Shades Of Grey: “Axel an der Himmelstür” In Vienna
Considering the continuing number of revivals of Im weißen Rössl one could be forgiven for thinking that Benatzky composed nothing
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Eduard Künneke’s “Lady Hamilton” In Dessau
Eduard Künneke (1885-1953) has been described by Kurt Ganzl as “the most appreciable German composer for the mid-20th-century musical stage”;
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Kalman’s “Zirkusprinzessin” At The Volksoper Wien
The Vienna Volksoper’s new staging – their first since 1988 – of Die Zirkusprinzessin is unashamedly old-fashioned – and there’s
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Offenbach’s “Ritter Blaubart” In Cottbus: Reviving Felsenstein
Offenbach’s glorious sex-and-social-conventions farce Barbe-bleue was a huge hit in Paris and Vienna back in the 1860s, when Hortense Schneider
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Lehár’s “Der Graf von Luxemburg” In Duisburg: With Barihunk Bo Skovhus
I can think of only two reasons for visiting the post-industrial city of Duisburg: firstly to hear the gorgeously expressive
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Rediscovering The 1945 Broadway Hit “Marinka”
Writing from the point of view as an American visiting Berlin, the Komische Oper’s second concert performance of Emmerich Kálmán’s
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“Die Perlen der Cleopatra”: Updating Oscar Straus For Berlin
It has arrived: the 2016 pull-out-all-the-stops operetta spectacle at the Komische Oper Berlin. The title of choice is Oscar Straus’
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The Talk Of The Town: “Frau Luna” At The Tipi In Berlin
Strolling westwards from the Bundestag, across the parkland which occupies much of this part of Berlin, one would be forgiven
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Victor Herbert’s “Princess Pat” (1915) Revived In New York
Victor Herbert’s 1915 charmer The Princess Pat was lovingly resurrected by Alyce Mott’s intrepid group as the opener of their
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Butchering Irving Berlin: The Screen-To-Stage Adaptation of “Holiday Inn”
When was the last time you saw a new 1947 musical for the first time? Roundabout Theatre Company and Universal
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“Axel an der Himmelstür” in Vienna: Take Your Clothes Off, Beautfiful Operetta Lady!
The Volksoper Vienna has revived the 1936 hit Axel an der Himmeltür, originally written for Zarah Leander and Max Hansen.
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Second-Rate “American Idol” Superficiality: “Cats” Returns To Broadway
Apart from the disorienting novelty of Cats taking up residence at the Neil Simon Theatre when, for a record-breaking 7485
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The 2016 Ohio Light Opera Season: “Hollandweibchen” and “Dancing Years”
The Ohio Light Opera – that lovably enduring shrine to operetta and musical theater – just gets better and better
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Reviewing The Swiss Operetta Scene: A Conversation With Simon Burkhalter
Young stage director Simon Burkhalter is busy putting Im weißen Rössl on in Bern, Switzerland, where the “slowest people in
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The White Horse Rides Again: Jimmy Berg’s “Rössl” 1940s Adaptations
Das Weiße Rössl am Central Park – eine österreichische Kultoperette im New York der 40er Jahre? 1941 und 1947 war
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“Die Blume von Hawaii”: Paul Abraham’s Tropical Rollercoaster In Pforzheim
Paul Abraham’s 1931 revue-operetta Die Blume von Hawaii has recently been give a highly enjoyable new production at Theatre Pforzheim,
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“Viktoria und ihr Husar”: Abraham-Triumph in Mörbisch
Was für ein Jammer, dass die 1920er Jahre vorbei sind. Und was für ein Jammer, dass Paul Abrahams Operetten noch
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Lehár’s “Giuditta” With Christiane Libor On cpo
Giuditta spielt in Süditalien und Libyen. Aktueller können Orte von Handlungen nicht sein. Mit einen gewichtigen Unterschied zur Gegenwart. Damals
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“Stella: Ein deutsches Singspiel” By Wolfgang Böhmer And Peter Lund
It seems there is a new and inspiring wave of “history musicals,” with Hamilton on Broadway leading the way: a
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Josef E. Köpplinger’s New Version of “Viktoria und ihr Husar” In Munich
What is arguably Paul Abraham’s musically strongest operetta, Viktoria und ihr Husar (1930), has been given a new production by
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UdK Berlin: “Ich meine, es geht ja doch darum, ein Leben zu führen, das einem keine Qual ist”
It is always refreshing to see new and awe-inspiring talent. The so called “collages” at the Universität der Künste (UdK)
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Light Opera of New York: Jerome Kern’s “Sally”
Charm was in abundance at Light Opera of New York’s semi-staged concert reading of Jerome Kern’s 1920 musical smash Sally,
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“Die Herzogin von Chicago”: Teaching Budapest The Charleston Again
Wenn man seine Dissertation über ein Werk wie Die Herzogin von Chicago geschrieben hat, wenn man all die Aufnahmen von
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“American Psycho”: Benjamin Walker Stars As Patrick Bateman
Bret Easton Ellis’ once – and perhaps still – notorious novel about an affluent Wall Street investment banker/serial killer, the
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Victor Herbert Renaissance Project Live: “The Serenade”
Inasmuch as anyone revives Victor Herbert’s melodious operettas any longer, it is likely to be one of the biggies such
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“Der Vampyr”: Marschner’s Horror Spectacle As A Savoy Opera?
Heinrich Marschner’s 1828 “Gothic” opera Der Vampyr is set in England, the characters have names such as Lord Ruthven and
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Meyerbeer’s “Les Huguenots” Return To Berlin: With Juan Diego Flórez
Anyone seriously interested in Offenbach will also be interested in Meyerbeer, and the various other composers successful in the first
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“She Loves Me”: Miklos Laszlo’s Hungarian Play As A Modern Broadway-Operetta?
Many great operetta things come from Hungary; and you might add, many great musical comedy things too. Emmerich Kalman wanted
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Talking With “Schwarzwaldmädel” Star Philip Lüsebrink
German tenor Philip Lüsebrink studied at Hamburg’s Johannes Brahms Conservatory; and built quite a career for himself singing and directing
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Plädoyer für die (halb) vergessene Operette „Der Obersteiger“
Die Handlung des Obersteiger ist gespickt mit zahlreichen Details, die sich in der Annaberger Produktion – nicht ganz verständlich –
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Victor Herbert’s “The Fortune Teller” At VHRP Live!
Yes, some music was missing, but what remained of Victor Herbert’s classic score in VHRP Live’s semi-staged concert reading was
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Geschwister Pfister: A New Spoliansky Revue In Berlin
The musical comedies of Mischa Spoliansky have been experiencing quite a revival in recent years – probably because the biting
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“Fantasio” At The Komische Oper Berlin: The 1869 Tenor Version
Yes, it’s always a treat to hear Offenbach live, especially those works that are not part of the over-familiar group
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“Salon Pitzelberger” At The Komische Oper Berlin
What a way to start the Offenbach festivities: the Berlin Operetta Festival at the Komische Oper started with a late-night
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The Gayest Show in Berlin: “Kiss Me, Kate” At The Komische Oper
Barrie Kosky’s first foray into the Broadway musical at the Komische Oper was Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate in 2008,
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The Comic Operetta “Candide” And The Germans
The popularity of Candide in Germany can be attributed to several factors: the continuing high profile of Leonard Bernstein, the
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