When I first came across this musical, I assumed that it would be about a weepy ingénue type empress and her love problems. This includes a love triangle between Franz Joseph and Death. Queue in really sappy music about how much Elisabeth and Franz love each other while Death sings melodramatic solos about how lonely he is (you know, sort of like Phantom and Les Misérables, but this time it's an empress, an emperor, and death).
Oh how wrong I was! Elisabeth is different from any other musical. The main character Elisabeth, also known as Sissi, is a very intriguing character. Unlike many other female leads, Elisabeth searches for freedom as opposed to fairy tale love. During her younger years Elisabeth is very tomboyish and free spirited, but once she becomes empress others try to hold her down. When Elisabeth refuses, her life begins to spin out of control.
There is a love story between Elisabeth and Death. It's actually quite unique compared to most theatre romance. Their chemistry is very fiery and passionate. Elisabeth confused whether or not she loves death. Sometimes she welcomes him and other times she fights against him.
All together, I thought this was an interesting DVD. Though I much prefer other leads in the roles, I think that this cast put on a great show. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys musical theatre.
