Are Vampire Musicals CURSED?

[@WaitintheWings]

Special thanks to Margaret Hall for guest writing and narrating this exciting deep dive! If you're ever injured in an accident, you can check out Morgan & Morgan. You can submit a claim in 8 clicks or less without having to leave your couch. To start your claim, visit: www.forthepeople.com/WaitInTheWings

[@TheFoxPrince1]

You should do a video on the musical BatBoy

[@TheCommonGentry]

i looooooooove your ads so much!!! true compitetion for Channel Awesome lol you're AWESOME!!

[@nemene]

My VERY odd German language professor was obsessed with Tanz Der Vampire. He wore a pollo shirt with the logo at least twice a week, all our grammar examples involved vampires, and he would regularly get distracted by those examples and just start gushing about how great the musical was. Now I understand why he insisted the original German version was the only way to watch it.

[@ashleylabaki2872]

I was legit super into this musical in high school. Didn’t speak a lick of German, but I watched it RELIGIOUSLY.

[@chiarawiedemeier5695]

We played it in school once. It was very fun to sing about blood, gore and greed

[@Macabrellian]

The Russian version is fantastic, too!

[@AlinaAniretake]

@@Macabrellian sadly not Russians themselves.

[@kasiarohda1831]

Polish translation ("Taniec wampirów") is also fantastic!

[@armanichu6395]

Fun fact you forgot to mention: Frank Wildhorn's Dracula musical was later reworked and saw greater success overseas in Austria and especially South Korea, where it has ben staged 4 times through 2014 until 2021. Morover, the Japanese production had cast Takarazuka Revue alumnus Yōka Wao in the titular role, marking the first time Dracula was played by a woman.

[@cassidyarnold505]

I have a hard time believing it took tell the 80s to have the famous character Dracula played by a women.

[@themartyflorence]

They should do a video on Frank Wildhorn alone. The music is always amazing and beautiful but his shows never seem to do well, In America that is. In Korea and Japan Death Note the Musical soared! I think he was ahead of his time because he released this musical before animes were really mega mainstream in America.

[@utubrGaming]

​@@themartyflorencemy take on why Frank just can't seem to take a foothold in America is that Americans like their musicals something subversive. Whether it's a musical about the founding fathers but in rap and hip hop and a multicultural cast, or puppets who sing about porn in the internet. A wink and a nod of the absurdity of the musical. Frank's musicals are rather... I'd say immersive, but verisimilitude is probably a more accurate word. He takes dramatic subjects, and treats them seriously. It's probably closer to an operatic tradition.

[@themartyflorence]

@@utubrGaming very true! His shows seriously have a cult like success over there. You’d think west end would be perfect for his operatic tradition and dramatic performances.

[@katlynwebb8474]

Frank Wildhorn is married to Wao Yoka

[@karakreativevlog]

So, let me get straight: Lestat failed because the producers didn't want a gay musical written by a gay artist? They were afraid to put gay stuff...on Broadway?

[@Megan-bt9pm]

It's almost like there's a theme of "hey, this vampire story/IP is really popular and successful! Let's bring it to Broadway." And then the producers, every time go "Yes, very popular. The only aspect about it being popular is that it's got vampires right? Nobody will care if we change literally everything else that makes for a good or interesting story, right? Especially all the parts everyone loved about it. We'll already get the existing fans and they'll mindless enjoy it so it won't matter."

[@adamgreenspan4988]

Take out the word vampire and you have most Hollywood bomb adaptations of popular IPs

[@Z3RO19]

I've seen the original German production of Tanz der Vampire numerous times and it's one of my favorite shows of all time. Too bad the Broadway production was such an atrocity. Had they just translated the German production one-to-one, it could have been quite successful, I think. It's a visually stunning show with an absolutely phenomenal score, amazing gothic horror atmosphere, and a good, tasteful sense of humor.

[@jaegermonster5925]

It's horrendous what they did to Tanz der Vampire over there on Broadway, it's such a classic and still always worth a visit

[@Jaye_42]

Thrilled to see you mention Tanz der Vampire! The original German language production is so lush and entertaining.

[@arex9000]

This is what we need but a better translation on what we got

[@ryandineen3655]

I unapologetically love Lestat. I was fortunate enough to see the NYC production and loved the score, though the production didn’t overly impress. When I found a recording of the west coast production, I was legitimately upset that such a good show had been hacked to bits. The score is still on my playlist, at all times.

