Die Fledermaus
Riotously Batty
Die Fledermaus
by Johann Strauss II, libretto by Carl Haffner and Richard Genée
The Grange Festival at The Grange Northington, Alresford until 5th July
Review by Claire Alexander
There is a rather nice synchronicity about attending an opera that was originally set on a cold New Year’s Eve in Vienna, in the glorious midsummer setting, at its best, at The Grange Festival in a rolling still-rural Hampshire countryside that it’s easy to forget still exists!
It all starts innocently enough. Rosalinde, a lady of Vienna (or it could be anywhere fin de siècle européen) is waiting for her husband, Eisenstein, to return from court with his lawyer, hoping to have escaped a gaol sentence for a petty crime. Adele, her maid, is hoping to get the evening off to attend one of Vienna’s renowned parties given by the extravagant Prince Orlofsky. Rosalinde unsympathetically denies Adele her evening in the spotlight and Eisenstein returns ruing the fact that he has lost his case and must report to the gaol by dawn. Meanwhile Alfred, who has been secretly courting Rosalinde, turns up serenading her. Unfortunately for him, Frank the prison governor, also turns up and, in a glorious case of mistaken identity, takes Alfred for Eisenstein and drags him off to prison, but not before Rosalinde is lured by Dr Falke (the ‘Bat’ and schemer of the title) to the party to see what her errant husband is really doing!
It is, of course a masked ball, and the stage is set for disguise, chicanery, cross-dressing, flirting and champagne-fuelled declarations of love. I will not spoil the surprise by unwinding the twisted threads of librettist Carl Haffner and Richard Genée’s libretto and Johann Strauss’ witty and frivolous comedy.
One could enjoy the three acts of Die Fledermaus as three stand-alone cameos. And in this new production with a wonderfully updated highly contemporary libretto (spoken and sung) by John Mortimer, and design by Gary McCann this is one of the features where this production really shines. Act One, in Rosalinde’s opulent early 20th Century villa, is mixed with a lovely art deco detail. Act Two, in the debauched, maybe-Parisian, brothel-nightclub sets the scene for the hedonistic all-nighter, attended by all manner of ‘grotesquely’ clad guests. Fantastic hats here, from costume designer Gabriella Ingram. And finally Act Three is set in the gaol, where the ‘morning after’ fun continues. You almost feel the hungover faces from the night before lurking behind every cell door.
Act One sets the scene musically with some delightful singing, especially from Andrew Hamilton (Eisenstein), Sylvia Schwartz (Rosalinde) and Trystan Llŷr Griffiths (Alfred). Act Two is a musical and visual feast of unsurpassed revelry, and an excellent chorus of party-goers each one clearly defined; while in Act Three, as Strauss tries to draw his plot together, the comedy really comes to the fore. In an audacious cameo as Mme Frosch, the prison wardress, Myra Dubois plays her as a pantomime dame, Lily Savage style, straight from the Northern clubs where Mrya has learned her trade, poking gentle fun at the genteel, well heeled, Grange Festival audience. It brought the house down. And Darren Jeffrey as Frank, the prison governor, and Ellie Laugharne’s Adele come into their own with athletically choreographed musical comedy reminiscent of Gilbert and Sullivan. And finally the caricatures from the night before emerge from the cells to once again toast the joys of ‘champagne’.
In this production, I thought these three very disparate acts, each inspired by three different genres and artistic influences, cleverly let the operetta free! Paul Curran’s bold direction really found the comedy and nuance in a way in which I am not sure it would in a more traditional production. There are some lovely artistic details, such as when Frank pinches some food from Rosalinde’s supper trolley in Act One; a subtle echo of Cinderella as Eisenstein searches for his muse at the party by carrying around her one slipper; Mme Frosch’s gin and tonic hidden in every convenient draw in the prison office — all of which gave this production a depth which the pure plot perhaps does not. The choreography and comic timing are flawless. Perhaps we missed some of the more contemplative moments, but I am not sure there are any really!
Most importantly all of this was not at the expense of the music. The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Paul Daniel, is top class, and brings out all of Strauss’ echoes to other musical styles, and together with a large drop of artistic licence, snatches of Verdi and Puccini hidden in there too. I particularly liked Trystan Llŷr Griffiths’ clear sonorous tenor, but all the voices melded the different styles effortlessly. Although there are surtitles, and it is sung in English, the articulation is impeccable. This cast has quality in their breadth and depth of experience with other opera genres.
I am not sure how Die Fledermaus would categorise itself – opera, operetta, musical comedy, a Viennese Gilbert and Sullivan? Strauss and his librettists have created the feel of liberty loving, unrestrained Vienna, taken a simple idea and taken it to absurd conclusions. Paul Curran as Director, Gary McCann as Designer, and Gabrielle Ingram as Associate Costume Designer have run with it to create a Viennese whirl of artistic abandon! Lighting by Johanna Town adds to the atmosphere. I liked the contrasting lighting changes during the trio ‘how sad it is’ setting the scene for the fun to come.
Perhaps in a more orthodox production Die Fledermaus might seem a little dated and not so relevant to a 21st Century audience but in this fearless production, music, pantomime, comedy, choreography and design come together to create an artistic riot!
Claire Alexander, June 2025
Photography by Richard Hubert Smith
Mark Aspen 
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