What left me spitless....

Yes just one clip more. Go to about 6:50 on this to see what I mean. The beginning is a beautiful ballad, but go to the 6:50 mark... just click on the red line at the bottom of the clip. This scene was changed dramatically in the second run, because it was probably too dangerous. And you really can't see in the video how AWESOME it is in both versions. It's 'just' a jump ahead in time, and explaining how things are changing, a dynasty and world dying out. And that beam where Death is singing is about 20 feet above the stage. In the version we saw, the entire ruddy stage started to rise. With everyone on it. And Luigi Luccheni, Elisabeth's anarchist assassin was explaining who died in the meanwhile, like Maximillian being executed in Mexico, and other rulers of that world, mostly done with lighting effects. The thing is, the stage separated, and everyone was dancing on them, and the parts tilted downward, and it looked like falling dominoes. The first time I saw that, my mouth went dry and I was afraid to look, yet couldn't take my eyes off the stage. Then the stage went back together, and folded up in half, where the actors fell into the fold, and ZOOMED down into the grave, way beneath the stage level, to the 'grave'. That happens in the dvd as well, but not exactly as the first version was.

The show is a triangle... Elisabeth's love for Death, and Luigi Luccheni blowing up the myths of what had become a 'fairy tale'. Very effective.

In the newer version, it's a ship and is still way the fug up above the stage, and becomes a ship... with Franz Josef tanking the empire, and the dead going into the grave behind him. Makes sense, but the first was really awe-inspiring.

The camera angles were very disappointing on the dvd. Seeing it in real, well it knocked MY socks off....

For Annti: I translated what that ballad before hand is. It's pretty.

I especially like the line 'belief is not enough'. How true.

Franz Josef begs his wife to come back to him. And she says,

'They say that love can heal all wounds... Belief is strong, but sometimes belief is self-deception. We wanted miracles, but they never came to be. It's finally time for us to admit to ourselves.....

We're like to boats passing in the night. Each has it's own destination, and it's own freight. We meet each other on the sea, and parting hurts us so much, but what remains doesn't lie in our power to change.

Franz Josef': 'You want everything, but sometimes is a little very much.'

Elisabeth: 'Your dream is much to small.'

FJ: 'To be close to another in the dark, is that such a poor goal to aspire to?'

Elisabeth: 'I will not be your shadow.'

Both: If only you could see through my eyes, you wouldn't misunderstand me.

The rest is repetition of what is before. And ends with him saying I love you, Understand me, I need you, I love you... etc. etc.

What can not be, will never be.