[@Redstomp]

"I Want More" is an all time favourite of mine!

[@ryandineen3655]

@@Redstomp it’s amazing! But I’m a sucker (badum tss) for Sail Me Away. One of my favorites for Cabarets:-)

[@thomasbradley4505]

I saw it in San Francisco in its pre-broadway run. I don’t remember much about it, but I do remember liking it

[@dallasb9411]

I saw it in San Francisco and was so disappointed not to get to Broadway in time to see it... But having since seen boots of NYC, I was bummed at a lot of the changes (don't get me wrong, it needed *some* changes but it definitely didn't need to be LESS QUEER, like... That was the wrong choice, my friends)

[@dallasb9411]

Also I host a musical theatre holiday party every January and we always end the night with a boot of Lestat.

[@PorgWitch]

I left a comment on the Rebecca video specifically asking about Vampire musicals, so I cannot tell you how excited I was to see this!!! My parents met at a production of Dracula the Musical so if it weren't for vampire musicals I wouldn't be here 🤣

[@dallasb9411]

I literally only watch this channel hoping to see more vampire musical content, but the rest of it's pretty good too, I guess, hahah

[@PorgWitch]

@@dallasb9411 anytime Tanz or Lestat is referenced I perk up like a Meerkat 🤣

[@ashleylabaki2872]

The German/Austrian productions of Tanz Der Vampire were sooooo amazing. Big, lush, beautiful orchestration. The production design and costumes were gorgeous. It’s such a shame they messed up Broadway as bad as they did. There were, uh, definitely some choices made there. 😅

[@tobiasdragonetti47]

I´m from Argentina, and here we have our own musical version of Dracula, written by Pepe Cibrian and composed by Angel Mahler (both legends of argentinian theatre). It premiered in 1991, after the producer of the show could´t do phantom of the opera. After 30 years, it still being the most succesfull argentinian musical. It was also transfered to Spain, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay. There were intentions to do a run in New York, but the producer wanted to make a lot of changes and Cibiran refused. I´m really surprised how this kind of musicals don´t prosper on NY but people love them here. Great video!

[@Orma391]

Estaba a punto de comentar lo mismo

[@Orma391]

Recuerdo esperar a la salida del Gran Rex cuando tenía diez años para que Juan Rodó me firmara un autógrafo, jaja

[@LordRezo]

Well either way, I'm finally going to go see Tanz Der Vampire in Hamburg this year, breaking a 20 year long wait to finally experience the musical the way it's meant to be seen and not marred by that Broadway atrocity.

[@calihoyer1415]

Today I learned that Tanz is a spoof lmao I suddenly understand it much more In other news I've acquired a quest to write a queer vampire musical that succeeds

[@Demotalias]

Tanz der Vampire is still my favorite musical to this day and the one that I have seen the most live. As german myself I often asked why it wasn't translated into english and more widly known. Thanks for the mentioning and explanations! Never knew it became such a mess on broadway.

[@Coco24994508]

Another big issue with Dance of the Vampires was that a lot of the original production team couldn’t fly to the U.S. after 911. (One of my teachers was an assistant) the costume designer also peaced out bc of a death in the family. Basically everyone on the show was confused af and just doing whatever they could to get it open

[@Redstomp]

Vampire musicals are cursed! All these years, two decades, I've waited for a Danish production of Tanz Der Vampire, and a few years ago, our "prime" musical theatre in Copenhagen finally staged it! I was READY, I had the tickets.... for April 2020. 😭 That's right, it opened - and closed - in March 2020! My heart broke.

[@littlesongbird1]

Hugs

[@jacquelinecallejas1390]

So sorry for you. Did it die because of Covid specifically and then couldn't be relaunched because they hadn't gotten their money back to continue yet or would it have closed anyway? There was a theatre in Westchester that did only musicals that I always got season tickets to that closed specifically because of Covid and was sold as a parking lot. Broke my heart. Also I bet Danish theatre kept whatever queerness was in a play because IIRC your country is pretty open minded.

[@Redstomp]

@jacquelinecallejas1390 I think the production was very close to the German one that has been successful for many years! It did not come back after lockdown because there was another show lined up.

[@Merina2222]

So glad you mentioned Tanz Der Vampire. Such an incredible show!

