This is me being cultured
Okay guys, latest self-educational voyage is going public. The subject: the Empress consort of Austria, Elisabeth. Now here was a woman ahead of her times, who definitely didn't fit the mold at all. Her non-conformist ideas (like women doing horseback riding and gymnastics and generally not sitting back and being baby-factories) lead her to lead a lonely and restless life, despite the luxuries she could have had at court. Leaving her husband the Kaiser she spent her life traveling around Europe and the Mediterranean and generally freaking out the traditionalists. In an unexpected turn of events, she was assassinated by an Italian anarchist, Luigi Lucheni. Now, how did I find out about this historically monumental figure of women's history?
Takarazuka. Yup. And the internet. My most helpful learning tool. And Wikipedia, of course. Look her up on there and read it. She's amazing. I wish I had learned about her in school, I would have been so eager to research her.
Of course, you can't have such a controversial figure without her leaving behind a legacy. That's where pop culture comes in. Elisabeth's life has been dramatized into a musical that is performed world-wide, including by the ladies of Takarazuka, Japan. So while I have the chance I'm posting links.
First is the German version from Wien, 2005. This is my favorite Lucheni and Death, though I have no idea why Tod looks like a disco reject.
Next, Japanese from Takarazuka. I love the efffect the drape has to make the dead seem, well, dead. And the faceless masks of the 'helpers'. Also how the people most involved in Elisabeth's life are in front.
These are the Prologs. It begins with Luigi Lucheni being questioned by a judge why he killed the empress Elisabeth. He complains they ask the same question every night, give him a break, he's dead! Anyways, he did it because she wanted him to. Questioned further, he reveals that Elisabeth loved Death (der Tod) and wanted to be with him. The proof is with the dead, who rise to help tell the tale. Death appears, confirms that he does love Elisabeth, Lucheni confirms that he was commanded by Death to kill her for a 'great love', and the story begins...
Takarazuka. Yup. And the internet. My most helpful learning tool. And Wikipedia, of course. Look her up on there and read it. She's amazing. I wish I had learned about her in school, I would have been so eager to research her.
Of course, you can't have such a controversial figure without her leaving behind a legacy. That's where pop culture comes in. Elisabeth's life has been dramatized into a musical that is performed world-wide, including by the ladies of Takarazuka, Japan. So while I have the chance I'm posting links.
First is the German version from Wien, 2005. This is my favorite Lucheni and Death, though I have no idea why Tod looks like a disco reject.
Click to viewNext, Japanese from Takarazuka. I love the efffect the drape has to make the dead seem, well, dead. And the faceless masks of the 'helpers'. Also how the people most involved in Elisabeth's life are in front.
These are the Prologs. It begins with Luigi Lucheni being questioned by a judge why he killed the empress Elisabeth. He complains they ask the same question every night, give him a break, he's dead! Anyways, he did it because she wanted him to. Questioned further, he reveals that Elisabeth loved Death (der Tod) and wanted to be with him. The proof is with the dead, who rise to help tell the tale. Death appears, confirms that he does love Elisabeth, Lucheni confirms that he was commanded by Death to kill her for a 'great love', and the story begins...