“Classic Ladies” in the Heart of Berlin
Tonight, right in the heart of Berlin and next to the football “Fan Mile”: A “Classic Ladies” concert on Gendarmenmarkt,
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Disney’s “Aladdin” a Big, Family Friendly Spectacle
Yes, the magic carpet does really fly! Just how those Disney wizards manage it without visible wires, we’ll never know.
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“Natoma”: Victor Herbert’s Grand Opera Live
Victor Herbert’s 1911 grand opera Natoma – not performed in its original form for over a century – was accorded
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Reviving “Axel an der Himmelstür” For Russia
You can call it amazing, it’s certainly reason enough for all operetta fans to listen up: In St. Petersburg a
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Zwischen Aufsässigkeit und Anpassung: Ralph Benatzky
“Was wird bleiben?” Kann bei der „leichten Muse“ überhaupt so hochgestochen gefragt werden? Immerhin wird hier von „Evergreens“ gesprochen! Das
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Reviving Cole Porter’s “The Ambassador Revue”
Last Friday at New York’s Town Hall marked a major event for historians of musical theatre. For one night only,
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Uli Scherbel Talks Operetta
At the 18th edition of the Schönebecker Operettensommer there’s a brand new Maske in Blau to be seen. While the
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The Very Model of a Modern-Day Burlesque
If you like Burlesque – in its historical form – you might enjoy Hostel Hermannstraße as performed by Ades Zabel
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What Is Your Favorite LGBT-Themed Show?
Last week-end, there were various Gay Pride Marches in the USA, but also in Europe. Our colleagues at Playbill.com took
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A “Fledermaus” in Tel Aviv
The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra will present a concert version of Die Fledermaus on July 6, at the Charles Bronfman Auditorium.
A Swiss Operetta Discotheque: Comparing “Csárdásfürstin” CDs
The Swiss Radio SRF2 will dedicate a whole program to comparing Csárdásfürstin recordings on CD. The host of the show
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Is “Maske in Blau” Worth Reviving?
Why Fred Raymond’s Maske in Blau (1937) is so popular right now, is anyone’s guess. But the show that contains
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Farewell to Sonja Mottl: A Funeral Speech for the Viennese Diva
Liebe Trauerfamilie, liebe Freunde von Sonja Mottl! Wir tragen heute wieder ein Stück Wiener Theatergeschichte zu Grabe, nehmen Abschied von
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Exporting Operette: The World Is Not Enough
What became eventually known as “operetta” or “opérette” didn’t start its life under that name. The earliest works of the
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Did Leo Fall Suffer From Serious Drug Addiction?
It’s always a good time to pay attention to Leo Fall (1873-1925) because his operettas – Der fidele Bauer, Die
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“Im weißen Rössl” Revisited
Most Germans are familiar-very familiar-with the White Horse Inn. That’s because the film version starring Peter Alexander and Waltraud Haas
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Coward & Novello
Noël Coward (1899-1973) and Ivor Novello (1893-1951), both English, both homosexual, were the two most enduring proponents of English language
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At the Cross-Roads? A New “Bettelsstudent” from Mörbisch on DVD
As of 2013, the Austrian operetta festival in Mörbisch—near the Hungarian border—has a new director. Dagmar Schellenberger replaced Harald Serafin
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“L’Alchimiste” at the Opéra de Barie
So it’s going to be “Hervé Forever” this summer. Apart from the performance in Caen in July, there is also
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Hervé’s “L’Elixir” at the Festival Viva Voce de Caen
Some people think that Hervé is the real father of “operetta”. And, of course, they’re right. His great opéra-bouffes are
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„Spiel’ das mal schwul“: Interview mit Adam Benzwi
Heterosexuelle Gesangsstudenten entdecken bei Prof. Adam Benzwi von der Berliner Universität der Künste seit 20 Jahren den Schlüssel zur Operette,
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Why, Oh Why, Oh Why, Oh? First International Operetta Conference in Ohio
The founding Artistic Director of the Ohio Light Opera, James Stuart, has always taken the mission of his company very
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“Horrible Prettiness or Satanic Subversiveness”?
“Gender Studies” are something on everyone’s lips these days. Yet, somewhat surprisingly, the operetta world has hardly taken note of
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Kálmán’s Voodoo Magic: “Golden Dawn” (1927)
Fern von Europa und vom europäischen Markt vollkommen unbeachtet, kommt am 29. Juli 1930 in den USA die Verfilmung von
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Going Up? The Music of Louis Hirsch
Never heard of Louis Hirsch (1881–1924) and his Broadway operettas? Well, we can change that easily. Because our friends at
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Lehar’s ‘Frederica’ by Concert Operetta Theater
Concert Operetta Theater productions usually win my heart because they immerse their audience in an airy world of romance and
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Jean Gilbert, Walter Kollo and Berlin Operetta After 1914
They were two of the most successful and influential operetta composers in Berlin: Jean Gilbert and Walter Kollo. One Jewish,
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Essays On Kurt Weill’s Broadway Operetta
Here it is, fresh off the press: A German language collection of texts dealing with Kurt Weill’s only “operetta”, The
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Korngold’s “Stumme Serenade” in Arnhem and Berlin
Erich Wolfgang Korngold is mostly remembered today as an adapter of operettas. He re-wrote many famous shows and created versions
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Fred Raymond: A New Official Homepage
Fred Raymond was one of the most successful operetta composers in Germany between 1933 and 1945. His Maske in Blau
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Ivor Novello’s “Valley of Song” on CD
After a sell-out show in January 2014 by Tarquin Productions, the WestEnders are delighted to announce the launch of the original
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Piotr Beczala’s Tribute CD to Richard Tauber
There are two truly stunning moments on this new disc by tenor Piotr Beczala devoted to Richard Tauber. And not
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The Fall and Fall of the Town of Mahagonny
It’s June, and somehow, this season, I had not yet been to an opera at the Staatsoper, where I experienced
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Her Soldier’s Boy: Young World War Heroes Laid Bare
Yes, it’s memorial time. You’ll remember that 2014 is the 100th anniversary of the start of World War 1. There
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One Touch of Venus: A Broadway Operetta
Yes, I know. Kurt Weill’s One Touch of Venus is generally considered a classic Broadway musical. And rightly so. Still,
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The Empress Josephine Revisited
Yes, she’s the Empress Josephine, and even 200 years after her death she still fascinates. Emmerich Kálmán wrote a whole
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