen, and it's been in limbo ever since (I mean, I personally have never quite let it go, but the level of activity has varied over time).

But we're tryin'!

Updated On: 10/31/18 at 07:22 PM

[ticenewyorkcity]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 9:34pm

i enjoyed this show for many reasons and saw it multiple times (the whole show 5 times, 2nd acted about 20 times).  previews were well attended but immediately after opening with those horrendous reviews i often sat in an entirely empty balcony,

impressive sets and vocals but it was pretty much a disaster.  why crawford was ever given creative control is beyond me.  that horrible accent...quite the entrance with his coffin shooting up from the stage while sarah (mandy) screams "help me all mighty god!" with crawford replying "god has left the building!!".

for a show with dance in the title there was surprisingly little on display.  i was told during rehearsals that the ensemble was told by carrafa to "just rock out" and that's basically what they did.  the was the fantastic 'braver than we are/red boots ballet/say a prayer' sequence that led up to the close of the first act.  unbelievable vocals by mandy and max with amazing dancing leading to shatter a vampire myth.  they aren't supposed to reflect in a mirror...?  well cue the 2-way mirror drop that encased the entire ensemble in an infinite reflection while mandy stood at the edge of the stage.  

braver than we are/red boots/say a prayer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckelLPqtbeU

the first act closing with that giant draw bridge and crawford holding a note longer than the shows run was great fun.  especially the wire work with the villagers falling off the bridge.

each time i saw the show "vampires in love" *total eclipse of the heart* got laughter and for all the wrong reasons.  "carpe noctem" is still a favorite of mine.  the giant bed, dream characters and dancing gargoyles were great fun.  the finalized version of that number was a long way ahead of the nightmare during previews with the tracked/traveling bath tub for the dream sarah and an ending where the ensemble removed their red wigs and beat her with them...

carpe noctem- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zhmADmtRTM

max's solo "for sarah" is a beautiful song as well as crawford's "confessions of a vampire".

if this were running i'd go back often.  it truly had to be seen to be believed.

"you think broadway musicals suck now? just you wait..."

[Lot666]

Posted: 11/1/18 at 1:16pm

bowtie7 said: "And never getting tired of the massive spiral staircase raising up from below the stage. (which of course then leads to obsessing over the even bigger Rebecca staircase descending into the floor while rotating and being on fire)"

Oh, now you've gone and done it...REBECCA!

 

[Christoph]

Posted: 11/1/18 at 3:22pm

I thought Fearless Vampire Killers was a train wreck.  This show was also a train wreck...but a very entertaining train wreck. There were times you could laugh with it and times you could laugh at it.  Some of the music was actually quite good.  Someone mentioned Confessions of a Vampire as a stand-out, I would also include For Sara as another.  Plus the cast was beyond insanely talented and gave 110% even when they knew the material was not working.  Mandy Gonzalez and Max von Essen especially stand out in my memory.  Truthfully, I have to admit the show - for all its considerable faults - is never boring.  And that is something that I would not say about some of the more pretentious lumbering productions we often see that are more widely acclaimed.  I would be lying if I did not say that I had fun with this show for all its missteps.  Honestly, I would probably opt for sitting through something like this again, then an endless parade of critically acclaimed high-minded downers singing about dysfunctional families or psychosis or the like.  It is a virtual textbook example of a guilty pleasure.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 8/14/20 at 12:16pm

Your essential Friday reading!

https://www.vulture.com/article/broadway-dance-of-the-vampires-bloody-disaster.html

Updated On: 8/14/20 at 12:16 PM

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 8/14/20 at 1:18pm

Look, Mom, I made the papers! (Sort of. They omitted a significant portion of the info I gave them, which is interesting considering they devoted substantial time to the efforts of an attempted revision of that veritable chestnut It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman in their other story for this series.)

If this article is hidden behind a paywall for you, DM me. In the meantime, I paste here the comment I made on said article:

Though I’m well aware this comment may seem the kind of nitpicking that would come from the fan Ms. Shaw describes, upon reading this otherwise very accurate and fair article, I was a little dismayed to see what I told her at length reduced to a couple of sentences in the final paragraph largely emphasizing my fandom. Whether due to time constraints in writing/editing or being erroneously considered outside the scope of the article, Ms. Shaw significantly downplays my (as she puts it) “trying to broker work with the man himself,” especially as it relates to the article’s content.

I’m a working producer actively involved in project development for stage, screen, and television (going on 15 years of ‘almost famous’ now, though that may be partially because I hang on to shows with flop stench like this one), and I devoted valuable time and effort – at least three years and seven figures’ worth of active development – to creating a more faithful English stage adaptation of Tanz der Vampire. I assembled a creative team including a noted writer-director-producer who has worked extensively Off-Broadway, and was also previously a senior vice president of both NBC and Warner Bros. affiliates, by any account a major writing presence in media today.

We had both written and verbal authorization from Jim Steinman, a stream of interest from name stars and major U.S. film studio distributors based on our script and two rough demos, and were in the midst of preparing a reading with top-shelf Broadway talent when we were stonewalled by people on the European side of the table. Mr. Steinman proved singularly unhelpful in pleading our case.

It has since become increasingly apparent that he may or may not have had the right to commission such work from us, and years of my life, and the lives of members of our creative / project development unit, were used casually and recklessly. We have this completely documented at a level suitable for litigation, and there are several witnesses, including members of the original Austrian cast, such as Gernot Kranner, who advocated our script as “brilliant” and would confirm the outstanding artistic quality of the endeavor.

Our script is a superior English edition of the piece. The text is very faithful to the spirit of the German original and the underlying source movie, while maintaining an efficacy and substantial English-language virtue and vitality all its own. We would still like to effect a solution to the current situation.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 8/14/20 at 2:10pm

Has Vulture ever had a paywall?

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 8/14/20 at 2:16pm

I had at least two reports -- one from the UK, one from Hudson Valley -- that they needed to be a subscriber to read it, hence my offer.