[@questworldiangreenknight7455]

One thing I must say is, Frank Wildhorn’s Dracula soundtrack is great but everything else is lacking. I think the musical wasn’t sure if Dracula is supposed be the villain or good guy

[@dallasb9411]

Thank you for the vampire content!!! Also I would love to see more about literally all of thr cast of Lestat - you mention Hugh and Carolee pretty regularly but what about Jim Stanek, Nikki Renee Daniels, Drew Sarich... And Chris Peluso... Sadly... ? And that's just 4! They are all some of the most incredibly talented and kind people you'll ever meet. Lestat had an AMAZING CAST!

[@WiseGuy19]

I loved Dracula the musical when I saw it at the La Jolla Playhouse. I can’t vouch for the changes once it got to Broadway, but I think there’s a good show in there somewhere. I love “The Heart is Slow to Learn” which doesn’t even seem to be part of the licensed score anymore.

[@JimCullen]

Yeah it looks like when the production was put on in Austria they swapped out _The Heart is Slow to Learn_ for _Please Don't Make Me Love You_ and the version now available for licensing is based on the Austrian production.

[@merlesstorys]

Great video, Margaret ☺️ And still here, hoping for a full video on Tanz der Vampire…

[@prenticeclark1454]

I know you only used the video as a place holder, but I love that you included footage from Rockula! It was my favorite silly campy bad movie in college in the early 90s. My roommates and I would rent it every few months for a laugh. It included Thomas Dolby as the villain and Toni Basil (of “Hey Mickey” fame) as the main character’s mom. Her bat dance is a highlight. There’s a curse involving a pirate with a peg leg and a hambone I think? I haven’t seen it in a while. It’s really a feast for any child of the 80’s and I recommend it highly 😂

[@cannibalisticrequiem]

Thank you Brendon for giving Margaret her own video! I left a video on one of Howard's videos that Margaret popped up in wishing that he would talk her into collabing more often or starting her own channel, and how much I wanted a proper video essay about vampire musicals from the renowned self-proclaimed expert herself - and my wish came true! This video was an absolute delight! Margaret, if you're reading this, you are a natural at this (no surprise if you still work for Playbill's official website!) and if you decided to create your own channel or do more videos with Brendon and Howard-- also would love to see you and MickeyJo in a video gushing about Broadway and the West End - I would be pleased as punch!!

[@arex9000]

I feel if Frankenstein can work as a ballet(just saw Joffrey and the room gasp on parts that you knew would happen)..you can make a great vampire musical (classic vampires)

[@JimCullen]

Fwiw I've seen Dracula as a ballet too. They used music from the movie "Bram Stoker's Dracula". It was entertaining enough, though I'm really not interested in ballet in general.

[@margaret_adelle]

We had a German exchange student OBSESSED with Tanz and it always confused me. xD

[@mr.bernji]

Fun fact: Drew Sarich played in Lestat (San Francisco, BW) and also in Tanz der Vampire (Vienna, Germany, Russia).

[@HouseTargaryen24601]

He also did Wildhorn's "Dracula".

[@daekieisms]

It's certainly not an American or Broadway musical by any means, but two? four? of the Sailor Moon musicals have featured vampires! They're collectively called the Dracul arc and spanned 2000-2001 (or if it's only the first two, just 2000). It's kind of difficult to find info on these; as far as I can tell, the first musical in the Dracul arc featured Count Dracul, the reincarnation of Abel (from the Bible, yeah, that Abel) who had named himself after Dracula-the-vampire, and the second one featured his daughter Bloody Dracul Vampir, a half-human dhampir.

[@citrinedragonfly]

The Dracul arc is the only run that used "original" concepts for the SeraMyu in Stage 1. Original in quotes because Last Dracul Overture was a reworking of the S musical from the mid/late 90s, which didn't do much to hide that's what it was doing. But it was the arc that gave us Myuki Kanbe as Sailor Moon, and she was amazing! There's a lot of Biblical references (Lilith is mentioned - I think as Bloody Dracul Vampir's mother?). By "Super Death Vulcan", the third part of the Dracul arc, it gets a bit unwieldy, and the plot gets away from itself. Something about the vampires being controlled by a planet? Regardless, the music is excellent, I loved Sailor Astarte, the cast is by far one of the best ensembles for Myu in Stage 1, and we get Sailor Moon's best image song, "The Last Change". And, Mochizuki Yuuta, who played Tuxedo Kamen for most of Anza's run as Sailor Moon, was bac as Dracul, and he was perfect.

