I heard about this on the CBC, and the first thought which occurred was "But Joss Whedon has already done the definitive vampire musical".

Then I snapped to my senses and acknowledged that Anne Rice has already devalued her franchise enough that Elton John couldn't do more damage. I mean, have you seen "Queen of the Damned"? And ending the book "Lestat" with a cliff-hanger was simply abusive.

Anne Rice wasn't responsible for the terrible and annoying "Queen of the Damned" - movie. She's doing enough damage by writing boring Vampire Chronilces ("Merrick" oder "Blood and Gold" come to mind). I'm also not much for the musical idea, as I find singing vampire rather foolish. However, Anne Rice probably was the first to put the undead on stage, so "The Vampire Lestat" is THE choice for a vamp musical. Much more than "Dracula" and "Dance of the Vampires".

However, Anne Rice probably was the first to put the undead on stage

Actually there was a stage adaptation of Dracula in the late 1920s, which starred Bela Lugosi and which was adapted into the film also starring him in 1931...

Sorry, misunderstanding, I meant "on stage and singing". As vampire-addict (LOL) I know Dracula has been put on stage - Stoker himself was a theater man. I just have problems thinking "vampire" and "singing" together.

"I died so many years ago, and you can make me feel, like it isn't so, But hey you come to be with me, I think I finally know, you're scared, ashamed of what you feel, and you can't tell the ones you love you know they couldn't deal, but whisper in in a dead man's ear, that doesn't make it real"

the real vampire musical - Once More With Feeling - Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Joss Whedon.

*Sigh*, one of the best 45minutes of TV ever;-)

I dunno...I kinda liked BLOOD AND GOLD! But Merrick, yeah, I agree, it made me hate that little monster Claudia even more.

Oops, I forgot one thing...I'm not too squeamish about whoever plays Lestat, but this is the third and final chance to get Armand right!
INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE film: Banderas?! Are you kidding me?!

QUEEN OF THE DAMNED movie:
Armand was probably one of the least horrible things about this film, but I still didn't like him a)being blond and b)going virtually introductionless until the extra deleted scenes at the end. How can you not introduce someone as awesome and sexy and crucial as Armand?! *growls*

Okay, I'm done ranting now...

There is an excellent Dracula musical playing right now in Charlotte town P.E.I. Check out the picks at confederationcentre.com. I also think,"Blood and Gold" was pretty good.

Actually, Frank Wildhorn (who wrote The Scarlet Pimpernel, Civil War: The Musical, and Jekyll & Hyde) wrote Dracula: The Musical and I must say, the music is quite beatiful. It's very gothicy, but not as in modern goth, I mean classical gothic style. It may also be playing off broadway in New York at the new theater complex - Dodger Stages - in October 2004. And who knows, if it gets enough hype, it might even make it onto broadway, too.

Personally I am quite afraid of the whole thing.. I mean Elton John is doing this.. I never heard an E.J. song that was quite dark.. What's going to be heard.. "Can you suck the blood tonight.." I am a die hard fan of anne rice books, some people dont like it fine.. so they should just turn around and not bother with it, its a waste of their "superior intelligence". (I think they should rot in hell!) I am very curious to hear the music. But I just dont want to see one of anne rice masterpeice die to the hands of Elton John... Well if it does.. ... I wont comment further.. Ill get to nasty...

you can register for updates at the shows website.

I think this is where Ann Rice was headed all along. I won't watch, except to laugh uproariously at all the silly, but then, that is what I did while I was reading. Vampire melodrama is meant to be overacted, over-emoted and tap-danced in big musical numbers!

Honestly? I'm kind of looking forward to this. Of course I have my qualms about John doing the music, and I'm dead curious about how he defines 'gothic excess'...

I think one of the things that's REALLY going to redeem the project is the fact that they've decided to cast Hugh Panaro in the title role -- and he's a bloody brilliant Broadway actor. Saw him as the Phantom this summer, and I understand from my dad [another die-hard Phan] that Panaro's the only Raoul he's ever seen to redeem the role and make it halfway interesting -- which has to count for something.

To *Michelle*'s: "I'm also not much for the musical idea, as I find singing vampire rather foolish." Have you ever heard of "CATS"? Honestly now, since when have musicals been sane let alone predictably normal? I praise Anne Rice for her idea and what the hell! If they can write a musical about a bunch of morally corrupt wailing cats then God Speed to Lestat.

So this is the penalty for losing one's soul: ending up onstage in a musical. Isn't the world suffering enough without this?

"Personally I am quite afraid of the whole thing.. I mean Elton John is doing this.. I never heard an E.J. song that was quite dark.. What's going to be heard.. "Can you suck the blood tonight.." I am a die hard fan of anne rice books, some people dont like it fine.. so they should just turn around and not bother with it, its a waste of their "superior intelligence". (I think they should rot in hell!) I am very curious to hear the music. But I just dont want to see one of anne rice masterpeice die to the hands of Elton John... Well if it does.. ... I wont comment further.. Ill get to nasty..."


