the cast is official now:
Drew Sarich will be Rudolf. :lol:

Mary - Lisa Antoni
Eduard Graf Taaffe - Uwe Kröger
Kaiser Franz Joseph - Claus Dam
Gräfin Larisch - Carin Filipcic
Kronprinzessin Stephanie - Wietske von Tongeren

more details later on Franks site :lol: :lol: :lol:

WHY!!!! WHY HAD WILDHORN TO RUIN TEH BEST SONGS IN THE SHOW!
Although I'm happy with Drew as Rudolf (finnaly a Rudolf that doesn't irritate me) but I won't forgive Frank and VBW for putting Uwe as Taffe... Unless Uwe gets real and understands he can't do high notes anymore (although he didn't missed any in Rebecca when I saw it) he will ruin the songs... :(

Here's a link with a video of a bit of the songs sung in the Press Conference
http://wien.orf.at/stories/312857/

Lisa Antoni is really wonderfull :) ...Uwe Kröger just ruined the best song in the show... :angry:

You all should check the musicalvienna.at site (there's an English option as well.) That has the press release/package and photos.

EDIT: Interesting bits from Frank's bio:

here another video with Drew:
scroll down to Rudolf

ATV

They talking about the new musical and that Drew couldnt be in Vienna because he had now permission to travel!!! He´s American, married in Vienna, working in London and couldnt fly to Vienna. So Frank travelled to London to make the video with him.
Lisa is really amazing :lol:

another one
orf

and Rebecca goes Broadway :lol:

one more???

next video :D

Thanks Mina for the links to the videos. I am enjoying the musica to Rudolf. :)

see :D I told you guys :D Drewie doesn't lie, and I just deliver his truths haha

anybody know til when the show's running? an aproximate period

The show premieres on the 26th February and then it will close depending on the ticket sales.
If Uwe doesn't ruin it, I expect it to run until, at least December 2009. But its possible that, if sales are good, the run is extended until June 2010. But I doubt it will be staged for that long.
However we'll have to wait until VBW announces the Spielplan (dunno the english name) for 2009/2010.
As for guesswork...there are many people asking for Tanz der Vampire to be Revived in Wien so its a possibility. Also its possible that Rebecca may return again. It will also depend on the Spielplan at the Theater Ronacher. There's no show announced yet to replace The Producers. I dunno until when will it play...
I for sure would like VBW to stage Wildhorn's Dracula since its time the show gets a decent staging (meaning with good sets, not restricted like the Graz one). But I assume in 2010, VBW will stage the new Kunze & Levay's musical "Marie Antoinette" if it closes in Bremen in the end of 2009.

But we'll have to wait... :rolleyes:

My question is, what happens to "Rudolf" after Vienna? It's already going to Japan as "Elisabeth" and "Mozart" did. I can't imagine it going to Broadway...perhaps The West End. Or A Major Motion Picture?

Rudolf to Broadway?
a couple of weeks ago, my answer was: I don´t believe
but
Frederic Morton said in the interviews, that his book "A Nervous Splendor" in the Staates is in the 34. Edition (I hope, that´s the right word :rolleyes: )
that they use it for lessons, I don´t know in schools or universities
so, say never, never ;)

Well, unlike the other shows by Frank, Rudolf stage rights etc are all hold by VBW. So I don't think a B'way run is very likely in a near future. First because VBW is very suspicious about Broadway after the butchering of Tand der Vampire. That's why Rebecca is under all vigillance.
Second because, unlike other Frank shows, VBW doesn't release rights for amateur performances of their shows. So the possibility of comunity Theaters in the USA getting to stage the show are very very reduced.
The possibility of Rudolf to go to the USA is now depending on Rebecca. If Rebecca is staged properly (like in Vienna) with the sucess of the show (wich is bound to happen...'cause otherwise it just proves B'way audiences have no taste at all nowadays). So if Rebecca isn't a sucess, I think VBW will not consider the B'way audiences worth of trying Rudolf.
If (as I hope) B'way audiences still have taste, with the sucess of Rebecca, is possible that GLOBAL BROADWAY Inc. (who will stage Rebecca) gets the rights to Rudolf too. (Though plans are to stage Havana first)

And here is the video to the ENTIRE Press Conference http://musicalclub24.net/cms/index.php?id=837

here some pics from the start of the rehearsals
here

and you can read the rest of the cast :lol:

wanna see a video???

atv

hi society 25.11.08 Rudolf
They talking about the start of the rehearsal and they asked Drew because in the show he must kiss Lisa several times "g" :lol: ......
Lisa said, she thinks he´s handsome :P
sounds like a good job B)

LOL thanks! I just don't know if Drew's wife will find that very funny :P :D

:lol:

at the end he said something like, that he will enjoy to come home after the rehearsal and to snog (? knutschen?) his wife ;)

