Ethan Freeman, Hass and the original production of Elisabeth
Recently, @behindthemirrorofmusic shared an interview clip from her radio show with me (thank you so much!). In it, Ethan Freeman (original Lucheni) talks about, among other things, Hass and the criticism the number has gotten over the years.
Dannii: Several Jewish fans of the show have said it's a rather triggering song and makes them feel uncomfortable - making them feel that Lucheni is turning against them. Did you think about that or does this raise any feelings in you?
Ethan: Ah, no. Lucheni is a cynic, but he certainly did not ally himself with the fascistic transition that happens in the course of that number, as it begins to look into the future and towards the growing demonization of Jews in the Elisabethan world moving towards the period of the Nazis. Again, as Che is with the Peronistic fascism [in Evita], Lucheni looks at it with bitter cynicism.
I can see people being uncomfortable, but the scene and the number were designed to make everybody uncomfortable [laughs]. And the Austrian audience, who at the time had to - and perhaps to a bigger extent even now still has to - deal with its fascist and antisemitic past... That number was always met with a kind of deathly, breathless silence. Sometimes applause at the end, but first it was always this reaction of "[gasp] This was us!". And that's what the number was there for. Obviously, Harry Kupfer, the director, was a tremendous antifascist, and so he directed the number to hit very hard.
I remember we performed the show [one night] and Jörg Haider, the leader of the ultra-right party in Austria at the time was in the audience of the show - and he walked out after the number! I knew I had done my job when I heard he had walked out. Because the number points a finger at exactly the kind of ideology he seemed to purvey.
So... As a Jewish person myself, I want to show the world its ugly reflection. If it made me uncomfortable in any sense, watching the Jewish character getting beaten up in that scene, it's because it's supposed to make people feel - "oh, this is not good". I think good theatre is for people with strong stomachs, and if people are extremely sensitive to that sort of thing, then they have to figure out how to deal with it. I don't think for any reason that that [scene] should not be in the show. Because it was a reflection of the history of that time - but not only that time, obviously.
(Interview by Dannii Cohen, September 10, 2023. Emphasis mine. Transcribed from the first episode of the new series of Behind the Mirror of Music. Source)
"He fell at my feet, with words of love ... with words of love in his dead mouth ... and the music had ceased ... He kissed the hem of my dress and did not see that I closed my eyes."
Inspired by @nerdywriter36's post on sluttiest Phantoms and @opera-ghost's post on "Jeremy Stolle heard 'slut' when the director called cut." here are some very slutty Phantoms from non-English language replicas.
In chronological order:
1. Henk Poort, Netherlands, 1993 (w/ Joke de Kruijf)
Solid boob grab AND face caress, sir.
2. Eiji Akutagawa, Japan, 1994
This is the famous "maneuver" and it lasts approximately 40 seconds.
Not his thirstiest moment but do it for the **magic hands**
4. Ethan Freeman, Germany, 2006 (w/Anne Görner)
Sir, you are on stage.
How the German Phantoms do not split their very tight pants every show is a mystery for the ages. You get two of Ethan because he is my comfort Phantom.
5. Dmitri Ermak, Russia, 2016 (w/Tamara Kotova)
No way this list was going to not have at least one Russian. The man looks like he's about to have Christine for dinner.
A huge thanks to Dannii at @behindthemirrorofmusic for organizing and to everyone who came out to celebrate his 65th birthday with us! It was so fun doing a collaboration like this.
Featured content
Full video: Ethan Freeman, Anne Gorner & Nikolaj Brucker (Essen 2006, his last performance as the Phantom)
Full video: Ethan Freeman, Julie Washington & Simon Bowman (London 1995)
Ethan Freeman at 65: Dannii's brand-new, hour-long documentary about Ethan and his career, featuring lots of interview footage and performance clips
Special birthday episode of Behind the Mirror of Music podcast: Features many rare recordings!
Albums
With You (solo album): Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube
The Phantom of the Opera & Love Never Dies (Highlights) feat. Claire Moore and John Barrowman: Apple Music | Spotify
Other fun stuff
The Ethan Freeman Appreciation YouTube channel
@ethanfreemanappreciation here on Tumblr
Ethan reads excerpts from The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
"'Til I Hear You Sing" (live)
Where to find Ethan
Instagram: @ethan_daniel_freemanactor and @art_ethandanielfreeman
In October 1993 Ethan returned to the UK to start his West End run as Erik, The Phantom. His performance included a lot of references to the Erik from the original novel and earned him the nickname "The Leroux Phantom".
His Christine’s included Claire Moore and Jill Washington.
With Ethan's birthday coming up next month we thought it would be nice to look back on all the incredible roles he has performed over the years.
Shavua Tov! He crawl. Various Phantoms around the world absolutely mopping the stage. Army crawlers only. Not a speck of dust left. Roomba the heck out of that lair, my sewer man.
Featuring (clockwise from left): Ben Crawford (Broadway, 2022), John Owen-Jones (West End, 2004), Jon Robyns (West End, 2023, @shakeatradefeather, master), Ethan Freeman (Essen, 2006)