[@ChristianSpliess]

Hmm, yes, "Tanz der Vampire" flopped on Broadway but it's very popular in Germany. It just endet it's run in Stuttgart just to move to Hamburg this year. I always wanted to see "Dracula" by Karel Svoboda, but I guess this is one of this curiosities that never will be played here.

[@marissawilson9460]

I actually really like Wildhorn’s Dracula especially the newest version for licensing. It really takes from the Coppola movie and creates a love story/triangle for Mina, Dracula and Johnathan. It is the biggest tragedy of how Lestat was destroyed from it’s original form. The music is some of Elton John’s best.

[@katieelspeth2299]

I saw "Tanz" in Germany a couple years ago and had a great time! Second act drags a bit in the middle, but the whole thing is fun, "Rocky Horror"-esque camp. I've also watched a German bootleg of Wildhorn's "Dracula", which has some music I really enjoy, but has the classic Wildhorn problem of too many park-n-bark ballads that don't move the story forward.

[@MLBFCollection]

Originally Steinman was working on a Nosferatu play around 1987 but nothing has ever surfaced. Soon after he began working on an adaptation of The Graduate, which you can find the demo tape of from 1988 on my channnel lol. You'll notice a song in the tape called "Here's To You, Ben" eventually became 'Alles ist Hell / Warheit'.

[@ajduclaire]

I actually liked Wildhorn's 'Dracula.' It's not the most amazing thing ever but I still get out the soundtrack and listen to it. Never seen it on stage though.

[@citrinedragonfly]

There's an English-language soundtrack to Wildhorn's Dracula?! I need this. Wildhorn is probably my favorite musical theatre composer (though Kunze & Levy, and Presgurvic, are up there, too). Jekyll & Hyde and Scarlet Pimpernel were my high school soundtracks and I still love them both to pieces (though I prefer Pimpernel version 4, the Takarazuka one, to either the original cast recording or the more commonly done version (v2?). I love the Dauphin subplot)!

[@Ranger7Studios]

Lestat was actually not as bad as the other versions. I think the problem was the stigma of what had come before. So it never really had a chance. Also, producer interference is never a good thing either. They should have left it alone. I saw it in San Fran and it was wonderful.

[@dallasb9411]

San Francisco was better, for sure, but it wasn't perfect... But the changes they made were all the wrong ones, for sure.

[@Seal0626]

Rene Auberjonois deserved so much better. He would have been amazing in a decent production.

[@JimCullen]

We did the Wildhorn musical when I was in highschool and I have been obsessed with it ever since. Being in the pit, I didn't get a super clear picture of what the story was like, but the music was absolutely incredible. I'm not a huge musical person, but I would absolutely _kill_ to see Frank Wildhorn's Dracula staged as an audience member.

[@Mateventemiglia]

Here in argentina,we also made a musical adaptation of dracula which came to life as a replacement after the director didn't get the rights to produce "the phantom of the opera". It's first run was in 1991 and i'ts still having touring productions since then. Is considered to be the most important argentinan musical of all time

[@H-u-m-a-n_11_06]

That sounds like a really fun concept

[@MadameChristie]

I'm Canadian and we have TWO Dracula musicals with books/lyrics by the SAME dude(I think the second one had another lyricist though to polish the lyrics in French) XD. The first musical(the English one) is extremely book accurate but kinda boring NGL. The second Dracula musical(the French one) is...well, it's got bondage leather, heroin, puppets and tango dancing wrapped up in a postapocalyptic dystopia 😆. You can actually watch both in full here I think.

[@minirth.maggie]

​@@MadameChristiethe French version sounds insane in the best way

[@esthasiendo]

me meti para ver si alguien había comentado lo mismo!! es increíble nuestro musical de Drácula, la rompe toda.

[@Mateventemiglia]

@@esthasiendo ya see,lo vi en vivo y es magistral

[@Frenzywonder]

Hoping that the Interview with the Vampire tv show reignites interest in the musical enough to bring it back on stage

[@AmintaDax]

I can't believe they kicked Steve Barton for Michael Crawford. That's insane! Steve was gorgeous in this role, and the best count ever! He created that iconic role and they replaced him with a looney that could not accept, that he had to be second to this role. The US show was a Shit show and the only satisfaction is, that the stupid changes made them lose a ton of money. Hope every involved person learned, never to change a running (successful) system.

