Now we come to the leading lady. Sarah - at first I thought she was such a simple character. The archetypical bored teen wanting a better life, oppressed by her parents, and attracted to the local "bad boy" (even if, in this case, that bad boy has fangs). But, as I grew to love this musical more, I quickly found I that I could not have been more wrong. Sarah is a character with many facets, and I'm disappointed that, despite being a main character, she doesn't have much song time.
Perhaps the most interesting thing I observed about the musical was the following: Even though the musical revolves around Sarah's actions, she did not have a solo song until "Die Roten Stiefel" was added. That's a bold decision for a musical - she comes second to last in the bows, and yet she relies on duets and group songs for her musical expression? Even when her short solo was added to the show, it was just that - short. And she's quickly joined by von Krolock, negating the solo aspect. What's so interesting about this?
Sarah is a very manipulative character. Whether that makes her a bad person is up for debate, but it’s a fact that she’s using other characters. Many others have talked about how, instead of loving either von Krolock or Alfred, she is only using them to gain what she wants. (In this case, freedom.) I agree with that, and I don't want to waste time talking about it. What I do want to do is talk about how her duet-mode proves this.
Both Alfred and Sarah metaphorically attach themselves to various characters throughout the show, albeit in different ways. Alfred does it by the attribution of his independence. Sarah shows people what they want.
Let me elaborate on this. Remember when I talked about masks, the two-faced nature? Sarah is a perfect example of this. In the beginning, we see that the conflict she has with her father came about because she refused to wear the guise of the daughter he wanted (a modest little girl hiding herself away from the world). So, she already knows that in order to get someone's help, she can't be just Sarah. For Alfred, she has to be an ideal woman and lover - strong-willed enough to get him to follow her, yet still give him the pretty face that he's infatuated with in the first place.
Now, the problem is that she also has to present herself to von Krolock in the way that he wants. What does he want? An innocent, clueless girl, too lovestruck to understand the dangers she's going through - a perfect victim. And so....she gives him that. Compare the way she sings in "Draußen Ist Freiheit" to "Totale Finsternis". In "Freiheit", she knows that Alfred doesn't mind her confidence - wants it, even. But during "Finsternis", she all but plays dumb, with soft, tentative vocals, letting the vampire overpower her when he comes in.
And now, let's put both of those methods of singing together and compare them with two songs - both the original dance number performed after "Draußen Ist Freiheit", and "Die Roten Stiefel". Even though Sarah doesn't sing in the original, the style of music is still vastly different. More energetic, driven. The difference in styles is far clearer in "Stiefel", which is a rock number, high-energy, almost frenetic at times. Now that Sarah doesn't have to change her presentation for someone else, this is the real her - and it's quite different from everything else she sings in the show.
So, when there's someone else around that she can get something from, she goes to them with their style of duet - it's the only way she can get what she wants from them, in her eyes. And honestly, she's probably right.
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