Latest Articles
„Eine Bühne wie keine andere“: Interview mit Wolfgang Jansen zur Geschichte des Friedrichstadt-Palast
Der Theaterhistoriker Wolfgang Jansen widmet sich in seinem neuen Buch der Geschichte des Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin, in der Zeit 1945
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Pocket Size Spectacle: Paul Lincke’s “Prinzess Rosine” Back in Berlin
You could say this is rather daring (and wonderful): bringing Paul Lincke’s 1905 extravaganza Prinzess Rosine – which includes a
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Guido Masanetz’s “In Frisco ist der Teufel los“ Comes to Komische Oper
After the Komische Oper Berlin had abruptly stopped her DDR operetta series – which was so far dedicated to the
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“Princesa misteriosa”: Pablo Luna’s “Benamor” (1923)
In the new edition of the book Glitter and be Gay: Reloaded Spanish musicologist Enrique Mejías García writes about the
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The Exorcism Continues: “Frau Luna” Back in Berlin
Exciting news from Berlin: the beloved production of Paul Lincke’s Frau Luna at Tipi am Kanzleramt is coming back. In
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“Mein Freund Bunbury” Cancelled: The End of the Operetta Era at Komische Oper?
It came as something of a shock without any pre-warning: At the beginning of the new year the Komische Oper
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The International Success of Johann Strauss’ “Das Spitzentuch der Königin“ (1880)
Following the notable success of Die Fledermaus, Johann Strauss had fared less well with Cagliostro in Wien and Prinz Methusalem
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Iván Hűvös (1877-1954): His Journey in Operetta and Beyond
József Hűvös Botfai (1848-1914), originally from Nagykanizsa, moved to Budapest, where he became a respected lawyer, an adviser to the
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The Tragedy of Josepha and Leopold: “Im weißen Rössl“ in Braunschweig
In Braunschweig, Germany, a new production of Im weißen Rössl by stage director Immo Karaman is causing quite a bit
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Annus mirabilis? New Zarzuela Recordings in 2024
When we speak of the zarzuela discography, the great Spanish opera singers of the second half of the 20th century
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The Career Paths of Composer Béla Szabados (1867–1936)
There are artists – quite a few – whose names disappear from public consciousness in the decades following their death
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The New “La Vie parisienne” from Palazzetto Bru Zane
Yesterday a long-awaited recording arrived on my desk-top. ‘Long-awaited’? Of course. The latest from the firm of Bru Zane, the
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Extra ordinär? Das „Mozart“-Musical von Kunze/Levay in München
Regisseur Andreas Gergen scheitert im Prinzregententheater an einer zeitgemäßen Neudeutung von Michael Kunzes und Sylvester Levays Mozart!-Musical. Zunächst zum Positiven:
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Lehár’s “Giuditta”: The Splendour and Misery of the Exchangeable
To speak of the genre of Viennese operetta as having a kind of Hegelian spirit, with a life course from
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The Story of Julian Eltinge: America’s Greatest Female Impersonator
It’s almost a quarter of a century ago that Laurence Senelick published his book The Changing Room: Sex, Drag and
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Ernst Neubach (1900-1968): Librettist, Lyricist, Film Producer, Director
He claimed to have written the lyrics for over 2,000 songs and to have been involved in “the making of
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“Strike Up the Band”: Gershwin Mixed with Gilbert & Sullivan
Director/conductor Ted Sperling has again done George and Ira Gershwin proud with his one-night performance of the first of the
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Ukrainian Operetta – Or, Popular Musical Theater in Times of War
Yes, there is an institution called National Operetta of Ukraine. It has been situated in the National Academic Theater of
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The “Operette für zwei schwule Tenöre“ Goes to Poland
Great news from the German operetta market: the 2021 Operette für zwei schwule Tenöre (“Operetta for two gay tenors”) is
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Roger’s “Joséphine Vendue Par Ses Soeurs” Returns to Paris
In January 2025 the Compagnie Fortunio is bringing the opéra-bouffe Joséphine Vendue Par Ses Soeurs back to Paris, for a
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“Katharine Mehrling in Berlin” – The Promise of an Operetta Album to Come?
This week, Katharine Mehrling is back at Bar jeder Vernunft in Berlin with a program called 6 Nächte in Berlin,
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Italian Operetta Collector and Buffo Ernesto G. Oppicelli Passed Away
At the end of July 2024, operetta collectors around the world lost a point of reference: Ernesto G. Oppicelli passed
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Ohio Light Opera: The 2024 Saison in Wooster
In the decade or so that I’ve been attending Ohio Light Opera’s summer season of operettas and musicals, I continue
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Unanswered Prayers: Gabrielle Heidelberger’s Operetta Recital
Here’s a recital album entitled multiple Joys that mixes—with full orchestra accompaniment—Bernstein’s “Somewhere” with “Ich lade gern mir Gäste ein”,
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“Disrupted by the Morality Police”: A New Book on Carl Millöcker
Martin Trageser has published a 150 page book on Carl Millöcker (1842-1899). We spoke with him about this project and
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“Ein Walzertraum” as This Year’s Summer Spectacle in Neustrelitz
The out-door operetta festival in the castle gardens of Neustrelitz – an hour north of Berlin – is offering Oscar
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Routlegde’s “Genre Beyond Borders: Reassessing Operetta”
Back in the year 2019, the University of Leeds hosted an conference put together by Derek B. Scott and Anastasia
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“For the Drama”: Strauss’ “Fledermaus” as Real-Life-Fiction on TV
This 3-part German mini-series called For the Drama is remarkable in many ways. It tells the story of two singers
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“The Sorcerer” at Wilton’s Music Hall in London
Gilbert and Sullivan’s ‘comic opera’ The Sorcerer is a comparatively early work, coming between Trial By Jury and HMS Pinafore and
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Hahn Meets “Hairspray,” Or: Some Very Queer Operetta Offerings
Just as the season in Germany is about to close, two new operetta productions hit the stage that give cause
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“Messeschager Gisela” – Axel Ranisch Stages Gerd Natschinski’s 1960 Hit
It’s the third attempt in Berlin to breathe new life into the forgotten sub-genre “Heiteres Musiktheater der DDR”, i.e. musicals
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The Memoirs of Gerd Natschinski. Or: Whatever Happened To DDR Operettas?
It’s a sad fact that the West-German publishers Schott and Bärenreiter – who took over the performance material for many
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„Venus in Seide“: Triumphales Comeback an der Oper Graz
Die Werke von Robert Stolz stehen derzeit nicht gerade hoch im Kurs. Manche zitieren Richard Strauss‘ Dictum, er sei ein
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Kálmáns „Marinka“ in Schrumpffassung an der Oper Graz
Irgendwie stehen die in Amerika entstandenen Werke emigrierter Komponisten (ob Korngold, Weill oder Kálmán etc.) in unseren Landen immer noch
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Operette und Musicals in der DDR: Ein Gespräch mit Werner P. Seiferth vom Metropoltheater
Übers Thema Operette in der DDR wird in letzter Zeit wieder mehr gesprochen. 2012 gab es in der Ausstellung Welt
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“Mein Freund Bunbury” Comes to Komische Oper Berlin
The Komische Oper Berlin continues its exploration of Gerd Natschinski and Jacques Offenbach next season. Since the departure of Barrie
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