Yeah I know he says he will enjoys more to kiss his wife when he gets home. :P
What I don't think his wife would find funny was Lisa saying he's cute so its nice... :D I'm obviously kidding, his wife most certainly wouldn't care less 'cause Drew is an amazing husband and father according to all his friends :D

watch :lol:

Actually VBW has a blog for Rudolf http://rudolfmusical.blogspot.com/
though its in german...but nevertheless, for those who don't understand the language there's always the pics and videos :P

And this is the song list for the Vienna Rudolf, following the scheme in Frank's page (english name/german name):

1st Act
Ouverture
Curtain up / Vorgang auf - Franz Joseph, Rudolf, Eduard Taaffe, Ensemble Viennese Specialties / Wiener Schmäh - All Cast
Ordinary man (short version) / Wie jeder andere Mann - Rudolf
Why don't you listen? / Du willst nicht hören - Franz Joseph, Rudolf
Viennese Specialties (reprise) / Wiener Schmäh - reprise - 3Men
Pretty little War / Ein Hübscher Krieg - Marie Larisch, Mary Vetsera, all the Ladies
Mary's Theme / Marys Lied - Mary Vetsera
The Ball / Der Ball - All Cast
The Prince of Wales Waltz / Der Prince of Wales Walzer - Edward, Wilhelm, Rudolf, Ensemble
Mary's Waltz / Mays Walzer - Mary Vetsera, Rudolf
The Ball (reprise) / Der Ball - reprise - All Cast
Something more / So viel mehr - Rudolf, Mary Vetsera
Blue Skies (short version of "Steps of Tomorrow" sung by Taaffe) / Die Strahlende zukunft - Eduard Taaffe
Finish what you've started / Zeit zu Handeln - Andrássy, Szeps, Vogelsang, Clemenceau, Rudolf, Edward
How Will I Know? / Wohin führt mein Weg? - Rudolf
The Tra-La-La Ice Skating Song / Tralala - All Cast
The Moment I Saw You / In dem moment als ich dich sah - Rudolf, Mary Vetsera
Only Love / Vertrau in uns - Mary Vetsera

2nd Act
The Master of the Strings / Die Fäden in der Hand - Eduard Taaffe & Ensemble
It Will Be Me! / Du bleibst bei mir! - Stephanie
Ordinary man (reprise - long version) / Wie jeder andere Mann - Rudolf
Viennese Specialties (reprise) / Wiener Schmäh - reprise - Ensemble
New boy in Town / Mein süsser Held - Ensemble
Measure of a Man / Mut zur tat - Rudolf
The Steps of Tomorrow / Der Weg in die Zukunft - Rudolf & Ensemble
Only Heroes Dare / Die Liebe lenkt - Marie Larisch
The Bird Dog / Die Fuchsfalle - Eduard Taaffe, Meisner
The writing's on the Wall / Wenn das Schicksal dich ereilt - Eduard Taaffe & Mary Vetsera
Can I Say Goodbye? / Kann ich einfach gehn? - Mary Vetsera
Finish what you've started (reprise) / Zeit zu Handeln - reprise - Andrássy, Szeps, Vogelsang, Clemenceau, Rudolf, Edward
Maintain the State / Ich schütz den Staat - Franz Joseph
I Was Born To Love You / Du bist meine Welt - Rudolf & Mary Vetsera
Only Love (reprise) / Vertrau in uns - reprise - Rudolf & Mary Vetsera

edited to correct two songs according to the "official english name" as it appears in the programm:

Blue Skies (Steps of tomorrow sung by Taaffe) and "The bird Dog" (sung by Taaffe and Meisner before Writtings on the Wall)

Official trailer available here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PUxOnVzkBU

using the songs in the upcoming CD.

And the CD cover is out


Musical-shop.de also has the CD for Pre-sale now http://www.musical-shop.de/details.asp?Artikelnr=42064

they also announce April 10th as a release date, so hopefully it will be released on April 10th. :D

Edit: however VBW says the CD IS OUT! :D

Isn't that a pretty cover. Juggler, I patiently wait for its inclusion on the music page :D

EDIT: Although don't they usually credit the writers on the front?

Yeah normaly they do... Sometimes they don't for some weird reasons. I just did a search and the only CDs I found that didn't credited the writers on the from are:
3 Musketiers - Berlin Cast
Tanz der Vampire - 10th Anniversary Concert
I was born to love you - Rudolf Promo

ALW's CD seldom have his name on the front cover though.

Another theory is that, beeing MWB a Frank's Company, they probably thought it wasn't necessary.
Anyway I trust it will be more than credited somewhere, and as soon as my copy arrives I'll let you know (as well as post a review ;) )

The Vienna song list is now posted on Frank's site: http://FrankWildhorn.com/projects/rudolf/songs.shtml (below the Budapest song list).