What can possibly NOT happen during a drunken masked ball? Penang found out when Die Fledermaus, an operetta specially own in from Adelaide, graced our stage in September.
Applause, laughter and gasps reverberated throughout Dewan Sri Pinang when Die Fledermaus took the stage on September 28. Sung in English (with lyrics projected on two screens), the light operetta, originally composed by Johann Strauss II in the late 19th century, amused the audience with mild ribaldry and risqué comedy.
Performed by Co-Opera, Australia’s oldest and busiest touring opera company, the operetta was brought to Penang by the MPPP and the Adelaide City Council to commemorate their 40th year as sister cities. Funds from the one- night performance will be channelled mainly to the Penang Philharmonic Orchestra for the purchase of new musical instruments.
For the unacquainted, the occasion was an apt introduction to opera. A light comedy, Co-Opera’s version of Die Fledermaus is set in the glamorous Art Deco scene in 1920s Australia and tells the farcical mayhem that follows drunken masked balls. Gabriel Eisenstein is sentenced to eight days in prison for assaulting a police officer, but before doing his time, the amorous fellow accepts an invitation from his best friend Dr. Falke to go to a masked ball held by Russian royalty Prince Orlofsky. However, unbeknownst to Eisenstein, the entire ball is arranged by Falke, his revenge against the former for leaving him drunk and in the buff in the centre of town after yet another masked ball in years past, with nothing but a mask to cover his crown jewels. To make things worse, Falke also invites Eisenstein’s wife, Rosalinde, and their maid, Adele. Mistaken identities and mayhem ensue, much to the delight of the audience who, unlike the characters, clearly knew what is taking place.
