ORF-E
German
1 x 30 min
Worldwide 

25 years after the tragic accidental death of Hans Hölzel, alias Falco, a new musical production by celebrated its eagerly awaited world premiere on October 7, 2023: “Rock Me Amadeus” tells the exciting and moving story of the young Viennese, who rose to world stardom, featuring Falco’s greatest hits as well as new songs composed exclusively for the show by his original composers Ferdi and Rob Bolland. Heidi Neuburger-Dumancic documented the creation process of the musical – from the first workshops to the stage and has immersed herself in the life and work of the European pop music icon, using many original archive excerpts. Who was the person behind this eccentric and idiosyncratic artistic figure? This question is the focus of the musical, which author Christian Struppeck has created in collaboration with the Falco Private Foundation and long-time companions of the musician. The leading team, the performers – they all have their own personal ideas and different perspectives of and on Falco. The compilation of these multifaceted mosaic pieces runs through the entire development process of the production. In addition to the historical accuracy of the story, one of the biggest challenges for the creative team was finding the right leading actor: he had to resemble Falco both externally and vocally and, of course, also match the special linguistic coloring of Falco’s speech patterns. After several casting rounds, the 23-year-old musical newcomer Moritz Mausser, who has just finished his studies, was finally entrusted with the leading role in the premiere. With the support of director Andreas Gergen and the entire ensemble, he developed his own interpretation of the man Hans Hölzel. Because one thing is clear to everyone involved: “Rock Me Amadeus” is not meant to be a karaoke show, but the psychogram of an exceptional artist.