Sharing the magic of A christmas carol - a story told with Vivis help

"A múltunkat átírni nem lehet"

Literally: It is impossible to rewrite our past
It is the first line of a song from the hungarian musical version of A Christmas Carol by Müller Péter, Tolcsvay László, Müller Péter Sziámi

Merry Christmas everybody :) This post is kind of a mix between a mini princess story and a magic of music post. First some thoughts on the musical you might find interesting. There are quite a few changes from the source material but the music helps a lot with the story and because this was the first version I got to know of this story, it is my favourite adaptation.
The quote I started this post with is  said at the point where Scrooge starts to realise that his life has gone wrong and he wants to change his past. But that's impossible. I think it is important to add that we may not be able to change the past but, as Scrooge learns as well, we can do something so our future won't turn - with time - into a past we still hate and want to change. You don't have to agree but I didn't want to convince anybody. Just share the experience. :)
If anyone is interested, you can watch an older version of the performance here (I saw that first version as well, too and loved it), although it is in hungarian so most of you wont understand but the names but maybe the music helps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4o5ebPJkLQ
It is an official recording made for television some years ago featuring one of our best actors as Ebenézer Scrooge. :) I watched a newer version now, it was different but I still loved it.

Vivienne Aurora is the newest member of the mini gang and she was interested in posting on this blog from the start, like the others. She's a bit shy so it wasn't easy for her to become part of a group of friends that have already been through so many adventures (told and untold) together and she not having anything to tell about yet.
So I took her along yesterday. Vivi, the keyboard is yours.

Vivis part:
This was a last minute idea and I was the perfect choice, besides beeing a newcomer, because my hair was tied up and braided nicely and even travelling in a  reticule wasn't able to ruin it. But it was still very nice of Meritre. She actually brought her camera with her so I can have better pictures than the ones she can make with her phone. I knew from the others that a trip like this is an amazing experience, I read their posts about them and listened to them describing some other events. I must admit I was longing to go and visit those places full of magic. To me it seemed like magic although the others assured me that everything is perfectly real even if some tricks were used to reach the effects. But they agreed that it looks and - most important - it feels like magic. It started as soon as we entered the building.

There were even chrismas decorations here and there.

For exaple snowflakes on the smaller chandeliers.

I knew already from Arabellas Marie Antoinette post that there is a bigger chandelier in there, where people sit during the performance.

Meritre let me explore a little, too.
"Todays piece will be extra magical" Meritre told me. "A Christmas Carol is a very well known story and, as you already guessed it, the story has a lot to do with Christmas."

The cast

I assumed I won't have to spend a lot if time explaining the story.

A ruthless, thrifty elderly banker is visited by the ghost of his businesspartner, Marley, who passed away exactly seven years before the story starts, on Christmas Eve. Marley shows Scrooge the past, the present and the future. (In the book these are all different ghosts but were all combined into one character on stage) But he does this in a way that makes Scrooge see the mistakes he has made and is a changed  man, kind and good-hearted. Nothing outrageous, no seven headed dragons, evil witches or anything. But I think this was one of the greatest battles Ebenezer Scrooge won: he was battling himself.

The iron curtain some minutes before the performance started

I'll just mention some of the most memorable moments.
The first one is the song the quote at the beginning comes from. It starts with the recognition that the past can't be changed. Marley assures Scrooge that he feels the same. Than Scrooge starts to ask questions, why does the past hurt, why is Marley doing this to him, it's no use the past is beyond recovery. Why is he torturing him, does it make him happy to see Scrooge in pain? Why can't he leave him alone. He gets really angry and tries to chase him away. The ghost disappears but it will come again for his second visit.
Meritre was so kind to add a link so you can watch it if you like - but I'm afraid you won't understand a word, since it is in hungarian. I wonder if the music still can pass such barriers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-wtuVyfi5A
The second song that was very touching was also sung by Scrooge, he thinks his life is worth nothing and he would give all his money to have just a moment of rapturous joy. If only he could start it all over he would do things differently and much better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioRZRZxIqFk
The third one was sung by Crachit, the employee of Scrooge and shown to be the one person who was touched by the death of his master. His song is about not knowing, what other people go through and why do they behave the way they do. He was a human just like you or me or anybody, human and unhappy, Crachit sang. I think I love this song the most. I even cried a little when I saw it on stage and heard it live.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IGg_MGo1kU

It was just as musical and magical as I imagined it would be.

Marie Antoinette - A story told

 "Die Welt wird dich nicht vergessen.

Du hast versagt als Königin.

Jedoch nach deinem Sturz

warst du bewunderswert.

Dein Leben war

nicht ohne Sinn!"

