“Rebecca is a German-language musical written by Michael Kunze (book and lyrics) and Sylvester Levay (music), the authors of the musicals Elisabeth, Mozart! and Marie Antoinette”
The plot of the musical is based on the novel from Daphne du Maurier. “Rebecca’s narrative takes the form of a flashback. The heroine, who remains nameless, lives in Europe with her husband, Maxim de Winter, traveling from hotel to hotel, harboring memories of a beautiful home called Manderley, which, we learn, has been destroyed by fire. The story begins with her memories of how she and Maxim first met, in Monte Carlo, years before.”
The song Rebecca is the title song of the musical. The song itself has a great power appealing to people. Sometimes listening to the song, it gives me chills from how the song is sung and the lyrics enhances it.
Rebecca
Wherever you may be
Life sings your song as long as waves roar to the coast
Voices sigh in the air everywhere
Rebecca
Come back Rebecca
You’re not meant to be a shadow of a ghost.
This is her brush.
Her hair was full and dark,
I brushed it every night.
she wore satin and velvet,
she looked like a queen.
Her smile was boyish
when I saw her for the last time.
she won’t smile at me anymore
but she’s near all the same.
Hear the wind, it is calling her name
(https://drlrcs.com/i/yFMAmdJMwyHP/pia-douwes-rebecca-english-demo)
The lyrics almost seem that Mrs. Danvers is obsessed with the former Ms. Winter. And she doesn’t hide the hatred that she has toward the present Ms. Winter, Maxim, who took the place of the former one. If you read the full lyrics of the song, you could also tell that Mrs. Danver might not be mentally stable. Mrs. Danvers doesn’t wash the nightgown that was worn by the former Ms. Winter since she wore it for the last time. Mrs. Danvers is kept calling out the name “Rebecca” saying that she is not meant to be a shadow of a ghost. Even though Rebecca is long dead, Mrs. Danver is missing her and saying that she shouldn’t have died. And she is kind of blaming this on the new Ms. Winter, Maxim. Mrs. Danver is not pleasant at Maxim replacing Rebecca’s place and using her stuff.
Even with the lyrics is scary and creepy, but when you listen is with the song, then you can feel the craziness that Mrs. Danvers is possessing. You can feel the hatred that she had toward Maxia, almost wanting to kill her.
As a person who prefers dynamic, creepy, and horror-themed songs rather than romance, Rebecca is one of my favorite songs along with The Phantom of the Opera. Especially, the original musical that was in German and Pia Douwes, the original Mrs. Danvers, is the best of all. Pia Douwes is such a wonderful musical actor that can truly express craziness that Mrs. Danvers has. It feels that she can kill you with only the dark aura that she has. The power that she possesses is so overwhelming I would just kneel in front of her. One day, I would love to see the musical that she performs.
I will you would love it!