Yeah, right...you didn't hear any other Elton's song, only "Can you feel the love tonight" and "Candle in the wind" and you think that you know everything!? He composed many great dark songs through career and even if Elton ruins this story with his music, he can't ruin it more than anybody else because he is for sure one of the best composer of our time and his music is very versatile.

I'm curious about this - OK, I wouldn't have thought of Elton John for the music but I'm happy not to get the all too predicatable goth stuff. Most people seem to think that vampires equal goth. Read Anne Rice and you'll realise that her vampires are far from the usual gothic types. So it fits to get music that doesn't have the goth touch.
I'm worried about the guy who will play Lestat - he's dark haired and the "Queen of the Damned" fiasco has proven that producers can be stupid enough to forget about Lestat's trademark looks.
I also worry about whoever will play Armand and Louis. Banderas was the obvious wrong choice and Pitt was too wooden.
Tom Cruise did a very good job - I don't care much for him normally but I was really happy with his portrayal of Lestat.
I agree with those who think that Mrs Rice's books have declined in quality. I even think she seems to have forgotten who Lestat was supposed to be. So I hope that the production sticks to Lestat's personality as described in "The Vampire Lestat" and "Queen of the damned" (the book, not the movie).

I saw the musical... check out my review, if you're interested, but be warned... i hated it...

I saw the show at the Curran in SF on Saturday Dec. 17, and it was TERRIBLE! The score was repetitive, the characters were flat, and the plot was so ridiculous it would have had Anne Rice crying in her seat to see what they did with her beautiful writing. My sister actually fell asleep during the second act. The girl who played Claudia was fantastic though - her voice was the saving grace of the whole show. Maybe the theather gurus in SF can pull of a show where the main character suckles his mother's breast on stage, but I'd like to see them try it anywhere else in the nation!

It is true that the /music/ should have been better, that there were changes I would not have seen done to some of the plot, but you know what? I had a fantastic time! And I am still high from having been there. Maybe the characters did not seem flat to me, because I knew who they were already. It could be the play managed to fail to introduce them well enough in the little time it had so that people who didn't know them would understand, but I did. I laughed, I cried, I clapped, I cheered, and I was not alone in this either. There was even a number of people who gave standing ovation at the end. Oh, and for the person who was worried that Armand would not be cast well? This one finally does it. He's a _very_ good Armand, that even appears to resemble him while he's on stage.

I saw this yesterday and was vastly disappointe. As were the 2 friends I went with. The first half was somber and operatic similar to the style of Les Mis. But the second half suddenly became a comedy with upbeat music typical of the style of Elton John. During the curtain call (there was only 1) , some people stood up but not for an ovation. Rather than to leave the theatre. The people sitting next to us never came back after intermission. I would be shocked to see this in NY. What a disappoinmtment.

Saw the show on 12/21: Terribly dissapointed. It has GREAT potential - the music was horribly repetitive. There were two songs that got me to sit up in my seat "crimson kiss" - Gabrielle (amazing voice) and "I want more" - Claudia. Lestat is in almost every scene and the actor has a POWERFUL voice - he sang his soul out (punn intended) but the music was so so nothing that he couldn't make it work. Due to the fact lestat has so much stage time - they should find an actor w/ a bit more charisma. I just didn't want to watch him, didn't care at all. They need to decide if they want to sing it or speak it. They flipped in and out of it and it was confusing. The character of Marius (?) was also not very compelling - he should have been much "MORE!".
I hope they can make it work. They need SONGS...I didn't have ONE song in my head when I walked out. That is a first.

Sorry this is for michelle. Anne rice is NOT the first...
there is Frank Wildhorn who did Dracula recently and there is also a other one that Bombed big time, in Broadway it is knowned that all vampire shows suck and last one week...they close up fast...

British vamp fan here eager to read all your comments. Hope Elt brings show to London then can make up own mind. Sounds interesting at the very least

Hiii I wonder if the Musical will arrive to EUROPE?????
Today I saw the new on ANee Rice homepage that they?re exist a Musical abour my dear Lestat and I froze with the mouth quite open!!! :)
So if anyone know about if the musical will arive Europe, pleas contact me.
Thanks to all
and bites on your neck

Last nights performance of Lestat at San Francisco's Curran Theatre proved to be an outstanding experience. Audience responce was positive culminating with "Standin O" from majority of patrons. Staging was mesmorizing and effectively represented the Gothic nature of the subject. I am not sure what changes have been madefrom earlier performances but based on prior post on this site they have been effective. The music was dramatic and the lyrics told the story (what repetition?). All actors, including the leads and the ensemble were well cast and proved to be strong vocally and demonstrated impressive acting credentials. Outside of an additional "showstoper" song in first act and a smoother transition in the breakup/attack on Lestat in act2 there is little to be concerned about.I SEE A STRONG BROADWAY RUN!!!!!!

lestat musical is fun - not as good as the books

Armand is good, the vampire books are all good

My word - this thread's seeing traffic all of a sudden, well actually I wish I could see this musical - does anyone think they'll make a movie out of it?

