Kristina: where to now?

Re: Kristina: where to now?

Maxi-saxi - 14.08.2008, 05:43

Good Question


Don't know I would personally like to see a release Of Kirstina On DVD BUT I do not think that is going to happen as the Boys are wanting to get it on Broadway. I would like to see a DVD even of the Swedish Cast .

They did that with Chess BUt If they did in time decide to do this I would recommend them putting English subtitles to the behind scenes of features.

Hey I would even settle if they could get the Swedish cast singing in English How great would that be.

Any way time will tell Both B & B would like to work on a new project so that is exciting

Maxi-saxi

Re: Kristina: where to now?

drimnagh - 14.08.2008, 14:15

No, I don't think they should capitalise on MM, JUST yet!!

Let the dust settle, as it were.

J

Re: Kristina: where to now?

imstillalive - 15.08.2008, 19:52

I think they should let the dust settle on MM first. Kristina is not a happy-ever-after musical like MM - in places it is almost too emotionally painful to listen to.

It will attract a different audience, and will probably (dare I say it??) be a commercial / critical flop because it is so serious. The Swede's loved it - but it was lifted from one of their most famous literary works, about Swedish people and Swedish history. Who else is going to care that all these Swede's uprooted their families and moved to America?

Re: Kristina: where to now?

Anonymous - 16.08.2008, 03:17

Thank you for the replies.

I can't say that I agree with those who think that "Kristina" is "too serious". It is certainly a big contrast to Mamma Mia, but it all boils down to marketing. After all, there are many musicals with equally serious plot - at least, much more "serious" than Mamma Mia. For example, "Evita" or even "Phantom of the Opera". And those were very successful. "Evita" is a story about events in Argentina - probably equally alien to many as events in Sweden.

And look what marketing did to three tenors - and this is opera, hardly a mainstream genre.

Musically "Evita" and "Phantom" don't even come close to "Kristina", so why are they so successful, whereas Kristina remains virtually unknown? I think it just needs a big marketing push - the right people behind it and a big financial investment. I believe that both ingredients can be found after the success of Mamma Mia and that is why it is important, in my opinion, to "ride this wave" now.

I love the idea of the movie that Waterloo suggested. It can be a lot more effective than the stage show. The Kristina-based movie would certainly be much closer to my idea of ABBA-based film than Mamma Mia!

I certainly hope that Benny and Bjorn will roll up their sleeves and do something about Kristina. Or better still, let somebody else do it while B&B write another musical.

Cheers
Vladimir

Re: Kristina: where to now?

Pabs - 17.12.2008, 17:43

There will be two Kristina concerts staged at New York's prestigious Carnegie Hall next September. So far, it looks as though Helen Sjoholm will be Kristina.

More info where I got this news: icethesite.com

I do hope I'll be free at that time!

Pablo

Re: Kristina: where to now?

onlyabba4me - 20.12.2008, 00:21

I think that the Music in 'Kristina Fran Duvemala', is the best the Benny
& Bjorn have done - outside of ABBA. It is far more beautiful than
'Chess', & on another Planet from 'Mamma Mia!', which is nowhere
near as sophisticated as a Musical.

Here is the 'Show Stopper' - 'Du Maste Finnas', by Helen Sjoholm
It was a No.6 Hit in Sweden in the Mid 1990's. The Title means 'You
Must Exist' - I think it is Kristina asking if God is there. She needs Him.
Another version of the Title is, 'You Have To Be There'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KkciUPy7G0&feature=related

Then we have another 'Show Stopper' from the Musical - 'Guldet Blev
Till Sand', by Peter Jobak. It was a No.2 Swedish Hit in the Mid 1990's.
I think it is very, very enchanting. It is a Big Ballad. The Title
means, 'Gold Turned Into Sand' - he's saying that his Hopes &
Dreams, (& those of his Brother?), were beautiful, but they all came to
nothing. Peter played Robert Oskar - who is Karl Oskar's Brother.
Karl is married to Kristina.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNDzrM1eOT0&feature=related

And here's a clip with the Lyrics Translated into English on the
Screen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ve9jhJ9tVk

Re: Kristina: where to now?

TinaTina - 21.12.2008, 01:25

Pabs wrote: onlyabba4me wrote: I think that the Music in 'Kristina Fran Duvemala', is the best music Benny
& Bjorn have done - outside of ABBA.

I think it's the best music Benny & Bjorn have EVER done.
....
ABBA music pales in comparison to the quality of music in KfD.
Just to remind everyone: ItŽs BENNYŽS music and BJÖRNŽS lyrics.

And I wonder if IŽll like the English version as much as the Swedish one. I had problems already with the English lyrics of "Du måste finnas", found them too weak. Well, I havenŽt heard Helen singing it, of course. It might get strong enough in English when she sings it.
But BjörnŽs wonderful Swedish lyrics are as much in my heart as BennyŽs touching, wonderful, incomparable music. I can imagine itŽll feel at least strange to hear it sung by others and in English. LetŽs hope Helen sings Kristina and makes it sound and look as it should! LetŽs hope the chemistry between her and who ever sings Karl-Oskar is strong enough to make it credible.

Tina

Re: Kristina: where to now?

TinaTina - 21.12.2008, 21:12

vlads wrote: I wonder if the concert version will lose much of the Kristina's appeal. I am afraid that in the concert version too much attention will be given to "big hits" ("Du maste finnas", "Guldet Blev Till Sand" and the like) and the little gems that Kristina is so full of will be lost.

Also there is also a danger that the integrity of the whole thing will be lost. Hope not.
I have seen the Swedish Kristina concert in 2001, just 2 years after the stage production had closed. In those concerts everything was credible. It was very authentic. You kind of saw what had happened on stage in the theatre, even though they just stood there in white clothes with a microphone in their hands. But these were "the real people", all the original actors, a choir, Marianne Mörck (Fina-Kajsa on stage) as the one who read bits of the story from a book to connect the sets of songs. You saw that the actors still had everything in the blood. They interacted in the same way as in the theatre play.
ThatŽs what I mean with chemistry in my entry above. I hope Helen - if she sings which she HAS to - can develop some of that chemistry with an American stranger when she has just a few days time to rehearse with him and the others. I hope everyone to perform there has carefully watched the DVD that weŽll never get to see, the original performance. I hope they are enough into it to make it sound and look as it should.

Tina

Re: Kristina: where to now?

TinaTina - 22.12.2008, 00:21

WATERL00 wrote: Helen is gioing to be there? Helen as kristina again? Wow, that's amazing

ThatŽs what Wendy said here:

http://www.iphpbb.com/board/ftopic-30652567nx61610-6592.html#199703

She got it from Benny.