December 10, 2024

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December 10, 2024

West Side Story at the Vienna Volksoper – Classical Musical in a New Look

The production of Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story at the Vienna Volksoper, directed by Lotte de Beer, promises a contemporary interpretation of the world-famous musical. Nevertheless, this new interpretation raises questions about the balance between tradition and innovation. With its premiere on January 27, 2024, a production was presented that is characterized by both bold artistic decisions and criticism of its implementation. The piece is performed regularly - the dates can be found on the Vienna Volksoper's homepage. This article examines the production from a theater studies perspective, with particular attention to dramaturgy, stage design and actor direction. Minimalist stage design and symbolic spaces The stage design, designed by Christof Hetzer, deviates significantly from the original atmosphere of New York's street canyons. A minimalist approach dominates: gloomy walls and only a few set pieces characterize the scenes. The choice to strongly abstract the urban context of the action has polarized. The production creates a "non-place" aesthetic that emphasizes universal conflicts while almost completely erasing the specific New York local color. A pastel-colored house that appears during the dream sequence "Somewhere" was considered out of place and kitsch by critics, as it interrupts the serious tone of the scene and disrupts the narrative coherence. The Choreography: A Departure from the Original One of the most striking elements of West Side Story is the choreography designed by Jerome Robbins, which was replaced here by Bryan Arias. While Arias' approach shows respectable energy and precision, critics say the dance scenes lack the emotional power and virtuosity of the original. The iconic fights between the gangs in particular seem

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Air Belgium: Investors plan to take over the cargo division

The British cargo airline Air One Holdings and the Dutch Peso Aviation Management have submitted an offer to take over the cargo division of Air Belgium. The relevant court is expected to decide on the proposal on December 12, 2024. If approved, the transition with 200 employees could be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2025. The passenger division remains excluded. Air Belgium is continuing to examine alternative options.

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Deutsche Bahn changes conditions for saver fare tickets

Following criticism from consumers and sales partners, Deutsche Bahn has announced that it will abolish the requirement to provide an email address or cell phone number for saver fare tickets. From the timetable change on December 15, 2025, these tickets can again be purchased in travel centers and agencies without digital contact details. The company justified the move with customer feedback and wants to give people without an email address access to cheap tickets. However, Deutsche Bahn recommends providing an email address in order to be able to better inform about changes such as delays.

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Greens present comprehensive railway reform plan

The Green Party parliamentary group has presented its "Railway 2035" concept, which envisages extensive reforms for Deutsche Bahn. The key idea is to develop Germany into the center of a European night train network and to provide an hourly long-distance connection for every major city. The Greens reject a separation of network and operations and instead rely on a subsidiary company, DB Infrago, that is oriented toward the common good. Greater state intervention in the management of the railway and incentives such as lower track access prices are intended to strengthen competition and involve more cities.

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Airport works councils criticize high state costs

The works councils of German-speaking commercial airports (BRdV) have criticized the loss of air traffic connectivity to and within Germany. They attribute this to excessive government taxes and are calling on politicians to take measures to reduce the burden. The aim is to strengthen competition and make Germany more attractive again as a location for international air traffic.

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Aldi starts selling surprise trips with Eurowings

Aldi Süd is now offering its customers so-called "blind bookings" from Eurowings. Travelers book a flight ticket without knowing the destination in advance. The departure airports include Berlin, Düsseldorf, Cologne/Bonn, Hamburg, Stuttgart and Prague. The offer is available until December 29, 2024 and is aimed at spontaneous travelers who want to be surprised.

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Helsinki Airport tests digital queue display

A new digital service is being tested at Helsinki Airport that shows the predicted waiting time at security checkpoints for the next 12 hours. The data is based on the expected number of passengers and is updated at 30-minute intervals. The service, which has been available since October 2024, has already been used 100.000 times. The aim is to improve customer service and make travel planning easier. Users can provide feedback via the website.

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Emirates expands flight connections between Dubai and Australia

From 30 March 2025, Emirates will offer a third daily non-stop service between Dubai and Melbourne. The new service will be operated with a modernised Boeing 777-300ER, which includes four cabin classes. At the same time, Emirates will cease flying between Singapore and Melbourne. Overall, capacity for Australia will return to pre-pandemic levels, with 77 weekly flights to five Australian airports. Emirates remains a significant player in the Australian market for three decades, both in air transport and in local collaborations and sponsorships.

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Vienna Airport exceeds 30 million mark for the first time since pandemic

In 2023, Vienna Airport welcomed more than 30 million passengers for the first time since the pandemic, including the 30 millionth passenger, Celia Williams from Boston. This marks a return to pre-crisis figures, which were 2019 million in 31,7. In addition to a significant increase compared to 2022 (23,7 million), growing flight offerings and the return of long-haul connections contributed to the development. The airport expects a further increase in 2024.

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Condor removes Cuba from summer flight schedule 2025

The airline Condor has decided to stop its flights to Cuba in the summer of 2025. From then on, the Cuban airports of Havana, Varadero and Holguin will no longer be directly accessible from Germany. Condor justifies the decision with an "economic necessity". The background to this is the difficult economic situation on the island, constant power outages and supply problems, which have had a negative impact on demand. The current travel advice from the Federal Foreign Office on caution when traveling to Cuba has also contributed to the weak bookings.

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