‘Last Call’ debuts off-Broadway at New York’s New World Stages with Helen Schneider as Leonard Bernstein and Lucca Züchner as rival conductor Herbert von Karajan
Peter Danish wrote his new play, Last Call, thanks to a piece of cake.
The waiter stopped, patted the book, and related that he had waited on the famous American composer many times. Danish mentioned that he was reading about Bernstein attending a performance of the Berlin Philharmonic, conducted by Herbert von Karajan, considered among the greatest conductors of the 20th century. The waiter leaned in, saying he had an anecdote that likely wasn’t in the book. Both men, fierce rivals, were once staying in the hotel, ran into each other by accident in the Hotel Sacher’s hallway, and sat down for an impromptu conversation about their lives.
Danish was so captivated by the possibility of exploring this chance encounter that he asked to sit at their table. After the waiter directed him to a corner near the door, Danish pulled out his laptop and penned the play’s first draft in one sitting. Now, the work opens off-Broadway in New York’s New World Stages on March 16th.
The decision to focus on Bernstein and von Karajan was driven by Danish’s fascination with their contrasting reputations and profound cultural influences. Bernstein, an outspoken American Jewish conductor renowned for iconic compositions like West Side Story and Candide, was widely admired for his artistic genius and fervent political activism, including marching with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr during the 1960s. In contrast, von Karajan, despite being one of Europe’s most celebrated maestros, carried a controversial legacy due to his membership in the Nazi Party from 1933 to 1942. Though exonerated by an Allied tribunal after World War II, von Karajan’s American debut in 1955 triggered public protests.
The director of Last Call, Gil Mehmert, is acclaimed for visually and emotionally rich productions such as German productions of ONCE, The Elephant Man, and Cabaret. He was initially drawn to the theatrical work for its depth and symbolic resonance. « At first glance, two legends of classical music meet here and work on their personal themes, but at second glance, America meets Europe, and a large part of the last century is explored », Mehmert explains.
