Elisabeth

ELISABETH

Play and lyrics: Michael Kunze
Music and orchestration: Sylvester Levay
Libretto and songs translated into Lithuanian by Viktorija Streiča and Kristina Siurbytė
Premiere: 25 February 2022

Many have danced with Death, but no one quite like Elisabeth!

“Elisabeth” is a German-language musical about Empress Elisabeth (Elżbieta, better known as Sisi), wife of Francis Joseph I (Franz Jozeph I), Emperor of Austria and a member of the Habsburg dynasty. During her lifetime, she was regarded as one of Europe’s most beautiful aristocrats. At the heart of the story is Elisabeth’s lifelong “flirtation” with Death, who appears here as a charming young man named Death.

Elisabeth was known as an eccentric empress who constantly sought personal independence through means considered drastic at the time. Her pursuit of independent self-expression deeply strained those closest to her: her husband, who loved her unconditionally, and her son, Prince Rudolf, who died by suicide at the age of 30 alongside his 17-year-old beloved.

The complicated and dramatic story is told from beyond the grave by Luigi Lucheni, the Italian anarchist who murdered Elisabeth in 1898. He tries to turn the audience against her and portray her as promiscuous, but ultimately leaves them free to decide for themselves what kind of person this tormented woman of noble birth was.

The musical premiered in Vienna in 1992, bringing great success to singers Pia Douwes, who played Elisabeth, and Uwe Kröger, who played Death. They became two of the most prominent performers in European musical theatre. Another production of “Elisabeth” that attracted considerable attention was staged by the Japanese musical theatre company “Takarazuka Revue”. The company stood out because it consisted exclusively of women, who played characters of both sexes.

The musical has toured the world and received numerous directorial interpretations. New productions may add songs or omit some plotlines, depending on how familiar audiences in each country are with the story of Empress Elisabeth’s life. The cast includes theatre and guest soloists, as well as members of the theatre choir and ballet.