STAGE TUBE: Frank Wildhorn's RUDOLF Opens in Seoul!

RUDOLF: THE LAST KISS, a musical composed by Frank Wildhorn and written by Jack Murphy, opened in Seoul this past weekend. Check out highlights from the show below!

Set in fin de siècle Vienna during the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, RUDOLF: THE LAST KISS tells the story of the events leading to the Mayerling Incident, the mysterious death of Crown Prince Rudolf and his Mistress Baroness Marie Vetsera at the royAl Hunting lodge in Mayerling, a village outside Vienna, in 1889. The musical describes the escalating personal and political conflict between Crown Prince Rudolf and Emperor Franz Joseph, a stern father and a cautious ruler.

Rudolf sees the widening chasm between the ruling aristocracy and the emerging bourgeoisie and working classes and believes the monarchy is in need of reform if the nation is to survive. It is during this time and in light of his crumbling marriage to Princess Stéphanie of Belgium, that Rudolf sees and falls in love with the beautiful 17-year old courtier Baroness Marie Vetsera. Reactionary forces within monarchy represented by Prime Minister Taafe use the affair as a cudgel with which to thwart Rudolf's political aspirations. The story plays out in an intoxicating atmosphere of tragic romance and political intrigue.

More Articles by This Author...