A Siamese temple, which grows into a 30 meter high tower, will be an eyecacher on the stage in Mörbisch this year. Nothing has been as close to the sky above the sea stage as the kingdom of the king of Siam. The houses on stilts are modeled on the slums of today’s Bangkok. While the mountains are reminiscent of the science fiction series “Avatar”.
Walter Vogelweider: “I wanted to be extreme once more”
“My wish was to be extreme once more,” well-known set designer Walter Vogelweider. “It’s going really well, we want to constantly enchant. We have 18 locations and 23 sets – and the tallest tower Mörbisch has ever had. We’ll manage 30 meters with the tip.” 800 square meters of space are to be painted gold on the tower alone. There is a mountain range, a nine-metre waterfall, direct contact between the performers and the audience for the first time and, allegedly for the first time in the performance history of the musical, not only palaces but also slums on stage.
“The King and I” world-famous through film
“The King and I”, penned by “Sound of Music” composers Hammerstein and Rogers, has become world-famous as a film starring Jul Brynner. As King of Siam, he had the English teacher Anna come to him and his children from Europe. Anna rejects slavery and polygamy. In Mörbisch, the Dutchman Kok-Hwa Lie falls in love with the fierce Anna.
“It’s going to be a real challenge,” said Kok-Hwa Lie, not only in view of the size of the stage. After all, it is “an iconic role that everyone has seen at least once”. Singing and playing is in German,
Haider often played “King” himself
He played the king himself in the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical around 500 times and also personally met the legendary actor Yul Brynner (in the film “Anna and the King” alongside Jodie Foster), Alfons Haider said. “I see it as my baby.” According to the publisher, there will be “the biggest ‘King and I’ production ever” in Mörbisch. 100 participants (including 44 Asian actors) on and 100 employees behind the stage, over 200 costumes and 3,600 square meters of stage space are just a few numbers.
Mörbisch as “flagship for the year of culture”
It was “an experience to be in Vienna once more and to see the radiance of culture,” said Governor Hans Peter Doskozil (SPÖ) and called Mörbisch “our state’s flagship for the year of culture”. He does not deny that people currently have many problems, such as high inflation, but culture is vital for society, which is why it is still important to set “cultural milestones”. The opening of the dress rehearsal is a sign that one is aware of the difficult time. “One must not close one’s eyes to this war, even if it is important to spend pleasant hours.”
Advance ticket sales are already underway. The premiere is on July 14, 2022 on the lake stage in Mörbisch.
