Background

Rebecca is a German-language musical based on the novel of the same name by Daphne du Maurier. It was written by Michael Kunze (book and lyrics) and Sylvester Levay (music), the authors of the musicals Elisabeth, Mozart! and Marie Antoinette. The plot, which adheres closely to the original novel, revolves around wealthy Maxim DeWinter, his naïve new wife, and Mrs. Danvers, the manipulative housekeeper of DeWinter's Cornish estate Manderley. Mrs. Danvers resents the new wife's intrusion persuades the new wife that she is an unworthy replacement for the first Mrs. DeWinter, the glamorous and mysterious Rebecca, who perished in a drowning accident. The new Mrs. DeWinter struggles to find her identity and take control of her life among the shadows left by Rebecca. The musical premiered on September 28, 2006 at the Raimund Theater in Vienna, Austria, where it ran for three years. Subsequent productions have been mounted in Finland, Japan and elsewhere.

As a teenager, Michael Kunze had read Daphne du Maurier's novel Rebecca. In the 1990s, he re-read it and decided that the story would make a good musical. He travelled to Cornwall, England, to find du Maurier's son in an attempt to obtain the rights to musicalize the work, which had been denied to other librettists. Attending a performance of Kunze's long-running 1992 musical Elisabeth in Vienna persuaded du Maurier's son that the novel would be in good hands with Kunze and his musical partner Sylvester Levay.Writing the libretto took Kunze nearly two years, and Levay took another two years to compose the music.Workshops of the new musical were held in London, but did not lead to a West End production,although a 2003 demo recording in English was made, with Pia Douwes as Mrs. Danvers, Maike Boerdam as "I" and Uwe Kröger as Maxim de Winter.Workshops were also presented in Essen and Vienna. Kunze and Levay formed a collaboration with American director Francesca Zambello and English set designer Peter J. Davison.In early 2005, they decided to launch the musical in Vienna, Austria, with the production company Vereinigte Bühnen Wien, which had previously produced Kunze's musicals Elisabeth, Tanz der Vampire (Dance of the Vampires), and Mozart!.

Synopsis

Act I

A young woman, Ich, dreamily walks among "shadows"; in the background, Manderley appears destroyed by fire ("Ich hab getraumt von Manderley"). Ich reveals her "maid" clothes, as she is tranported to a 1930s hotel in Monte Carlo. Her employer is a wealthy American, Mrs. Van Hopper ("Du wirst niemals eine Lady"). Widowed, aristocratic Maxim de Winter enters, as the hotel guests gossip ("Er verlor unerwartet seine Frau, Rebecca"). In the dramatic hills near Monte Carlo, Maxim kisses Ich; the inexperienced girl is swept off her feet by his worldly charm. Back in the hotel, Ich is alone ("Zeit in einer Flashe") Maxim comes in and asks Ich to marry him.

Maxim and Ich honeymoon in Italy and then drive up to his stately Cornwall estate, Manderley. The servants enter ("Die neue Mrs. de Winter"). The haughty Mrs. Danvers oversees the well-organized servants; she is cold and hostile to Ich. Later, in the morning room, Mrs. Danvers is alone ("Sie ergibt sich nicht"). Ich comes in and accidentally breaks a statue of Cupid; she is frightened. She fears that she is an unworthy replacement for Maxim's beautiful, elegant and mysterious first wife, Rebecca. Beatrice and Giles arrive in a happy mood ("Die lieben verwandten"). In the library, Ich becomes tipsy ("Bist du glücklich - Bist du böse"). At night, Ich and Maxim are in love ("Hilf mir durch die Nacht"). At her house, Beatrice reflects on her affection for her brother ("Was ist nur los mit ihm"). In Rebecca's room, Favell tries Mrs. Danvers' patience ("Sie war gewohnt geliebt zu werden"), arguing about Rebecca's diary. Ich comes in and meets Favell. In worshipful terms, Mrs. Danvers tells Ich about Maxim's first wife, Rebecca, who drowned while sailing on Maxim's sailboat a year earlier. There was a rumor that Rebecca had been expecting a baby.

Maxim is at his golf club ("Wir sind British"). Later, Ben is in the boat house ("Sie's fort") and meets Maxim's ("Gott, warum"). Frank Crawley is in his office ("Ehrlichkeit und vertrauen"). Later at a ball at Manderley, everyone is waltzing ("Der Ball von Manderley"). Mrs. Van Hopper enters ("I'm an American Woman"). Ich is in her room in a dress taken from a portrait of the Maxim's great-aunt ("Heut' nacht verzauber' ich die Welt"). She emerges and begins to descend the staircase to the party. The guests froze in horror, and Maxim bursts into fury and Ich runs upstairs crying. Mrs. Danvers looks on malevolently.

Act II

At night, Ich stands outside Rebecca's room, while Mrs. Danvers is inside the room ("Und das, und das, und das"). Mrs. Danvers makes Ich uncomfortable and she runs off when Mrs. Danvers menaces her ("Tu nicht, was sie empört!" ... "Nur ein schritt"). At the seaside, the people of Cornwall find the remains of a shipwreck ("Flotsam and Jetsam"). Ich runs to the boat house and sees Ben and a disheveled, Maxim, who had gone to help the sailors ("Now she has returned" ... "No smile was ever so cold"). Maxim is suspected of having killed Rebecca, and an investigation is taking place. The next morning in the house, Beatrice and Ich discuss how to be a confident woman. Ich confronts Mrs. Danvers and makes some changes in the house's decor ("Mrs. de Winter bin Ich"). Ich is now a confident woman; when she breaks the Cupid statue again, she is no longer frightened. Ich stands by her husband and takes the initiative to find out why Rebecca visited her doctor.

At a nearby courtroom a hearing takes place, and Maxim and Horridge are at odds. Ich faints, and everyone returns to Manderley. Danvers and Favell arrive at Manderley and go to the library. Mrs. Danvers leaves and Favell remains on the library ("Eine Hand wäscht die andre"). Favell tries to bribe Maxim with a letter from Rebecca. Jack calls Mrs. Danvers and asks for Rebecca's diary ("Sie was gewohnt geliebt zu werden"). Ich decides to go London to see Rebecca's doctor. The servants and Mrs. Danvers comment on the situation ("Sie fuhr'n um acht"). Maxim picks up a phone call from Ich. It turns out that Rebecca was terminally ill. It seems likely that she instigated her own death. Mrs. Danvers overhears and learns that Rebecca was going to die of cancer.

After this liberating news, when Maxim can finally remove the picture of Rebecca from Manderley and give his undivided love to his new wife. Maxim picks up Ich at the train station in Cornwall, and they kiss passionately ("Jenseits der Nacht"). But far away there is a red glow in the sky. Manderley is burning! Maxim and Ich hurry home as the servants run around with buckets of water ("Feuer, feuer, Manderley in Flammen!"). Mrs. Danvers stands inside the house at the top of the staircase dressed in Rebecca's nightgown, holding a candelabra in her hand as the flames consume Manderley. Maxim and Ich arrive, and Frank runs towards them. Inside, Danvers inclines the candles to the stairway handrail and sets it on fire. The house collapses and Mrs. Danvers perishes in the flames together with her memories of Rebecca. Ich walks dreamily in darkness ("Ich hab getraumt von Manderley" (reprise)). Everyone except Maxim is standing among Manderley's ruins, but now the shadows have faces. Under a bright blue sky, Maxim holds his hand out to Ich who runs to him, and they kiss.