[@irinakermong1217]

I was wondering literally today when Wait in the Wings would do a video on Dance of the Vampires and Lestat.

[@TheHappeningswithHAP]

I’ll always love Lestat and was one of the few mega fans of the musical at the time. It’s ridiculous that they never bothered to release the cast recording and the masters are just gathering dust.

[@danielvandersall6756]

Polidori's novel was attributed to the man he was caring for as his doctor--Lord Byron. Even on the copy you show. Definitely helped sell copies, despite repeated denials by Byron. Like "Frankenstein" it came from the legendary "Year Without a Summer," Where Byron, Mary Shelley, and John Shelly were stuck together due to horrible weather and told stories to pass the time. And two of our greatest monster stories were born.

[@emmanuelgonzalez5654]

I recently saw that there was a Frank Wildhorn's Dracula revival in Germany, that led me to look for the broadway production and I really enjoyed it, Idk why people didn't like it

[@irinakermong1217]

A few additional comments, just to add extras to this otherwise great video: 1. Coming from a snobby European, I don't know if Tanz der Vampire would work in the US? I've seen a lot of people compare it to Phantom of the Opera but it's a lot closer to Into the Woods to me - except it parodies Hammer Horror films instead of fairy tales. Hammer Horror films are still cult classics in Europe, but they're not so well-known across the pond. If there was a time to bring Tanz to the US, it would have been the early 2010s. The Vienna revival was smart about the current trends and had A LOT of promo with aesthetics that were very similar to Twilight (even though both stories are very different from one another), but I think that ship has sailed. I think it would have a chance in the West End (the UK still remembers Hammer Horror films with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing fondly), in some artsy regional theatre, at the Stratford Festival, *maybe* Off-Broadway, but not in Broadway itself, especially given the current trends in musicals and what is successful at the Tonys. 2. What's interesting about the surge of vampire media is that it coincides with paranormal romance BOOMING in sales post 9/11 - Jen Prokop and Sarah MacLean have spoken about it on their podcast Fated Mates if anyone wants to dive into that rabbit hole, but long story short, Twilight basically arrived just at the right time and was basically a more... say, commercially approachable paranormal romance (Google the covers for books by Nalini Singh or J.R. Ward and you'll know what I mean immediately). I like to say about romance of any kind that it's a genre written by women for women, but it always fascinates me how the more popular media of that genre always tries to "defang" it and tone down the sex factor to make it more palatable for a modern audience. Guess that goes for musicals too. 3. There is another attempt at a Dracula musical adaptation that exists, other than the Wildhorn one! The Stratford Festival had one during the 1999 season, and it's been professionnally filmed and can be viewed if you know where to look for it. Ironically enough, it's that musical that stopped the Stratford Festival from closing down for good, because they realized that not only that Dracula musical adaptation brought in a lot of people, they also realized that musicals brought in a wider audience and they're often their most successful productions more often than not. And I can confirm they're great - saw Spamalot and RENT this year and enjoyed both!

[@JimCullen]

Regarding 3, any hints about "where to look for it" for someone who _doesn't_ currently know?

[@stephenpelzer3633]

Have u ever considered doing a series of videos about each Broadway musical based on a Disney movie?

[@StevenMAlper]

Hey, you omitted the title of the Alvin Klein-disparaged 1987 adaptation in Teaneck, NJ. It was POSSESSED, THE DRACULA MUSICAL, with music by Carter Cathcart, lyrics by Jason Darrow, and book by Robert Marasco. Directed by Morton DaCosta.

[@DavidMacDowellBlue]

Hmmmm...I have written a burlesque musical of CARMILLA that I hope to see produced some day. I'm working on it. Have already produced two stage versions--on fairly regular, the other audio. :)

[@aimeeinkling]

So many words...I am filled with things that I need to say! 1. Elton John? WHY?! 2. Americans can't do melodrama. A vampiric musical needs to either be melodrama or camp. 3. There have been very successful stage productions of Dracula (the one with Edward Gorey's designs was beautiful). It's the musical bit, that's what ruins it, because again...Americans can't do melodrama. 4. Michael Crawford? WHY?!

