Intermezzo 3: die Fledermaus

"I bloody hate Classic FM." Any performance, especially a classic, that starts with that phrase is worth an award. After 9 days of Operadagen, watching 6 shows and writing 2 reviews, it would be wrong to leave out my opinion on the funniest thing I've seen all week. Make that all year.
Die Fledermaus by Johann Straus jr, performed by Opera Della Luna is a gem. Luckily it was nothing like I expected. When I found out it was 2.5 hours, I allready planned my escape during intermission. I anticipated 150 minutes of non-stop opera-singing on a folding chair. But nothing of the sort, it was an operette, which is more like a funny musical, or in this case a good old British soap-opera. Even the red pluche love seat tip-up seats weren't too uncomfortable.
Back to the stage where a group of well-trained singers are dancing, acting and singing their asses off. The story is funny and contemporary, it's hard to believe that it was written in 1874. Well, the original version anyway, because I'm pretty sure they didn't have Brad Pitt, X-factor, Versace and text-messages back then. Stale marriage, rehab-clinics, parties, medling ex-lovers, revenge and jealousy are of all ages, and those are the key ingredients of die Fledermaus.
The stage changes three time in accordance to the three acts; from a tigerprint filled livingroom of the Eisenstein family, through a polarbear-infused partyroom at Orlofsky's to the psychedelic office space of Dr Frank, head of the rehab clinic.
The story is too long, twisty-turny to explain here, but imagine this scene: two Brits, pretending to be French, bothering the public by walking right through the audience and having the following conversation:
- it's magnifique,
- it's terrafique,
- it's, how we the Parisians say, 'periferique'
When they notice the uptitles (instead of subtitles) on the closed curtains they refer to the rehabcenter (afkick kliniek) as 'asskick clinic' and you can go there with alcohol, cocaine and translation problems. To me, that's class. The show is every alcoholics wet dream, since a lot of the songs sing to the praise of Pinot Noir, or even better, Champagne. Champagne is the always the answer, according to die Fledermaus. Looking at the Della Luna's tourlist, Rotterdam was the odd one out in a whole list of British based towns, this makes it extra special. This was awesome. Encore! Champagne!