Die Fledermaus Opera Australia

Wednesday, May 26, 2010 , Posted by Should I See It at 1:33 AM



Show: Die Fledermaus
Presented By: Opera Australia
Directed By: Lindy Hume
Starring: Antoinette Halloran, David Hobson, Amelia Farrugia
Date Reviewed: Friday 14 May, 7.30pm
Plot: I’m not even going to tell you the plot, because really there isn’t much of it, this show is all about farce, silliness and fun.


I was very excited to see Die Fledermaus as part of my subscription to Opera Australia. But this production of Die Fledermaus is a bit of a mixed bag.

The show starts off well enough. Actually, Act I works very well even with the complete translation into English. I didn’t even mind setting the show in the 1930s. It added a touch of class, glamour and sophistication. The direction is energetic and there is a pizzazz that carries the whole thing.

Then, unfortunately interval happens. All the energy and whim that made Act I so enjoyable somehow disappears. And the questionable directorial choces begin.

What the HELL is Cole Porter’s ‘Night and Day’ doing in a Strauss Opera???? And don’t even get me started on the random appearance of Marlene Dietrich in the party scene in Act II. Well, I know what it was doing there; It was meant to capture the ‘flavour’ of the thirties. Unfortunately their addition sat at odds with the rest of the show. And it doesn’t help that Yvonne Kenny sounded like a drag queen and completely managed to ruin a perfectly lovely song. If you are going to the trouble of adding a song (God knows why you would want to do that to Strauss, I’m sure he’s probably turning in his grave) why don’t you just put it in a key she can sing it (oh, I know she was actually trying to sound like Marlene Dietrich, but why ANYONE would WANT to sound like her is beyond me). And it didn’t help that it was accompanied by some seriously awkward choreography that made the whole song far more painful than it needed to be.

And then there was the random “let’s put in all of Strauss’ famous waltzes so we can have a pointless dance scene where the leading actors, their dialogue and the plot get completely lost!!!” scene which seemed to go FOREVER. And then there was a very big misstep of the extended third act opening, which included interaction with the conductor and concluded with an extract of ‘Take Me Out to the Ball Game.’

There is not a lot of plot to begin with, and with all of the (unnecessary) additions to the second and third acts, as well as TWO intermissions for a running time that totals 3 hours and 15 minutes, the plot and the momentum get completely lost (much like the purpose of this sentence). In making these decisions, director Lindy Hume managed to suck all the energy and freshness out of the show, leaving the rest of it less than satisfactory.

There were a few high points: The sets were remarkable. They perfectly captured the style of the era. Amelia Farrugia as house maid Adele was the stand out performance of the night.. Loving the hammy characterisation- clearly enjoying herself and the audience enjoys watching her. Also charming, well actually HILARIOUS was Stephen Smith as Italian lover, Alfredo.

The rest of the cast were decent, but not outstanding. Antoinette Halloran flubbed several of her big notes, and David Hobson was not nearly as debonair as the role needed him to be.

This could have been a fabulous show, but some unfortunate decision making left this production as merely decent.





Should I See It?

Well, it's not a must see.


Opera Australia Official Site here.