Hot take: "Ich war ihr nah wie niemand sonst" should not be the default for Rebecca Reprise II.
The angry desperation of it fits well with Pia's and Willemijn's Dannys, but it would be so interesting if every actress were given a choice of which version she wanted to sing.
(I also have a problem with "Ich liebte sie, doch sie hat mich verraten" - it's a powerful line but it is out of character for Danny. I don't think she feels betrayed by Rebecca. Danny never stops idolising her. What's triggering her rage (in the book) is the realisation that Maxim did in fact kill Rebecca. I will die on this hill.)
Yes… but I think overall it’s a positive change given the choices they made already when adapting the novel to a musical.
If we are going to see as much of Danny’s inner monologue as we get to in the musical compared to the 1st person from I‘s perspective in the novel, then I think it is a positive change to make Danny‘s RR2 emotion one of realized betrayal from Rebecca rather than of anger at Maxim.
I find the notion that she burns down the house because Rebecca is really gone and “betrayed” her (the house that she associated so strongly with Rebecca’s remaining spirit) more emotionally compelling than burning down Maxim’s house as revenge.
If we're going to go down that road I think several things can be true at the same time. I know that "Danny feels Rebecca betrayed her by not immediately telling her about her diagnosis" is a well-liked interpretation, but I don't think it holds water. (You also didn't say you meant this exact interpretation, I am adding this as a factor). True, we lack some context in the musical, like the fact that Mrs Danvers was not home when Rebecca returned from London that night and (initially) blames herself for not stopping Rebecca from going out sailing in a storm. But the Mrs Danvers that we see both in the book and in the musical trusts in and idolises Rebecca even after her death. Rebecca can do no wrong, even when she is, in fact, doing wrong. Mrs Danvers expresses herself so strongly about this that it feels way more likely she would make an excuse for why Rebecca did not tell her immediately. She needed time to think, she would have told me if I had been home, I was her closest confidante. I don't think that conviction ever wavers and that's why "Ich hör dich singen" works so well for actresses who choose that interpretation.
I agree that "I am finally realising that Rebecca is actually dead and isn't here anymore, even in spirit" is a great emotional reason to destroy Manderley and like I said, it works for some Dannys! The point I was making above is that it does not work for every Danny. With Susan!Danny and Kerstin!Danny I fully believe that while they are subconsciously beginning to realise that Rebecca is gone (and that is what breaks them), they would rather destroy Manderley than give up the shrine they have built for Rebecca and allow her to be "replaced".
My quibble with "doch sie hat mich verraten" remains.
Bottom line, and the point I was making in my first post: "Ich war ihr nah" is a good version of Reprise II and it works for some actresses AND I would welcome more productions going the route Madgeburg did and choosing the version that works for them.
I just have to add my thoughts on that one as I am personally struggling every time I listen to Rebecca Reprise II compared to Ich hör dich singen…
To me it feels like an easy way out for the audience - give them a villain (it‘s Rebecca as not even her simping housekeeper is supporting her in the end) and something easily to process. Danny‘s character and the whole story lacks nuances due to this minor changes in the lyrics that lead to a totally different outcome of the story. (Sidenote: thinking of the number of femizides happening currently it‘s a change I can‘t appreciate.)
And tbh it’s just easy that Rebecca‘s betrayal is the reason for Danny‘s arsonistic adventures, but to me it flattens the whole story in an almost unbearable way.
So, I would love for actresses to choose their preferred lines (always a fan of giving choices) , but I would also appreciate a third version without doch sie hat mich verraten…