Translation: The world will never forget you/you failed as a queen/but after your fall/you were admirable/ Your life was/not meaningless!

from the Finale of the musical Marie Antoinette by Lévay and Kunze

I'm not sure how much you know about Marie Antoinette, Queen of France and daughter of Empress Maria Theresa and Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, so here is a link where you can read a bit more about her life if you are interested. She was forming the fashions of her time, she was said to be extravagant and expensive but she ended her life on the guillotine, just a few weeks before her 38th birthday.

Arabella has always admired the Queen of Fashion, Marie Antoinette. She loves fashion, just like the Queen of France did and has a good taste just like her. They even share their interest in elegant furniture. When she got to know that there is a musical about Marie Antoinette and even her dressmaker appears several times, she knew she had to go. All those wonderful costumes! She wanted to see them so badly that next time Marie Antoinette was on the program, she came along. 

the theatre from the outside

Although she has already seen the building from the ‘Victoria and her hussar’ trip, she was impressed. As she looked it over to remember every little detail, she suddenly noticed something.

‘There are pictures from the performance there!’ she screamed of excitement. ‘Please, please, take me there so I can see them better!’ She was taken there but when she got there, there was a different picture. ‘But… but… what happened? Where is Marie Antoinette?’

‘Don’t worry, they are not gone forever, they’ll come back within a minute. It changes so it won’t get boring.’

‘Could… could you take a photo of them? For our blog?’ she asked shyly.

‘Sure!’

‘And one of the theatre as well? Please.’

‘No problem.’

the queen and Orleans the ball where the necklace changes owners (top)  Margrid with her friends

the swedish count, Axel Fersen and Marie Antoinette (top), Margrid Arnaud got something to eat and she shares it

 The photos she asked for were taken and a few inside the building as well. 

inside the building: one of the stairs

The stairs, a window and the chandeliers the seats were all inspected with a critical eye.

‘This is going to be such a great post!’ Arabella exclaimed. The shyness she felt when she realized how many total strangers were around left her completely.

Some details: a picture exjibited in honour of the 100th birthday of a different show

At the entrance to the auditorium, everybody got a card with a short summary of the story and a bit of the historical background with a few pictures from the performance. On the other side, there was a portrait of the actress playing Marie Antoinette dressed up as Marie Antoinette, which had been a promotion picture of the show. It is a… strong picture, as Arabella put it. Maybe even a bit scary. The real Marie Antoinette was beheaded and that is what that picture implies. The actresses who play the queen said that it wasn’t there when the photos were made, that part is most likely added with a program like Photoshop.

Bella wanted to pose with this picture nevertheless.

Arabella posing with that picture of the actrass as Marie Antoinette

‘I really like the roses in her hair. But I wouldn’t use powder, as she did. I like my natural haircolor best. And those wigs! Why did she use them? Was she bald?’ Meritre explained that at that time, everybody wore wigs in fashionable circles and as far as she knew, the princess had thin hair. And that wigs, when they are worn too often and for a long time, make hair fall out. They used horse hair to make those enormous wigs back then. ‘They were even bigger than those used on the stage, you’ll see.’ Bella looked down at the stage and noticed that there were pictures projected on the iron curtain.

Axel von Fersen, a swedish countand Marie Antoinettes lover

Jacques-René Hébert, a journalist with a vulgar, scurrilous style

the prince of Orleans, the kings brother, whose son becomes king some 40 years later

Cagliostro on the left and W. A. Mozart on the right

‘Who are those?’

‘Those are pictures of the real people that are characters in the show or Marie Antoinette’s contemporaries, like the well-known composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. See, there is Marie Antoinette and next to her is her husband.’

Queen Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI.

Arabella looked disappointed.

‘She is not pretty at all.’

‘She was thought to be pretty then. Fashions and tastes change. There will always be some who doesn’t think the ruling fashions and ideals are beautiful. And she is said to be charming in a way a portrait can’t show.’

She thought about that and then looked over the rest of the people. Louis XVI., his younger brother the Prince of Orleans, a vulgar journalist, a count from Sweden and more. There were a few words about each person as well to help a bit with the historical background. And then the performance started and the Magic took little Bella with it or at least she claimed it’s magic.

The queen goes to parties while the folk is hungry. She doesn’t really understand. She is told that she should spend less money. She decides not to buy a very expensive and beautiful necklace made of diamonds. But the prince plots against her and it is made to look like she bought the necklace in incognito and tries to put the blame on Cardinal Rohan. They didn’t like each other from the start and this story damages the queens reputation badly. The cardinal didn’t know he didn’t give the necklace to the queen but to Margrid, dressed up as the queen.

