Olly von Bongardt

The delightful Johann Strauss comic opera Die Fledermaus was mercilessly lampooned in this truly bizarre production. For starters, a framing device has been added: After appearing in 300 consecutive appearances of Fledermaus (which translates as The Bat) the lead tenor (Georg Alexander) imagines that he's seeing bats everywhere. Driven a bit over the edge by all this, he falls asleep and has a nightmare about the opera, with a group of non-singers cast in the leading roles. The original libretto about romantic assignations, political imprisonments and mistaken identity is burlesqued to the hilt: at one point, the hero finds out that his prison cell is surrounded by rubber tubes!

Lieutentant Thomas Glahn lives with his dog Aesop in a small cabin, withdrawn from the rest of the world. In the store of the merchant Mack, he gets to know Edwarda, Mack’s daughter. Edwarda takes the initiative to try and see Glahn again. A tender love develops between the two of them. Even Eva, the smithy’s wife, feels drawn to Thomas. She visits him and confides in him. An affair develops between Eva and Thomas, which Edwarda knows nothing about. Thomas is caught between the two women, in that he loves Edwarda, but can’t resist Eva’s attraction. Mack has a different opinion about her daughter’s new husband.