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Rebecca

 

Wife of Isaac and one of the Matriarchs of the Jewish people. She was the daughter of Bethuel, who was Abraham's nephew. Abraham sent his servant, Eliezer, to his family in Mesopotamia to select a daughter for his son Isaac. Eliezer prayed that he would be able to identify the prospective bride by a sign: when he asked a young woman by the well for water for himself she would of her own initiative offer to water his camels as well. Rebekah appeared and fulfilled this condition. Upon being brought to Bethuel's house, Eliezer immediately informed them of his mission. He received their consent, including that of Rebekah, to take Rebekah back with him.

Isaac was forty years old when he married; no mention is made of Rebekah's age. Their twin sons, Jacob and Esau, were born 20 years after the marriage.

Unlike Isaac, who doted on the firstborn, Esau, Rebekah favored Jacob. Through her prodding and planning---she went so far as to tell her son (Gen. 27:13), "Upon me be your curse, my son"---Jacob managed to trick his father into giving him the blessing of the firstborn. When Esau realized that Isaac had no intention of retracting the blessing given to Jacob, he planned to kill his brother. Learning of this, Rebekah persuaded Isaac to send their younger son to her brother Laban in Haran, in search of a wife. She died without ever seeing Jacob again.

Rebekah was buried in the Cave of Machpelah (see Holy Places) with Isaac.


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Rebecca or Rebekah (both: rēbĕk'ə), wife of Isaac and mother of Jacob. One day, as was her custom, she drew water at the city well; while there she showed kindness to Eliezer, Abraham's servant. He had been sent to select a suitable wife for Abraham's son, Isaac, and he chose Rebecca. After years without children she bore the twins Jacob and Esau. Jacob was his mother's favorite, and for him she devised their deception of the blind Isaac. She is one of the four Jewish matriarchs.
Dictionary: Re·bec·ca  Re·bek·ah (rĭ-bĕk'ə) pronunciation
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also
In the Bible, the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau.


WordNet: Rebecca
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: (Old Testament) wife of Isaac and mother of Jacob and Esau
  Synonym: Rebekah


Wikipedia: Rebecca (musical)
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Rebecca
RebeccaInVienna.jpg
Poster of Rebecca
Music Sylvester Levay
Lyrics Michael Kunze
Book Michael Kunze
Basis Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Productions 2006 Vienna, Austria
2008 Tokyo, Japan
2008 Helsinki, Finland
2009 Moscow, Russia
2009 UK Workshops

Rebecca is a German-language musical based on the novel of the same name by Daphne du Maurier. It was written by Michael Kunze (lyrics) and Sylvester Levay (music), the authors of Elisabeth, Mozart! and Marie Antoinette. It premiered on September 28, 2006 at the Raimund Theater in Vienna, Austria. Christopher Hampton is translating the work into English for a forthcoming Broadway production.

The plot, which adheres closely to the original novel, revolves around Maxim DeWinter, his new wife, and Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper of DeWinter's Cornish estate Manderley who resents the young woman's intrusion into the world she shared with the first Mrs. DeWinter, the glamorous and mysterious Rebecca, who perished in a drowning accident. The music ranges from close choral scoring with a rising rhythm section from the pit to power ballads.

Contents

Original Creative Team

  • Director: Francesca Zambello
  • Choreographer: Denni L. Sayers
  • Musical Supervisor: Seann Alderking
  • Musical Director: Caspar Richter
  • Production Designer: Peter J. Davison
  • Costume Designer: Birgit Hutter
  • Lighting Designer: Andrew Voller
  • Projections Designer: Sven Ortel
  • Sound Designer: Hendrik Maassen

Original Vienna Cast

  • „Ich“: Wietske van Tongeren
  • Maxim de Winter: Uwe Kröger
  • Mrs. Danvers: Susan Rigvava-Dumas
  • Mrs. Van Hopper: Carin Filipcic
  • Beatrice: Kerstin Ibald
  • Jack Favell: Carsten Lepper
  • Frank Crawley: André Bauer
  • Ben: Norberto Bertassi
  • Oberst Julian: Thomas Bayer

In other roles:

  • Giles: Marcel Meyer
  • Horridge: Kai Peterson
  • Frith: Andreas Kammerzelt
  • Robert: Oliver Mülich
  • Clarice: Jana Stelley
  • Mrs. Rutherford: Katarina Dorian

Production History

  • Rebecca was written in English by Michael Kunze. Workshops and Presentations to Producers from London weren't successful, but there is a Demorecording in English with Pia Douwes as Mrs.Danvers, Maike Boerdam as I and Uwe Kröger as Maxim de Winter.
  • The first foreign production premiered in Japan on April 6, 2008. Rebecca will return to Japan in 2010.
  • A Broadway production is planned for the 2010/2011 season.

