larissabernstein: snow-covered old typewriter with "Yuletide!" written on the paper (yuletide)
larissabernstein ([personal profile] larissabernstein) wrote in [community profile] yuletide 2021-09-21 09:45 am (UTC)

Dance of the Vampires (Broadway 2002/03) - Steinman/Kunze/Ives

FANDOM NAME: Dance of the Vampires (the Broadway version 2002/03!!) - music and lyrics by Jim Steinman, book by Ives (based on Kunze).

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: First, let me tell you: this is very different from the Austrian success musical "Tanz der Vampire". Most Tanz fans hate the Broadway version with a vengeance. Much has been changed, "adapted" to an American audience, and I admit that there are many changes that are indeed frown-worthy. I have only recently come to see the Broadway version's charms, and much of its appeal is connected to the changes. It's campy. It's often absurd. It tries to be a grand romance but also a comedy. The suave and gothic Count von Krolock has been turned into a tragic clown who hides his sadness behind puns and jokes and a fake Italian accent. There are dick jokes. Anachronisms. Vampire threesomes. I can see why this musical bombed on Broadway, but listen: it's glorious. The music slaps, and our heroine Sarah is anything but a damsel in distress. Panned by critics and hated by Tanz fans, it is still a damn good piece of entertainment, and if you look beyond the camp aspects, you will find that the added humour actually adds to the tragic story of the vampire count; he is a kind of blood-thirsty Pierrot here, hungry for life and love, and Count Giovanni von Krolock deserves fannish love (and an after-life beyond the show, via fic) indeed.

There are so far only 13 fics on the AO3 for this version, and all written by one and the same author (me). I dearly hope someone will give this fandom a chance.



WHERE CAN I FIND IT: If you haven't seen it live on Broadway during its very short run, there's only one option: bootlegs, aka unauthorised recordings by audience members. There are a few floating about on the internet, HOWEVER: most are really no joy to watch. Here's a better-quality bootleg (download from my Google Drive). Of course even the best bootleg can never be as good as a professional recording, but this one is definitely watchable.

Length: roughly over 2 hours.

What are you thinking of requesting for this? There are endless possibilities for this show. Something set during canon, or post-canon, or a backstory. Vampires are pretty much immortal, so you can even set the story in a different century, without making it an AU. I adore the pairing Sarah/Krolock, but there is wonderful potential for a threesome with Alfred. Or Abronsius/Krolock.

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