Coloratura fireworks sparkle in Zurich Opera’s intriguing new Die Fledermaus – Seen and Heard International

Austria Johann Strauss II, Die Fledermaus: Soloists, Extras Association, Chorus and Orchestra of Zurich Opera / Lorenzo Viotti (conductor). Zurich Opera, 7.12.2025. (MF)

To mark the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss II, Zurich Opera’s new production of Die Fledermaus offers a refreshing new perspective on this very Viennese piece. Voices sparkle, costumes dazzle and Frosch is replaced by three Norns.

The plot contains all the elements of a comedy of errors. Gabriel von Eisenstein is tricked by his friend Dr Falke into attending Prince Orlofsky’s lavish masked ball instead of going to jail, where he faces a short sentence. At the ball, Eisenstein falls for the charms of a mysterious masked woman who turns out to be his own wife, Rosalinde, while their maid Adele pretends to be an actress. The party evolves into a whirlwind of mistaken identities, flirtations and comic deceptions. It is all orchestrated by Falke as revenge for a prank Eisenstein played on him decades ago during their student times. In the final act at the jail, truths are revealed and Rosalinde takes fate into her own hands.

For Austrian director Anna Bernreitner and her team, Die Fledermaus is about ‘sliding door-moments’: what if life had taken a different turn at a particular moment? What if young Rosalinde had decided against marrying von Eisenstein and the accompanying wealth and instead pursued the artistic career she had then aspired to? Bernreitner depicts Orlofsky’s party in the second act as a dubious rescue island emanating from a sea of lethargy and boredom. The party host allows, indeed forces, the guests to take on any identity they had always craved and to pursue their wildest escapist fantasies.

The production opens with a cinematic amuse-bouche prequel projected during the overture. Two youths, young Falke and von Eisenstein – the latter bearing an uncanny resemblance to slick former Austrian prime minister Sebastian Kurz – meet in a basement club where Eisenstein gets Falke sloshed on champagne, dresses him up as a bat and leaves him ridiculed in the partying crowd.

Act I is set in the house of the Eisensteins, a suffocating petit-bourgeois interior. We do, however, get an unmistakable hint of what is to come from the bright yellow Ugo Rondinone-flash (clue: Donner und Blitz) glowing next to the front door. More clues are to be found in the couple’s kitchen cupboards: the only glasses kept in the house are colourful champagne flutes. Is the beverage a magic potion or a curse? Orlofsky’s party in Act II takes off on an island equipped with bright orange palm trees and a towering smoking volcano. It is impossible not to be reminded of that other ‘party island’ currently in the news where far more sinister things happened. The finale, in the prison according to the libretto, is moved to a colourless interior, a mix of dystopic TV studio and spaceship entrée.

The costumes do not disappoint. The party outfits are an orgy of colour, shapes and textures. Among the numerous revellers we spot a Klaus Nomi-lookalike, a 1990s raver and a rainbow fish. Arthur Arbesser sartorially reflects the plot’s arc. Even if Rosalinde (Golda Schultz) is dressed as a muted housewife, she is bursting with energy from the outset and, in the second act, erupts into a glamorous fifties Marilyn Monroe chorus line performer. Same for Adele (Regula Mühlemann), so longing to transcend her parlour maid existence to become part of the upstairs world. From the plain country bumpkin she starts out as, Adele morphs into a magnificent ballgown butterfly.

The singing is striking, in particular by the two main sopranos. South-African Golda Schultz as Rosalinde and Swiss-born Regula Mühlemann as Adele are outright dazzling. In their solo parts, they each display enthralling versatile coloratura and dynamic agility. The two harmonise beautifully in their duets. As if that were not a feat in itself, they also boast great comedic talent. The acting visibly glues the entire cast together; they all revel in their performing. Marina Viotti, last season’s Carmen in Zurich, steers her Orlofsky through multiple persona changes. Ida is vividly portrayed by Rebecca Olvera with a bubbly soprano.

The men do well next to the female dominance. Matthias Klink is a suitably dislikeable Eisenstein and tenor Andrew Owen as Alfred is ready to jump at any hedonistic opportunity, including a Britney Spears cameo together with Schultz’s Rosalinde. Yannick Debus, remembered for his hauntingly demented Jakob Lenz in Zurich Opera Studio’s 2022 production of Rihm’s opera, is a fantastic Falke who gets back at Eisenstein by executing his revenge plans. Finally, the ever so reliable Ruben Drole renders a delightfully entertaining prison director Frank. The directing occasionally borders on over-the-top slapstick but doesn’t cross the line.

Lorenzo Viotti conducts the Zurich Opera Orchestra. Even if Viennese melancholy may have been missed here and there, conductor and orchestra push the score forward with drive and tempo. The chorus is precise and sprightly. A cast of eight dancers is permanently on the move during the Orlofsky party. Never a dull moment!

As in any Fledermaus production worth its salt, textual and musical improvisation is aplenty. The most notable change is the replacing of court usher Frosch by three Norns with lines by Swiss satirist and slam poet Patty Basler. Instead of yet another male drunkenly belittling the position of women, the Norns (Barbara Grimm, Lucia Kotikova and Melina Pyschny) spin the threads of fate, switch the action on and off while commenting on both the characters as well as world and cultural politics. Did it work? Although some will no doubt find it too pushy a try, I thought it worked well and was an original approach to a text that might otherwise feel a bit dated. Basler manages to mix and condense the original plot, forty years of (mostly German language) pop culture and a string of pun contortions into stand-up comedy fitting with the overall concept.

In summary, if you are looking for a night of colourful high-level entertainment, this is your production. Mühlemann’s and Schultz’s performances alone are worth the trip.

Performances run to 10 January 2026 (incl. 31 December 2025)

Michael Fischer

Featured Image: Zurich Opera’s new Die Fledermaus Act II © Herwig Prammer

Production:
Director – Anna Bernreitner
Set – Hannah Oellinger and Manfred Rainer
Costumes – Arthur Arbesser
Lighting – Martin Gebhardt
Choreography – Ramses Sigl
Chorus master – Ernst Raffelsberger
Dramaturgy – Jana Beckmann

Cast:
Gabriel von Eisenstein – Matthias Klink
Rosalinde – Golda Schultz
Adele – Regula Mühlemann
Frank – Ruben Drole
Prinz Orlofsky – Marina Viotti
Alfred – Andrew Owens
Dr Falke – Yannick Debus
Dr Blind – Nathan Haller
Lda – Rebeca Olvera
Skuld – Lucia Kotikova
Verdandi – Melina Pyschny
Urd – Barbara Grimm
Dancers – Sara Pennella, Sophie Melem, Gabriela Hinkova, Sara Peña, Pietro Cono Genova, Roberto Tallarigo, Daniele Romano, Lukas Bisculm