Search - Strauss - Fledermaus / Anthony Warlow, Ghillian Sullivan, Amelia Farrugia, Australian Opera on DVD

The Champagne was to blame!

Mr John Haueisen | WORTHINGTON, OHIO United States | 05/07/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"OK--let's get this out of the way: Most of us are used to seeing and hearing Die Fledermaus in German with subtitles.
This performance is in English with no subtitles.

Instead of a setting in Vienna, this is set in New York, but it retains the interaction of the upper and lower classes who suppose they are so disimilar.

At first, hearing my favorite Fledermaus songs IN ENGLISH was a bit of a shock, but you know, it started growing on me. Before long, I was looking forward to each new phrase in this remarkable English version of an old familiar friend. The language is witty, and the delivery very well-done.

The singers are quite good--you just have to remind yourself that you won't be hearing German. You'll especially enjoy the bubbly Adele, and a jaunty Eisenstein. Because it's in English, it might also be a good way to introduce friends to the world of operetta. If you remember to forget the traditional German performances, and just enjoy this as a clever and entertaining musical (or operetta), you're in for two and a half hours of "mistaken identity" fun."

A poorly conceived and poorly performed version

A. BOSS | Mountainside, NJ United States | 01/31/2008

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I would have given it no stars but that doesn't seem to be possible. This version is set in New York and that doesn't work very well. For example, the Eisensteins live in an apartment in a high rise building and the tenor (who normally comes in from the garden) comes on a window washers platform. Even worse, the singers are mostly barely acceptable. The Austrailian opera usually does much better."