The break came just at the right time or she would have burst, she wanted to share so many thoughts. Which dress was the most beautiful, which actor had the best voice and the little extras the actors added to the characers. Like how to knock on a non existing door. The prince of Orleans did this by knocking on the floor with his walking stick. There were a few things she didn’t undstand about the story.

‘That count or price or whatever’ she asked ‘why is he plotting against his own brother?’

‘He wants to be king himself.’

She gazed at the people around her for a moment.

‘I don’t like that Orlean. I hope he’ll be punished.’ Her thoughts then wandered to another character. ‘And that poor girl, Margrid Arnaud, who is his ally now, how come she had sung the same lullaby the queen sang to her own children?’

‘You’ll understand later, I don’t want to spoil it for you.’

‘Is she mean, like this Orlean prince? She helped with that necklace trick.’

‘That will be something for you to decide.’

She looked thoughtful.

‘They have the same initials: M.A. I think it was a great idea to use those as a piece of decoration. One side is golden and fancy for Marie Antoinette the other is plain old wood for the poor and always hungry Margrid Arnaud. I jus’t can’t really understand this girl, she seems to like this count from Sweden called Axel von Fersen yet she treats him as an enemy. And he likes the queen. I’m sorry for Margrid. She has a beautiful voice, just like the queen, I hope they sing together.’

the chandelier Arabelle noticed when she bame back after the break

A few minutes later the break was almost over and the members of the audience took their seats again and so did the small extra visitor. She was so excited. What was going to happen? Oh they are so mean to her and her family! Oh, they flee, their lives are in danger. Oh no, they are caught and imprisoned! Poor Marie! True, she was extravagant and expensive and she had a lover but she was a loving mother and she got on well with her husband and didn’t leave him alone in times of need, when those people invaded the castle, she just sent her children away with a governess. She wasn’t the right person to rule during such difficult times. Her husband was an even less suitable ruler. He whished he could be a commoner, a smith. He neglected his duties as he couldn’t really cope with them. And that beggargirl, Margrid, turned out to be Marie Antoinette’s half-sister and that’s why she knew that special lullaby, too. Towards the end Margrid realizes that the queen has some good qualities and she is blamed even for things she didn’t do. Monstrous things. Margrid Arnaud only wanted justice and now tries to save her but she fails. Her initials are transformed into the guillotine, part of the big A is moved so it looks like a big H. The queen meets her end and the performance ends as well.

The little plastic hands clap as hard as they can but there are still some questions left.

‘Where was the song you showed me yesterday?’Arabella wanted to know.

‘It wasn’t there.’

‘But you claimed it was from Marie Antoinette!’

‘But of course it is. Only from a different version. Each version is different, not only because the performers aren’t the same but there may be songs that have different text ore are completely missing. The order of the scenes can be changed as well.’

The little eyes became rounder and rounder.

‘Really? Are they allowed to make such big changes, deciding everything by themselves?’

‘They work together with the original composer and writer. In later verions there might be some new songs added.’

I never knew this could be done! I really liked the text.

(she is talking about this one:

„The world will never forget you

you failed as a queen

but after your fall you were admirable

Your life was not meaningless!”

you can listen to it if you would like to here: https://youtu.be/vn90L32jTwU?list=PL5Fju6x9UzEA7YjJ0b0DU_DXe5R60OKJ8

)

She had a dreamy look on her face.

’That green ballgown was simply perfect! I don’t care for the wig but the dress and the mask! But the dressmaker and the hairdresser were not at all like I thought they would be. They were an odd pair.’

Meritre smiled.

'By the way, was it all ture? Did it all happen like we just saw?'

’No, for example the whole half-sister story was just made up. There were realistic elements but if Marie was really like in this musical – I don’t know.’

In the meantime the coats were collected and then the theater was left behind. The littlest guest slipped into the reticule.

‘That was truly wonderful’ Arabella sighted ‘Thank you for this beautiful memory!’

A few pictures, linked from different websites belonging to the theatre or the actors and actresses, tI do not own them:

the royal family

Marie Antoinette and Fersen meet after they haven't seen each other for a long time, Orleans in the background

  Photo above is by Eszter Gordon

Polyák Lilla as the queen, at the summer ball the diamond necklace disappeared

Orleans and Margrid dressed up as the queen, yes the costumes are a bit different for the two casts

the queens hairdresser and her dressmaker

Marie in the prison

the king

Orleans threatening the queen

the end

Vágó Bernadett as Marie Antoinette

There are two complete casts for the show, the different pictures show actors from both casts, for example both actresses playing Marie Antoinette are represented but not everybody from both casts. I tried to show as many of them as possible :)