[@EricMontreal22]

Terrific video. I will briefly add my two Vampire musical thoughts. I was lucky enough to see a revival of the VBW/Polanski original production of Tanz in Vienna and found it thrilling--often silly but in a great way. But I am a Steinman fan (often as a guilty pleasure, I admit) and I've seen four VBW productions now (Elisabeth in revival, Rebecca, and the Stephen Schwartz brilliant original Schikaneder) and have to say that in terms of performers and the overall productions I think VBW do the most consistently, thoroughly professional productions (sometimes despite the material itself) of any current musical theatre I've seen around the world. I don't think the production would have been a success in New York, however--just different expectations for a musical--but it wouldn't have been the epic disaster of what we got. Also, I saw Lestat in its pre-Broadway run in San Francisco, and enjoyed a lot of it. I am a fan of the Vampire Chronicles (well, at least the first three) and Neil Jordan's movie. It was a beautifully performed and staged musical. However, Elton John/Bernie Taupin's score only occasionally came to life (I still wish they'd release that cast album.) But, I also saw it with a friend who had NO background with the books or even the movie, and he had *no* idea what was going on whatsoever. Trying to shoe-horn both the second book, The Vampire Lestat, and the third, Queen of the Damned, together, certainly didn't help. But this is also a case of the major changes made to it for Broadway all seeming to me to have been for the worst (granted I only know the New York production from poor videos.) One example is one of the most striking sequences in the SF staging was the Theatre des Vampires' production which told of the ancient history of the vampires (taken from Queen of the Damned.) It was thrilling to watch... However it was replaced with something much more basic for Broadway (telling the history of Armand and his maker, which at least had relevance to the rest of the musical)--and I get why. The sequence had no real impact on the overall narrative and almost came out of nowhere--that said it was still a highlight of the earlier production.

[@kseniabutakova9491]

Fellow Russian girlie here) Our production of Tanz der Vampire was a HUGE thing, originating in Saint-Petersburg Musical Comedy Theatre and being a replica of the original show. Eventually they had a one-year run in Moscow (I believe that the scenery and costumes were rented and some of the actors returned to their roles?), which is exactly when I saw it with my classmates. Our teacher just ignored the 18+ age restriction, which made the whole experience so much more thrilling (and all the jokes way to funny). One of my friends swore she had tears in her eyes during Die Unstillbare Gier and I was just smitten by the music, costumes, ballet sequences and the aesthetic of the show. I can still remember in great detail all the trucks and spectacles, actors dressed as vampires standing among the audience, the trick with Count entering the bathroom in a blink of an eye, singing portraits, the first glimpse of Sarah entering the ballroom in her red dress… and Totale Finsternis! And the Red Boots scene intervened by the chorus of prayers… Before the end of the night I knew I was obsessed with musicals once and for all.

[@mseb3909]

hi! can I ask what made it 18+ in Russia?

[@kseniabutakova9491]

I think it was rated 16+ at the time? Probably due to Sarah being “nude” on stage several times throughout the show, Herbert harassing Alfred (it’s more physical in the original production?), just the overall amount of questionable scenes and jokes about sex (or implying it). Anyway, age restrictions in Russia are weird, especially in theatre. I once saw a 12+ rated rock opera with no nudity but a lot of graphic sex scenes (or scenes implying sex).

[@mseb3909]

@@kseniabutakova9491 thanks! I kind of suspected that russia is a bit more reserved with "adult" themes but was just wondering. I love the production, Ivan is my favorite count ;)

[@rapidmusicalfever7618]

I worked backstage on the Danish version of the Tanz at one of the biggest musical scenes in Copenhagen. Loved it, had great fun (it didn't sell very well, but still) but we had to shut it all down after only a month because Corona hit the world. It might be cursed in several ways!

[@drakeburnett7254]

I hope one day Tanz der Vampire returns to Broadway in its original form

[@PhoenixHinds]

The Fearless Vampire Killers is one of my all time favourite vampire films .

[@Emh19]

I am contractually obligated to comment whenever a video about Vampires mention Carmilla.

[@rosallora]

WHERE DID YOU GET THAT PROSHOT FOOTAGE OF TANZ DER VAMPIRE... I WANT IT SO BAD....

[@sometimesmikayla]

reading the title nervous now that i want to write a musical for vanitas no carte....... and watching til the end scrambling to google "how the fuck do i write a musical"

[@belgian.musicals]

Tanz is as they say in Belgium from 'Viennese school' which are top muscials.