I saw Lestat in San Francisco and left the theater wondering if it was at all fixable in time for its' Broadway opening. Where the cast and their voices are excellent, no one has the eroticism that pervades Anne Rice's characters in her books.
The writing, by Linda Woolverton, gets bogged down with attempts to keep the vampire history linear, logical and understandable to anyone in the audience who doesn't know the difference between Ms. Rice's vampires and Bram Stoker's. The dialogue often has to report on or define the meaning of a previous effect or action so nothing is left for the audience to misinterpret.
Sir Elton John's music is mostly unmemorable with a few exceptions, but its Bernie Taupin's lyrics and the orchestrations that make the songs even minimally interesting.
The costume designer, Susan Hilferty, doesn't seem to have any color palette or stylistic theme that fits with Derek McLane's surrealistic yet period design of the rest of the production.
It looks as if Ms. Hilferty chose only one fabric per scene to clothe everyone in. In one scene when Lestat first meets the Paris vampires, they are costumed as though they are a long lost team of Cirque de Soliel acrobats. As actors in a derelict Paris theater, the ensemble is clothed entirely in poorly fitting gold lame. As if they had that much gold lame in Paris during the late 18th century!
In another scene, the actors look as if they are wearing curtain fabric and it's been left entirely to the inventive yet economic staging of Matt West to provide the actors with any character or appeal as New Orleans denizens.
One wonders how such famous and high powered creative forces gathered under the roof of Warner Brothers Theatrical Productions could falter so erringly.

I saw Lestat on Broadway in early April, and it was ok. I am a huge "Aida" fan, which was written by Elton John and Tim Rice, so I was excited to see what EJ would do for Lestat. The music was very.... Andrew Lloyd Webber... kind of repetetive and not very compelling. It was like he stole little lines fron Phantom and strung them together. I'll agree with everyone when I say that Claudia's tantrum "I want more" was the best song in the show. She better be nominated for a Tony. I didn't particularly care for Gabrielle's voice, but the rest were good. It was just... okay. Not horrible, not great... Just ok.

I just wanted to add that although I personally detested the two motion pictures spawned from the Vampire Chronicles, I feel that the jump to Broadway is a great angle to take the tales. After all, Lestat was always in love with the theater as it is.

Hey was just wondering if anyone had a copy of the music from the show ?

I would give ANYTHING to hear some !!

EMAIL ME at Anyasunnydale at yahoo.com

I condemn all who condemn this show. IT WAS PHENOMONAL AND IT COMPETES WITH THE MUSIC FROM PHANTOM IN MY MIND. if you haven't seen the show and/or read the book and have onlyy heard the critics speak. DOn't condmen the show because u are goining on nothing but rumors. Lestats legacy will nevr die.

I was lucky enough to have seen the show twice in San Francisco and had been hoping to see it again during its run on Broadway...but the umtimely close of the Broadway run made it impossible for me to go see it again. I agree with one of the commenters on here: Do not judge the show unless you've seen it. I enjoyed BOTH performances and left the theater after seeing it a second time humming Claudia's song: I WANT MORE. The show was faced with a daunting task of including and explaining a huge amount of material in one evening's performance. Since I am an avid Anne Rice fan and have eagerly read all of her novels thus far - the production did an admirable job of presenting what they could. Musical Theater is a near perfect match-up for this for this often dramatic and simultaneously tongue and cheek and over-the-top at times "campy" story/milieu. The actors/singers in the San Francisco production were all excellent and I harbor no complaints about the quality of the other aspects of the production. (Didn't anyone else notice Mr. Pennaro's excessive discharges of spittle in his zeal to perform both the songs and Lestat's emotional volatility?? (perhaps if my seat had been a few rows back, I mightn't have even noticed this little quirk). It was a relief to see many of Anne Rice's characters rendered more closely to her intentions than any of the movies produced from the chronicles thus far have managed to achieve...even the condensation of several of the key "Ancients" into the lone Marius character here, while obviously well intentioned, does not achieve any of the clarity they hoped to achieve in the simplification. It must also be noted the visual scope of this production expands by leaps and bounds what is generally thought of as a conventional theater staging techniques. Alas in all of its artistry and complexity, it failed to win over people whose attention spans have been systematically shortened over the last half of this century.

Lastly, I can only hope and pray that they Elton John will see fit to want keep a record of his artistic achievement and choose to record and release an original cast recording from the production. I for one would eagerly plunk down the $30 for a copy of the soundtrack! The early and abrupt closing of this production on Broadway makes it rather unlikely that the production will ever be staged again.

Peace all!