Review: Die Fledermaus at York Theatre Royal

“…fizzing with comedic energy…”

Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss, York Theatre Royal

By Sean Sable

Prince Orlofsky might have said that if you’ve seen one comedic Viennese operetta, you have seen them all. As a long-time opera lover, I can tell you that he is quite wrong about that. As part of my ongoing commitment to shining a light on smaller regional theatre this year, I found myself at York Theatre Royal for York Opera’s 60th anniversary production of Strauss’s Die Fledermaus. I will confess to a genuine double take when I discovered that not only was this an entirely amateur production, but that they would be performing with a full 27-piece orchestra. Now, you can call me a bit pedestrian (you’d probably be right), but I love comedic opera, and operetta is such a wonderful sweet spot for the fizzing energy of a Viennese comedy. With sections of spoken dialogue to keep you oriented and lighter-weight patter songs a staple of the form, anyone who loves a good musical will find themselves at home in the broad comedy stylings and lightly tripping waltzes of Die Fledermaus. Taking my seat at York Theatre Royal, I was already cheering the absolute gumption it takes to attempt a production of this size and ambition and as the show went on, I was pleased to find my optimism was not misplaced.

York Opera has been bringing opera to York since 1967, and this year marks not only their 60th anniversary but also 40 years performing on the York Theatre Royal stage. Die Fledermaus, composed by Johann Strauss II and first performed in Vienna in 1874, is the perfect choice for a celebration: a comic operetta built around a New Year’s Eve party, concealed identities, and an elaborate revenge plot. The operetta is performed using an English translation by Christopher Hassall and Edmund Tracey, and it gives the spoken scenes a crisp, witty quality that feels surprisingly British (shhh, don’t tell Johann). The production is directed by John Soper and Elizabeth Watson and aptly conducted by Edward Venn.

A title that translates as “The Bat” doesn’t give away a lot of the story’s secrets, and I promise you, you won’t be able to guess where this is going. When Dr Falke is taken out for an evening of fancy dress and generous libations, he is left wandering alone in the streets of Vienna, drunk and dressed as a bat. After such humiliation, how can he do anything other than plot his revenge on the man who left him there? This is where our story begins: one man-bat (not Batman) seeking his revenge on Herr von Eisenstein, the old chum who did him dirty. Act I begins with Eisenstein being sent for a short stay in the local clink. His wife, Rosalinda, is going to be left alone whilst being wooed by the vocal stylings of Alfredo, the local lothario. But why should Eisenstein go to prison when he’s been invited to a party by his dear friend Dr Falke? Sneaking off to a party instead of prison is where the bat begins his revenge.

Act II was where the evening truly came alive. In the home of Prince Orlofsky, the two men wine, dine and dance the night away with partygoers who aren’t what they seem, and comedy shenanigans ensue. Orlofsky, played by Molly Raine, is one of the absolute joys of the production. In her trouser role, she plays the bored Russian aristocrat with tremendous comic relish. I love watching performers who visibly enjoy the performance they are giving and that was definitely a theme for the night. Adele, played by LaLa Marais, was absolutely fizzing with comedic energy and stole every scene she wailed her way into. Her timing was as impeccable as her powerful chest voice, and she had the kind of resonance that makes you double-check the programme to make sure these people are really amateurs. Alfredo, played by Karl Reiff, brought a lovely, charming stubbornness to his scenes as well as a melodic and warmly decorated tenor. Dr Falke, played by Ian Thomson-Smith, had a stirring, full-bodied baritone and a twinkling eye for revenge. Watching the whole cast, including an astoundingly large on-stage chorus, perform with a 27-piece orchestra was frankly remarkable. A few voices got lost under the weight of an impressive brass section, but give me live orchestration any day, even if it means I have to lean in a little.

The sets, designed by John Soper, were ambitious in the first and second acts and more restrained in the third. Act I included a two-level home with a garden space and Act II featured an opulent, columned entrance that screamed Russian royalty. In Act III, we had a simpler set that gestured at the jailhouse surroundings with floating bars and windows above a desk area. Costumes by Maggie Soper nodded at late-19th-century styling, with Rosalinda’s red dress a real razzle-dazzle that dripped glamour in her Csárdás. Lighting by Eric Lund reached for some bold colour in the first two acts and simpler, jobbing neutral washes in the third. All of the technical work swung for the fences, and even when the result was a little uneven, it was hard not to appreciate the moxie.

I can’t leave this review without a nod in the direction of Act III. I don’t like to give spoilers, but just keep an eye peeled for Frosch, played by John Soper. You won’t be able to miss him, because he will be the one making you laugh inappropriately loudly.

Sixty years is worth raising a glass to, and Die Fledermaus is exactly the right show for it. If you’ve never seen York Opera perform, this is a sparkling introduction to what an amateur company with real musical ambition can do. The champagne is flowing at York Theatre Royal until 6 June—go get a glass!

Die Fledermaus plays at York Theatre Royal until Saturday 06 June. Tickets are available here.

Sean Sable is a Yorkshire-based freelance writer and editor specialising in Young Adult and Horror fiction, frequently at the same time. When she isn’t buried under a pile of books and manuscripts, she is looking for her keys and having extensive one-sided conversations, in Swedish, with her deaf cat. You can find her online at: www.seansable.co.uk