[@TimothyCHenderson]

Don't forget Der Vampyr by Marschner! The OG stage vampire adaption from 1828 :D. If you're looking for a mashup between Weber and Mendelsohn then Der Vampyr is the opera for you.

[@cody1981]

The music in Lestat is amazing

[@crojohnson]

It would be a little less confusing if you'd chosen a Vampyre book cover with Polidori's name on it.

[@clichedtopic4363]

whats the puppet at 17:07 from?

[@seshirumakara2594]

Actually I heard that there’s a Dracula parody/remake that opened recently in New York - I’m not sure if it’s a Musical per say (I cannot go see it since I’m in the Wrong country) but from the shorts I’ve seen of it, it looks incredibly camp and is, of course, Very Gay/Bisexual (and has one or two characters played in Drag). I think it’s called “Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors”, and I’d like to hear some of your thoughts on it please

[@rebecca2680]

This was so interesting! It's such a shame broadway is too scared to give into the deliciously queer and campiness of vampire musicals in all their gothic glory, it's why we all love a good vampire flick in the first place! I would have loved to have seen more comparision with how vampire musicals have found success in asian and europe. Although maybe a "footnote" in the careers of its broadway cast, Frank Wildhorns Dracula will celebrate its 10th anniversary performance in south Korea in 2024! It also had a fantastic short run in japan starring ex takarazuka actress Yoka Wao as Dracula! Speaking of which, Japan's all female takarazuka revue has had many successful Vampire musicals, most recently, the Poe Clan, a gloriously grand gothic and haunting musical with very heavy queer themes based on the 1970's manga of the same name, about a boy called Edgar who gets turned into a vampire at age 14, doomed to live forever yet never grow up. The show was so popular that when Edgar's Actress, Asumi Rio, left the takarazuka theatre company, the show was restaged with a mixed gender cast with her reprising the role. I'd love to see these kind of shows in the UK or the US but I feel like we take ourselves too seriously when it comes to adapting these shows for our audiences and make changes that take away from what make them good in the first place. Its such a shame!

[@citrinedragonfly]

I still need to see "The Poe Clan", but I adored both 2004's "The Seal of Roses" and 2007's "Silver Rose Chronicle". Very fun vampire stories in very different stylings.

[@heneedsloveoooh]

After all this time >>>>>>>>

[@dallasb9411]

I'll wash my hands of this charade!

[@michaeladkins6]

Jim Steinman was the Director of Dance of the Vampire. Im surprised he didnt include Total Eclipse of the Heart as a selling point. According to Steinman, thats what the song is about.

[@bichiAllen]

Here with my newly formed obsession with certain pale elf vampire

[@surfer_playss124]

My friend who knew of my passion of German Musicals, she recommended me to watch the German and English versions of Tanz Der Vampire. The German version was a massive hit and a big spectacle in my opinion, the English version was trash but was hilarious. The English version if nominated for a Tony, only deserved to be nominated for best costume and best orchestrations. But Tanz Der Vampire is one musical I will forever love

[@memorian8472]

For a second I thought this was Kaz Rowe narrating.

[@mysteryfan28]

As much as I enjoyed Crawford as The Phantom I despised his version of the Count from Dance of the Vampires. The German version was so much better.

[@ulfk5667]

Steinman was the director of Dance of the Vampires? I thought he even boycotted the brodway premiere because he hated the changes so much. Just a funny anecdote: the german adaptation of Hamilton in Hamburg was kind of a flop. Its getting replaced now by Tanz der Vampire. Perhaps it is just a matter of different tastes.

[@Nikki-tx6kh]

Basically, if you want to succeed the secret is- Make it Goth and Gay.

[@onetrickponysona2613]

are they even vampires if they aren't goth and gay

[@JonMarkDeane]

I fundamentally disagree with the premise that a musical requires a double suspension of disbelief. Quite the opposite. You can get away with far greater absurdities with a sung show than with a straight play, because you've firmly placed it in the unreal, and this is evidenced by nearly all musicals and operas.

[@toric6005]

Brendan has really been stepping up his ads! One of the few KZbinr’s ads I actually read 🤪🤪🤪 Lol also I only know about Lestat the musical because of Lindsay Ellis.

