Watching this flawless production of the operetta Die Fledermaus put a much-needed smile on my face. The music is just delightful from start to finish, from the overture to the champagne chorus, and although I love Strauss's music, this made me appreciate it even more. The dialogue sparkles just as much as the music, and was constantly fast-moving and hysterically funny, Alfred in the last act especially.
The production, from 1984, is exquisitely designed with wonderful sets and colourful costumes. And the singing was just superb, with Hermann Prey wonderfully energetic in the role of Eisenstein, and Kiri Te Kanawa in perfect voice as Rosalinde. Hildegarde Heichele is fine as Adele, and Dennis O'Neill, with a lot of improvisation in the mix was hilarious as Alfred. And Doris Soffel is a sheer delight as Prince Orlofsky.
The choreography by Frederick Ashton and David Drew was expertly done, as you expect from Ashton, who in his time was an inspirational choreographer. The title of my review comes from the critic who praised the production as "under Placido Domingo, Strauss's zestful and tuneful comedy fizzes along like musical champagne". In this case, this summed up Domingo perfectly, who despite looking different than he does when singing Caveradossi and Pinkerton, makes an impressive and understated British debut as conductor.
Overall,a very funny and just wonderful production, that I have enjoyed more than any other opera production I've seen. 10/10 Bethany Cox
