Die Fledermaus

Die Fledermaus is a frothy confection, a saucy take on 19th century Austrian society--in which an aristocratic couple decide to take an evening off from each other and wind up attending the same masked ball--that sparkles with memorable music. Although this presentation at the elite 2001 Salzburg Festival came with a bad reputation, I thought it looked like fun…at first. Early into the first act, however, it becomes clear that stage director Hans Neuenfels has crossed the line: updating a classic works if you adhere to the original sensibility of the piece, but in this case what should be saucy and naughty turns dark and depraved. And more the pity, since the cast has some wonderful artists, notably Malin Hartelius as Adele and Dale Duesing as Frank. These two, along with Jerry Hadley as Alfred, Mireille Delunsch as Rosalinde, and Christoph Homberger as Eisenstein gamely struggle to rise above costumes that range from the inappropriate (Cabaret meets the Casbah?) to the indescribable (the contraption engulfing Eisenstein) as they share the stage with the visually and vocally bizarre David Moss as a dreadlock-wearing, coke-snorting Orlofsky and a nasty pair of kids whose behavior starts as incest and ends up in murder and suicide. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM stereo, this une production horrible from the enfant terrible of the opera world caused a scandal at the time, clearly evidenced by the boos during the curtain call here. Not recommended. Aud: C, P. (J. Reed)