[@DaveyTheDaywalker]

Micheal Crawford NOOOOOO WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS!? 8:25

[@witecatj6007]

Tanz Der Vampire's Bless the Night is awesome. Proof that Jim Steinman always has a banger in even his worst projects.

[@NotAVampyre]

Unless you want a basic monster bad humans good movie, then you must explore the inherent tabooness of vampires. And "conservative values" hate that kind of nuance. Of course vampires become stale when you reduce them to just good or evil and force them to adhere to societal standards. It just ruins the idea that they stand in contrast of the "norm" when you make them just another arm of it.

[@radioactivedinosaur42]

I doubt you could've fitted it in, but it would've been interesting if you had covered the Nosferatu "rock" opera. It's such a fascinating trainwreck of a musical, espcially since it has more in common with the 1992 Dracula film than Nosferatu and feels more like a cash in of POTO than a legitimate attempt at a Nosferatu musical

[@mylesjude233]

Great video ❤

[@minirth.maggie]

Omg in Carmilla was that ROY DOTRICE???

[@AlinaAniretake]

Wow... You were robbed xD In case of Tanz der Vampire.

[@PlaybillsAndPixels]

The answer is really simple: the people brave enough to do English language musicals about vampires don’t know what they’re doing.

[@katherinealvarez2612]

16:38 The latter, its definitely the latter.

[@prozack1312]

While Lestat on Broadway was a slashed-to-ribbons shadow of its previous form, do not get the idea that the San Francisco version was a good show. It was in desperate need of some serious editing; slogging on for way too long, it insisted on introducing and reintroducing a litany of useless characters, and wandered aimlessly never finding a place to land. Had it honed in more on his relationship with Louis and their differing opinion on vampiric eternal life, it might have actually had a chance of success in its move to Broadway.

[@TrixiLovesYou]

Seems to me that there are no bad musicals, just really, really bad egos.

[@TheDimensionDweller]

What a fun episode!

[@gstone8255]

I wish Dance of The Vampires got a Swedish Production 🙏🇸🇪

[@EDDIELANE]

Anne Rice is amazing, but Meyers?… ughhhh….. I couldn’t even finish the first Twilight book…. It’s hard to read these well-rounded intricate beings like Lestat VS emo Mormons.

[@NotAVampyre]

You kidding? Louis is the pinnacle emo vampire. He walked so Twilight could run.

[@nickolasmarmaras]

Great job! How about Britney jukebox musical Once Upon a One more Time?

[@Jangobadass]

Just wait until some fool makes a musical out of "Twilight"...👀 (Oh, it's coming sooner or later 😨)

[@171QA]

Great video.

[@josephball2623]

I have been WAITING

[@milanzitkacz]

Well, Dracula (1995) from Karel Svoboda and Zdeněk Borovec is still the best and most successful original Czech musical to this day.

[@Roadtripper5432]

I mean...I've seen a fully staged version of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical, and that works 😄

[@Ranger7Studios]

The reason this show failed was because Crawford ended up taking over after the director had to leave for a "personal reasons". He then proceeded to treat the show like a retirement fund and just flushed it down the toilet. Given what he was paid and that this was suppose to be his last show, he didn't really seem to care. He was going to get paid weather the show ran or not, as he got his money upfront.

[@tremorsfan]

I think horror in general doesn't lend itself to the musical format.

[@hnybee113]

The German version the ORIGINAL is amazing.

[@LabiLabi777]

From what I'm getting here, the problem here is vampires. It's writers that can't write.

[@Chilie5678]

I think there is a Dracula musical that I've seen advertised on Tiktok. It does look like its heavily leaning into the queer subtext.

[@armanichu6395]

Is it Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors by chance?

[@Chilie5678]

@@armanichu6395 yes!

[@armanichu6395]

@@Chilie5678 Yeah I saw it last year back at the Segal Centre in Montreal. Mind you, it's not a musical but rather a stage play and takes cues from the Universal movie rather than the novel. Nonetheless, me and my sibling greatly enjoyed it. Fun fact: I actually kinda know the actor who plays Dracula since he also played Hades in the Montreal production of the musical Mythic back in 2019.

[@Chilie5678]

@@armanichu6395 ah ok! The way it was being advertised i thought it was a musical

[@gstone8255]

Many Autistics also ”otherkin” Vampires. Vampires have some Autistic traits.

[@andrewtodaro2874]

Why? Do they suck?! 😂