Review: Rudolf in Budapest, 15 January 2009

[valancystar]

What with the Vienna premiere of Rudolf approaching, I thought some people might be interested to read my review of the Budapest production. This is a slightly edited and shortened version of what I posted in magyar_musicals last month. I discuss both the musical in general and the Budapest production in particular. These are naturally just my opinions and

Comments

[fantasmadaopera]

Thanks for the review

[valancystar]

I fully subscribe to the theory that Rudolf and Mary did kill themselves (or rather, Rudolf killed Mary with her consent and then himself). I think those going on about the conspiracy theories are deluding themselves. I just don't subscribe to the romantic imagery of Mary Vetsera as his OMGGreatTrueLove. And just about every event in the musical is imagination rather than history, other than the two of them killing themselves and Rudolf having political disagreements with his father and problems with his marriage. I happen to think that when you use the names of historical people, you could try to make the story approximately reflect what happened to them. If you're going to have almost nothing to do with history, why not change the names? Anyway, I just don't understand how the musical is supposed to be based on Morton's book. I've read it and the book and the musical have very little in common. If Wildhorn says the musical's based on it, he could try to make the musical bear a passing resemblance to the book

[fantasmadaopera]

I don't blindly subscribe to the theory of political murder, but I do think given the social and politic environment and Rudolfs ideas, a political murder makes more sence than a love-sick guy who decides to commit suicide with his mistress...after all it wouldn't be the first nor the last of the Habsburg to be murdered due to political issues.

Anyway, the feeling I got from what I've heard from Frank is that his idea wasn't so much adapt the book into a musical, but he was inspired by the book to do a musical about Rudolf and Mary.

[valancystar]

I don't buy the love-sickness and never did. Elisabeth the musical has it down pretty well, for all that Rudolf's story is rather briefly treated there. He was sick, deeply depressed, ignored by his parents and frustrated politically, felt life offered nothing for him and wanted to get away, but was afraid to die alone. Mary came in when neither his wife nor his long-term mistress Mizzi Caspar (his real love from all I can tell) would die with him. Mary was stupid enough to do that and he became briefly infatuated with her because her adoration of him was charming. So much for the romance. I have issues with the idea of Rudolf's fate having been anything but the double suicide, because hardly anything could have been more damaging to the House of Habsburg than what did come to light: that Rudolf was messed up enough to kill himself and his teenaged mistress. Also, there's a considerable amount of evidence that Rudolf did want to die. The problem is that Taaffe and Franz-Joseph had much of the evidence destroyed and so we'll never know