I don't mean this in a bad way at all, I am a huge fan of opera and operetta and consider Die Fledermaus one of the most enjoyable of the many I've seen in my very short life(19 years).
I also recommend the brilliant 1984 Covent Garden production with TeKanawa and Prey with Domingo conducting, but this is a most wonderful production. The orchestra is excellent and the conducting precise and stylish.
The story is still zany and entertaining, complete with hilarious jokes and dialogue. This production is also visually opulent with sumptuous costumes and sets, great lighting and excellent video directing. The ballet choreography is charming and very beautifully done.
The performances are right on the money. Judith Howarth is great as Adele, Nancy Gustafson is exquisite as Rosalinde and Louis Otey is a very handsome and entertaining Eisenstein. John Sessions is very amusing as Frosch as is Bonaventura Bottone as Alfred(though I found Alfred in the 1984 production hilarious), and while different to what you would expect, Jochan Kowalski is an interesting and well-sung Prince.
Some may find the Gala excerpt brings the experience down, I for one loved it. It was lovely to see some old favourites in Marilyn Horne and Luciano Pavarotti, who sing wonderfully. In her farewell performance, Joan Sutherland, in a dress that you have to see to believe, comes very close to stealing the show.
Overall, a wonderful production and a truly entertaining treat. 10/10 Bethany Cox
I also recommend the brilliant 1984 Covent Garden production with TeKanawa and Prey with Domingo conducting, but this is a most wonderful production. The orchestra is excellent and the conducting precise and stylish.
The story is still zany and entertaining, complete with hilarious jokes and dialogue. This production is also visually opulent with sumptuous costumes and sets, great lighting and excellent video directing. The ballet choreography is charming and very beautifully done.
The performances are right on the money. Judith Howarth is great as Adele, Nancy Gustafson is exquisite as Rosalinde and Louis Otey is a very handsome and entertaining Eisenstein. John Sessions is very amusing as Frosch as is Bonaventura Bottone as Alfred(though I found Alfred in the 1984 production hilarious), and while different to what you would expect, Jochan Kowalski is an interesting and well-sung Prince.
Some may find the Gala excerpt brings the experience down, I for one loved it. It was lovely to see some old favourites in Marilyn Horne and Luciano Pavarotti, who sing wonderfully. In her farewell performance, Joan Sutherland, in a dress that you have to see to believe, comes very close to stealing the show.
Overall, a wonderful production and a truly entertaining treat. 10/10 Bethany Cox