Upcoming Broadway Production

Ben Spreche and Louise Forlenza plan to produce Rebecca on Broadway. Formed as 'Global Broadway Productions Inc.' they aim at a 2010/2011 opening. Try-out performances will take place in Toronto, Canada or a City within the US. In order to develop the english adaption two workshops/readings took place in London. The first in May 2009 featured Lisa O’Hare as 'I', Julian Ovenden as Maxim de Winter, and Anna Francolini, Susannah Fellows, David Burt, Jessica Martin in other roles. On October 2nd the second reading starred Sierra Boggess as 'I', Brent Barrett as Maxim de Winter and Pia Douwes as Mrs. Danvers. By changing the script a new song was added to the production called "Zauberhaft natürlich" (enchantingly naive). The translation is done by Christopher Hampton in collaboration with Michael Kunze, Francesca Zambello will direct.

Songs

Songlist including literal translation into English

Act I

  • Ich hab geträumt von Manderley ("Ich", Schatten)
  • I dreamt of Manderley ("I", Shadows)
  • Du wirst niemals eine Lady (Mrs. van Hopper, "Ich")
  • You'll never be a lady! (Mrs. van Hopper, "I")
  • Er verlor unerwartet seine Frau Rebecca (Ensemble)
  • He lost his wife Rebecca unexpectedly (Ensemble)
  • Am Abgrund ("Ich", Maxim)
  • At the abyss ("I", Maxim)
  • Zeit in einer Flasche ("Ich")
  • Time in a bottle ("I")
  • Hochzeit (Instrumental)
  • Wedding (Instrumental)
  • Die neue Mrs. de Winter (Ensemble, Mrs. Danvers, Crawley)
  • The new Mrs. de Winter (Ensemble, Mrs. Danvers, Crawley)
  • Sie ergibt sich nicht (Mrs. Danvers)
  • She won't surrender (Mrs. Danvers)
  • Die lieben Verwandten (Beatrice, "Ich", Giles)
  • The dear relatives (Beatrice, "I", Giles)
  • Bist Du glücklich? ("Ich", Maxim)
  • Are you happy? ("I", Maxim)
  • Bist Du böse? ("Ich", Maxim)
  • Are you angry? ("I", Maxim)
  • Hilf mir durch die Nacht ("Ich", Maxim)
  • Help me through the night ("I", Maxim)
  • Was ist nur los mit ihm? (Beatrice)
  • What's wrong with him? (Beatrice)
  • Sie war gewohnt, geliebt zu werden (Mrs. Danvers, Favell)
  • She was used to being loved (Mrs. Danvers, Favell)
  • Rebecca - Version 1 (Mrs. Danvers, Ensemble)
  • Rebecca - Version 1 (Mrs. Danvers, Ensemble)
  • Wir sind britisch (Ensemble)
  • We are British (Ensemble)
  • Sie's fort (Ben)
  • She's gone (Ben)
  • Gott, warum? (Maxim)
  • God, why? (Maxim)
  • Ehrlichkeit und Vertrauen (Crawley)
  • Honesty and Trust (Crawley)
  • Ball von Manderley (Ensemble)
  • The Ball at Manderley (Ensemble)
  • I'm an American Woman (Mrs. van Hopper)
  • I'm an American Woman (Mrs. van Hopper)
  • Heut Nacht verzaubere ich die Welt ("Ich")
  • Tonight I'm going to enchant the world ("I")
  • Finale Erster Akt (Mrs. Danvers & Ensemble)
  • Finale of act one (Mrs. Danvers & Ensemble)

