"S’il faut mourir, autant vivre à en crever (If we have to die, we should live to the fullest)" - Vivre à en crever

Mozart l'opera rock is a French musical rock opera about the life and death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was my first introduction into the wonderfully extravagant world of French comédies musicales, and it remains one of my all time favorite musicals to this day. While I understood very little French when I saw it for the first time, I instantly connected with the soundtrack and the spectacle that is the show. Even now, I believe that the storyline is the weakest part of the show, and it is really the music, sets, costumes, choreography, and music videos (yes, French musicals always have several full production music videos to promote the show) that drew me in and made me a fan. I have seen several other French musicals since Mozart, and while I have enjoyed them, none have captured my interest in the way that this play did almost instantaneously.

Mikelangelo Loconte and Florent Mothe were perfectly cast as Mozart and Salieri respectively, and their connection is also one of the highlights of the show, even though Salieri doesn't even appear until act two. Mozart's journey from the jovial troublemaker in the beginning of the play to the sick man hardened by life's circumstances was portrayed perfectly, as was Salieri's jealousy and eventual bittersweet victory over his musical rival. The rest of the cast played their parts well, but Mozart and Salieri were definitely the stars and stole the show.

While it is a rock opera and the music is very modern for the time period it is set in, the touches of actual Mozart music woven throughout the show give the soundtrack such a unique sound. There is a rock band playing alongside all of the action as opera singers sing and actors/dancers in period garb move around the stage, and yet nothing feels out of place. Everything works together to create an unforgettable musical experience that I wish I had had the chance to see live. Fortunately, the French theatre community is very generous to its fans and always provides professionally recorded dvds of their musical productions in addition to the music videos and cast albums, so everyone is able to enjoy the shows forever, no matter where they are in the world. Speaking of the cast albums, I also greatly appreciate all of the bonus songs available for Mozart l'opera rock that just make it an even richer world outside of the canon of the show itself. More than even seeing the full blown production, seeing the symphonic concert show that most of the cast toured with a few years ago would have been absolutely amazing.

Favorites

	Jen	Liz
Character	Mozart, Salieri	Mozart, Salieri
Relationship	Mozart/Salieri	Mozart/Salieri
Song	Place je passe, Je dors sur des roses, Vivre À En Crever, Penser l'impossible	Le bien qui fait mal, L'assasymphonie, Vivre À En Crever
Music Video	L'assasymphonie, Tatoue-moi