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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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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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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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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“Lustige Witwe”: Barrie Kosky Tackles the “Führer’s” Favorite Operetta in Zurich
In the past, Barrie Kosky has shunned the works of Franz Lehár. His operetta focus has been on works by
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“Czech Operetta and Its Transnational Context”: A Conference in Prague
In March 2023 there’s a three-day conference in Prague devoted to the question of “Czech Operetta and Its Transnational Context”.
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The Revival of Joseph Beer Continues: Upcoming Productions in Dresden and Regensburg
To give credit where it‘s due: ever since the label cpo released Joseph Beer’s 1937 operetta Polnische Hochzeit – which
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Ernst Theis Conducts “Tonfilmschlager” from Nazi Times
“Can music be innocent?“ That‘s the first sentence in the booklet to this new CD of the Münchner Rundfunkorchester and
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Jean Gilbert (1879-1942): One of the Most Successful Composers for the German Musical Stage
Gilbert was born as Max Winterfeld in Hamburg, 11 February 1879. He died in exile in Buenos Aires, 20 December
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Are We Finally Rediscovering Victor Hollaender?
No, the orientalist silent film orgy Sumurun, filmed in the Ufa studios in Berlin-Tempelhof in 1920, doesn’t need to be
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“When the Music Stopped…Willy Rosen’s Holocaust”: A New Book By Casey J. Hayes
He was Weimar Germany’s answer to Barry Manilow, the most popular entertainer and songwriter of his generation, writing hit after
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Paul O’Montis: Biography Of A “Vortragskünstler” Adored By Elderly Ladies & Young Gentlemen
Most operetta fans will know Paul O’Montis because he made a famous recording of “Was kann der Sigismund dafür, dass
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Gilbertmania in Spain: Revivisting Jean Gilbert (1879-1942)
When Max Winterfeld – better known by his artistic name Jean Gilbert – arrived in Spain in 1934, the country
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Coming-out als Operettenrettung? Interview zum Queer Reading des „Dreimäderlhaus“
Als das Dreimäderlhaus am 15. Januar 1916 im Wiener Raimundtheater in Premiere ging waren die Kritiken gespalten. Denn Komponist Heinrich
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Is The Gold & Silver Terminology Nothing More Than Camouflaged Anti-Semitism?
On 27 January, 1945 the Nazi concentration in Auschwitz was liberated by the Soviet Army. Memorial speeches all over the
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RSC: Reconstructing Erik Charell’s Shakespeare Adaptation “Swingin’ the Dream”
When the Shakespeare adaptation Swingin‘ the Dream opened on Broadway in 1939 it followed Erik Charell’s earlier XXL-sized Broadway hit
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A Revived Interest In “Heiteres Musiktheater der DDR”? It’s Not Just About Nostalgia
Recently, Wolfgang Jansen published a collection of essays dealing with “Popular Music Theater under Socialism,” an aspect of 20th century
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Wolfgang Jansen’s New Book About Musicals Vs. Operetta: An Interview With The Author
Wolfgang Jansen has published many books: on the history of revues and revue operettas in the Weimar Republic, on Broadway
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“My Song For You”: A Marta Eggerth & Jan Kiepura Exhibition In Vienna
Devotees of classic Hollywood musicals – the sort that are the staple of Turner Classic Movies – will know Hungarian
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“Bretter, die die die Welt bedeuten“: The DDR Musical Returns To Musikalische Komödie Leipzig
Is this the start of something like “reparation” after an endless period of neglect? On 18 September 2020 Bretter, die
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A New “Exilmuseum” In Berlin – Will It Include The Entertainment World?
It’s going to happen: Berlin will get an “Exilmuseum,” a museum dedicated to the stories of those who went into
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The New Online “Musicallexikon”: An Interview with Michael Fischer & Wolfgang Jansen
The University of Freiburg is home of the “Center for Popular Culture and Music.” They recently started the first online
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Watch Out For The Red Fingernails: Two New “Zigeunerbaron” Productions In Magdeburg And Berlin
How do you solve a problem like Zigeunerbaron? Some might ask: is there a problem with this 1885 show? Well,
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Focus On DDR Operetta: “Bretter, die die Welt bedeuten” At Musikalische Komödie Leipzig
Various opera houses in German speaking countries have presented new or adapted programs for their fall season, with productions they
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New Online Encyclopedia On Popular Musical Theater In Germany From 1945 Until Today
More than 300 musicals have already been documented, many more will follow: the University of Freiburg’s Center for Popular Culture
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Ábrahám’s “Ball at the Savoy” At Drury Lane In A 1933 Oscar Hammerstein Production
Paul Abraham’s Ball im Savoy opened at Berlin’s Großes Schauspielhaus in December 1932 with a superstar cast – and was
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Remembering Hans May And His “Die tanzende Stadt” Or “The Dancing City” (1934)
In 2018 the score of Hans May’s operetta Die tanzende Stadt (The Dancing City, 1934) came up for sale in
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“Grüezi” As A Swiss Exile Answer To “Im Weissen Rössl” – An Interview With Melanie Gehrig Walthert & Reimar Walthert
First you’ve never heard of Grüezi at all, even though the artists who created it are all artists you’ve known
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“Don’t Forget, Goebbels Was A Ladies’ Man”: Memories Of The Hiller Girls
Sitting in her tidy Munich apartment, as snowflakes swirl outside, Jenny Hiller is far away as she watches her younger
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Alberto Spadolini: The Nude Spy & Dancer From “Die lustige Witwe” 1940
We recently ran an article on “Operetta in the Third Reich,” reporting on the new book of the same title
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“The White Horse Inn At Central Park”: Rediscovering The Jimmy Berg Adaptations
The White Horse Inn at the Central Park – an Austrian operetta staged in New York in the 1940s? Yes,
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„Ich reiß mir eine Wimper aus und stech’ dich damit tot!“ Die Entnazifizierung der NS-Operette zwischen 1945 und 2015
Nach der sogenannten „Stunde Null“ am 8. Mai 1945 hatten die Menschen in Deutschland mit hoher Wahrscheinlichkeit andere Sorgen, als sich
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“Leichte Muse im Wandel der Zeit”: A Conference On Nazi Operetta In Nuremberg
Nuremberg is a special place for a conference that wishes to examine “Operetta in Nazi Times.” Because the so called
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Nico Dostal’s “Prinzessin Nofretete” New In Leipzig
The Oper Leipzig annouced its new season this week, including the program for the associated Musikalische Komödie. There is a
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Operette in Wien in den Jahren 1938 bis 1944: Eine Bestandsaufnahme
Am 12. März 1938 nachmittags hatten sich in der Wohnung des Dramaturgen und Regisseurs Kurt Hellmer in Naschmarktnähe ein paar
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“Arizona Lady” Comes To Arizona Opera In October 2015
The Jewish News reports on the upcoming first performance of the complete Arizona Lady by Emmerich Kalman – in (get
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