On March 14, 15, and 16, the Purchase Opera presented Johan Strauss II’s operetta “Die Fledermaus,” performed by the Conservatory of Music with some support in funding, costuming, and set design from the Conservatory of Theatre Arts.
“This spring’s production of ‘Die Fledermaus’ differs from our previous productions in that we are producing it with minimal support from the Theater Arts conservatory,” said Jacque Trussel, chair and stage director of the Purchase Opera.
Because the the bulk of Purchase Opera’s $20,000 budget was used for its fall production of “Hänsel und Gretel,” this production only had a budget of $2,000.
Regardless, the production is quite interesting and exemplary on many levels. The instrumental composition is so melodic that one felt he or she could be flowing down the river Danube.
This operetta – a genre of light opera – is divided into three acts, centered on Dr. Falke’s “vengeance of the bat” that includes the three main characters assuming false identities at a royal ball: Rosalinde becomes a Hungarian countess; Adele a rising actress; and Gabriel von Eisenstein as a Marquis.
Falke’s farce is aimed at embarrassing the already shamed von Eisenstein. Eisenstein had previously played a practical joke on Dr. Falke, a notary, causing him to move his work to Munich. Before Falke’s plan is revealed, it is explained that von Eisenstein must spend 8 days in jail for using abusive language against a police man.
Not to mention the hilarity added by the asides from the von Eisenstein’s maid Adele, and Rosalinde’s previous lover Alfredo – an opera singer who tried to seduce Rosalinde before being mistaken for von Eisenstein by Frank the prison governor.
As this operetta had a rather small budget, it is still noteworthy that the sets were simplistic yet elegant. The furniture and props were donated by Judi Guralnick of the Theatre Arts program, and the costumes came from the performer’s wardrobe. While anachronistic, the costumes still augmented the visual scene depicted. The talent of the performers was beyond exception, whether both in the effortlessly portrayed comedy or the beautiful pieces sung. This was an exhilarating performance for a unique opera program.
As Trussel said in his note to the “Opera Lover,” “Our unique and groundbreaking program is virtually the only one on the eastern seaboard that offers opera productions performed predominately by undergraduates.”