Eisenstein is pretending to be a Frenchman "Marquis Renard"; Frank is pretending to be a Frenchman "Chevalier Chagrin"; neither speaks French. Prince Orlofsky introduces the two supposed countrymen to each other, and tells them to converse in French. In this hilarious scene, Eisenstein and Frank wing it by saying what little French they know to each other, such as: Bon Voyage, Mon Dieu, Paree, C'est la Vie, L'Amour, Viva la France, etc. Prince Orlofsky, who knows that they are faking it, quips, "Men of few words." The audience laughs.
Adele is a chambermaid, but when she disguises herself as a high-class lady at the Prince's ball, she speaks elegant German. On the other hand, her friend Ida is supposed to be a fancy lady, who gets invited to the Prince's ball, but the way she pronounces some words she sounds like a chambermaid.
Samples from other musical works are incorporated into this performance of Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus. Examples are W.S. Gilbert & Arthur Sullivan's "Three Little Maids From School" (from the play The Mikado) sung by the drag queens, and Peppino Turco & Luigi Denza's Funniculi Funnicula sung by a prison guard.
Die Fledermaus is frequently alluded to in comic books, TV shows, and movies featuring American pop culture icon Batman, most often by having Bruce Wayne "just happen" to be watching or listening to this opera. Both Die Fledermaus and Batman are men dressed as Chiropters, and both have a co-star named Alfred. In this production there is an astounding coincidence which further cements the connection between the two bats: Alfred is played by Dennis O'Neill, who has almost the same name as legendary Batman comic book editor Denny O'Neil.
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