Act II

  • Entr'acte (Instrumental)
  • Entr'acte (Instrumental)
  • Und Das und Das und Das ("Ich")
  • And this and this and this ("I")
  • Rebecca - Version 2 (Mrs. Danvers, "Ich", Schatten)
  • Rebecca - Version 2 (Mrs. Danvers, "I", Shadows)
  • Nur ein Schritt (Mrs. Danvers)
  • Just one step (Mrs. Danvers)
  • Strandgut (Ensemble, "Ich", Crawley, Favell)
  • Flotsam and jetsam (Ensemble, "I", Crawley, Favell)
  • Sie's fort - Reprise (Ben)
  • She's gone - Reprise (Ben)
  • Du liebst sie zu sehr ("Ich")
  • You love her too much ("I")
  • Kein Lächeln war je so kalt (Maxim)
  • Never was a smile so cold (Maxim)
  • Die Stärke einer Frau (Beatrice, "Ich")
  • The Power of a Woman (Beatrice, "I")
  • Die Neue Mrs. de Winter-Reprise (Ensemble)
  • The new Mrs. de Winter - Reprise (Ensemble)
  • Mrs. de Winter bin Ich! ("Ich", Mrs. Danvers)
  • I am Mrs. de Winter! ("I", Mrs. Danvers)
  • Die Voruntersuchung (Ensemble)
  • The Enquiry (Ensemble)
  • Eine Hand wäscht die andre Hand (Favell)
  • One Hand washes the other (Favell)
  • Sie's fort - Reprise (Ben)
  • She's gone - Reprise (Ben)
  • Sie fuhr'n um Acht (Ensemble)
  • They drove at eight o'clock (Ensemble)
  • Keiner hat Sie durchschaut (Maxim)
  • No one saw how she really was (Maxim)
  • Rebecca - Reprise (Mrs. Danvers, Schatten)
  • Rebecca Reprise (Mrs. Danvers, Shadows)
  • Jenseits der Nacht ("Ich", Maxim)
  • After the night ("I", Maxim)
  • Manderley in Flammen (Ensemble, Crawley)
  • Manderley in Flames (Ensemble, Crawley)
  • Ich hab geträumt von Manderley ("Ich", Schatten)
  • I dreamt of Manderley ("I", Shadows)

Recordings

The Power of a woman in love

Single sung by Gloria Gaynor. Released prior to the Premiere.

Rebecca - Das Cast Album

The Original Cast Recording. This is a studio recording, released on the 24th of November 2006. It includes the following songs:

  1. ICH HAB GETRÄUMT VON MANDERLEY „Ich“, Schatten
  2. ZEIT IN EINER FLASCHE „Ich“
  3. DIE NEUE MRS. DE WINTER Ensemble, Mrs. Danvers, Frank
  4. SIE ERGIBT SICH NICHT Mrs. Danvers
  5. DIE LIEBEN VERWANDTEN SIND IMMER DABEI Beatrice, „Ich“, Giles
  6. WAS IST NUR LOS MIT IHM? Beatrice
  7. WIR SIND BRITISCH Ensemble
  8. SIE´S FORT Ben
  9. GOTT, WARUM? Maxim
  10. EHRLICHKEIT UND VERTRAUEN Frank Crawley
  11. DER BALL VON MANDERLEY Ensemble
  12. I´M AN AMERICAN WOMAN Mrs. Van Hopper
  13. WAS ICH AUCH TU, IST FALSCH* „Ich“
  14. REBECCA** Mrs. Danvers, „Ich“, Schatten
  15. STRANDGUT Ensemble, „Ich“, Crawley, Favell
  16. KEIN LÄCHELN WAR JE SO KALT Maxim
  17. DIE STÄRKE EINER LIEBENDEN FRAU Beatrice, „Ich“
  18. MRS. DE WINTER BIN ICH „Ich“, Mrs. Danvers
  19. EINE HAND WÄSCHT DIE ANDRE HAND Favell
  20. JENSEITS DER NACHT „Ich“, Maxim
  21. MANDERLEY IN FLAMMEN Ensemble, Frank Crawley
  22. ICH HAB GETRÄUMT VON MANDERLEY „Ich“, Schatten, Ensemble

(REPRISE & FINALE II)

* called "Und das und das und das" in the stage version
** version of Act II

Rebecca - Gesamtaufnahme Live

The Live recording took place on the 6 and 7 June 2007. The CD was released on the 19th October 2007. It includes the whole show (Songlist seen above) and a Bonustrack: Marika Lichter, the new Mrs. Van Hopper (Summer 2007-End of 2007), singing "I'm an American Woman".

See also

External links


 
 
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Rebeck (family name)
Rebecca de Winter (character)
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