Leonard Bernstein. Herbert von Karajan. Two titans of the musical world, the greatest conductors of their times. Colleagues, definitely; rivals, certainly. Yet, towards the ends of their careers, they met in 1988 for one final time in a hotel bar in Vienna. It’s this little bit of history that forms the basis for Last Call, a new play by Peter Danish.
The play opens at the Blue Bar in Vienna’s Hotel Sacher. Herbert von Karajan, set to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic the next night, is poring over the score of Bruckner’s 7th Symphony, which he has conducted many times before. When the waiter Michael recognizes him — and then realizes who he is — the waiter, now a gushing fanboy, keeps interrupting his concentration until he finally gives up, ordering a pot of tea. When finally von Karajan can go back to concentrating on his score, he hears the voice of Leonard Bernstein and gives up on trying to do anything with the symphony.
Bernstein, claiming to be in Vienna to see von Karajan conduct, engages his fellow conductor in a game of one-upmanship. The two men exchange memories of past career triumphs, recriminations, rivalries, and regrets, finishing up by relating how the frailties of age are taking their toll, and thoroughly enjoying themselves until the wee hours of the morning.
To add a touch of the surreal, Bernstein is played by Helen Schneider, the American-born German actress, while von Karajan is played by German stage star Lucca Züchner. Victor Petersen’s Michael, the waiter, is the target of some of the two conductors’ quips, and as such provides some welcome humor to the performance. The cast, guided by Gil Mehmert, play their parts without falling into caricature, providing rounded portrayals of their legendary characters and emphasizing their humanity.
I do have to say that, while I enjoyed this play a great deal, I did not fall in love with it. Perhaps it was the subject matter: I admire classical music and its conductors, but it is not a passion of mine. If Leonard Bernstein and Herbert von Karajan’s last meeting, late at night in a Viennese hotel bar, sounds like something you’d like to be the fly on the wall for, then by all means meet them at the Hotel Sacher’s Blue Bar for their Last Call!
Last Call is presented at Stage 5 of the New World Stages, 340 West 50th St., n New York through May 4, 2025. For more information or to purchase tickets, go to newworldstages.com.
