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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Blackface and Crossdressing: The Great Minstrel ‘Prima Donnas’
In the 21st century, when it is considered oh-so-trendy for boys to dress up as girls, the trendy ones (and
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Rediscovering “Das Haus dazwischen” By Spoliansky & Schiffer After 90 Years
On 24 August 1932 the newspaper Berliner Börsen-Courier reported that “this morning the well known revue poet Marcellus Schiffer was
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“Inselzauber”: Landesbühne Sachsen Streams Offenbach’s Genderqueer “Island Of Tulipatan”
Due to Corona, Landesbühnen Sachsen in Germany put on two small scale one-acters last year: Offenbach’s The Island of Tulipatan
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Deflowering Austria: The New Year’s Concert From Vienna Lets Suppé Sparkle
There’s something supremely uplifting about starting the new year with Franz von Suppé’s rousing Fatinitza march as played by the
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The Revival Of Burlesque In Times Of Gender Debates: “Die 5 Glorreichen Sieben”
They are certainly five magnificent cowboys, but with a twist. The fact that they dance an Offenbach pas de deux
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Ábrahám’s “Roxy und ihr Wunderteam” At Komische Oper Berlin: Watch The Live-Stream
At Komische Oper Berlin, Paul Ábrahám’s ‘last’ operetta premiered in a new production by Stefan Huber, with a newly arranged
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The “Voix de Flûte”: Offenbach’s Star Comedian Léonce (1820-1900)
Édouard Théodore Nicole, better known as Léonce (b Paris, 12 January 1820) was a slim, bespectacled (off-stage) low comedian with
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Offenbach’s Superstar Désiré (1823-1873): The World’s First Jupiter
In 1847 the young comedian known as Désiré asked Hervé for a two-handed musical sketch to play at his benefit.
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Emmerich Kálmán’s “Ein Herbstmanöver” From Gießen With Michael Hofstetter
“The Gay Hussars”? I admit, the title of the 1909 Broadway version of Emmerich Kalman’s first operetta hit Tatájárás caught
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Cross-Dressed Military Operetta In World War 1 And 2: An Exhibition In Meiningen And A New Book
Back in 2014, corresponding with the centenary of the outbreak of World War 1, the Schwules Museum in Berlin offered
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“Gaiety, Glitz and Glamour — or Dispirited Historical Dregs? A Re-Evaluation of Operetta”: A Conversation with Prof. Derek B. Scott
From 10 to 12 January 2019 the University of Leeds is hosting an international operetta conference entitled Gaiety, Glitz and
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“The Pretty Polish Girl Who Sat Astride Her Virtue”: Early Opéra-Bouffe Star Joseph Kelm (1805-1882)
My last post and its original five pictures, borrowed from the gold mines of Blois, included four taken from the
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“Crazy World”: Anna Bonitatibus’ Collection Of Trousers-Roles From Offenbach To Mancini
Recently, gender and diversity Prof. Simon Dickel gave an interview on Deutschlandfunk talking about his new book Queer Cinema which
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A Trip To The Moon With Geschwister Pfister: Talking About “Frau Luna” and Queer-Feminism In Operetta
The Geschwister Pfister – a German-Swiss-Croatian comedy trio – have written operetta history, many times over. Yes, they were the
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My First Queer Operetta: “Die Insel Tulipatan” At Staatsoper Berlin 1982
Since Offenbach’s Island of Tulipatan has popped up again on the general radar, with a brand new English language recording
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Les chevaliers du Ciel: Das Neuköllnical “Fly, Edith, Fly” im BKA
Ja, es gibt Menschen die Dragqueens als Wegbereiterinnen des modernen queeren Lebens sehen und damit auch als Vorkämpferinnen einer offeneren
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First Modern Recording of Franz Lehár’s Feminist “Die Juxheirat”
Julius Bauer (1854-1941) was, like many Viennese operetta librettists, a highly cultured and witty man. He studied medicine and then
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Offenbach’s Gender-Bending “L’ile de Tulipatan” From New York
The Light Opera of New York (LOONY) shifted gears this spring from its annual early American operetta – usually by
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Sasha Regan’s All-Male “The Mikado” Touring The UK
Sasha Regan has been director of the Union Theatre in London for 19 years. It is a small space, seating
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Double Treat: “The Black Crook” From New York and London
Often, in earlier times, quoted as “the first landmark in the history of the American musical theatre”, the 1866 extravaganza
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Sex, Gender, Gay Marriage And Modernity In Offenbach’s “Isle of Tulipatan” and “Croquefer”
Jeff Clarke has been the Artistic Director of UK’s Opera della Luna since 1994. With that company, he has made
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Adolf Philipp (1864-1936): “Deutsch-Amerikanisches Theater” In New York
Adolf Philipp (b Lübeck, 29 January 1864; d New York, 30 July 1936) was the eclectic leading light of the
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Male-To-Female Cross Dressing: “Rotes Sofa” Talk In Leipzig
Men dressed up as women: that’s nothing new in the world of operetta. In many Offenbach shows, this kind of
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Gay Pride Season 2015 or: Uniformed Men On The Operetta Stage
There is a special connection between police forces – and operetta! Whether it is Offenbach’s Les Brigands or Genevieve de
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The “Europäische Stiftung Operette” Is Back With A Vengeance
The headline in the email to the local press certainly caught our attention: “Europäische Stiftung Operette (ESO) präsentiert Berliner Operette
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Lydia Thompson, the “Father of All Drag Kings”?
Lydia Thompson [Eliza Hodges Thompson] is one of the theatre’s ‘legends’, and as in the case of other such legendary
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“Mein Kamerad – die Diva”: Cross-Dressing Exhibition in Berlin
The topic of cross-dressing in operetta – as well as anywhere else in life and theater – is a hot
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“Yellowface, in Your Face”: Is “The Mikado” Racist?
In Seattle, a new production of The Mikado by the local Gilbert & Sullivan Society has sparked a heated debate
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“The Funny He-She Ladies”: A New Book on Cross-Dressing in London
There is a new book by Neil McKenna about “Two Young Men Who Shocked Victorian England“ entitled Fanny & Stella.
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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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Hedwig and the Angry Inch: Neil Patrick Harris as a Transgender Entertainer
Neil Patrick Harris is at the very top of his considerable game in an electrifying turn as playwright John Cameron
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Cross-Dressing in Operetta: A New Catalogue from Munich
Now, here’s a topic for a book publication to make our operetta hearts beat faster: Ein Bild von einem Mann
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Die Geburt der Operette aus dem Geist der Pornografie
In Wien präsentierte 2012 eine Ausstellung im alt-ehrwürdigen Theatermuseum eine ungewöhnliche Sicht auf die Operette. Statt als biedere Unterhaltung für
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BOCCACCIO Operette in 3 acts
Franz von Suppé followed up his first great success with a full-length Operette, Fatinitza, with a second, three years later.
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FATINITZA Operette in 3 acts
Suppé had been writing theatre music ranging from songs for Singspiele, burlesque, farce and spectaculars to short and medium-sized Operetten
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