Kálmán’s “Kaiserin Josephine” (1936) On CPO: Live From The Léhar Festival in Ischl
Kálmán composed Kaiserin Josephine after his ‘regular’ first night theater, the Theater an der Wien, had gone bankrupt as a
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Howard Goodall’s “Girlfriends”: A Show About The Women’s Auxiliary Air Force 1941
After the success of The Hired Man (being revived at Hornchurch in the Spring of 2019), Howard Goodall turned his
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National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company: Sullivan’s “Haddon Hall”
This year the International G & S Festival, as well as the National G & S Company are celebrating their
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National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company: “Ruddigore” At Buxton Opera House
This summer the historic Frank Matcham designed Buxton Opera House, built in 1903 and seating 902, was host to the
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National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company: “The Sorcerer” & “Trial By Jury”
This year the National G & S Opera Company celebrates its silver jubilee with six new productions. I was invited
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“Csardasfürstin” At Staatsoperette Dresden: With A Right-Wing Chancellor Of Austria Deporting Gypsys
Every self-respecting operetta company needs a production of one of the 20th century’s greatest operettas: Kalman’s Die Csardasfürstin. Whether Dresden
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“Der Bettelstudent” At Theater Pforzheim: Making The Genre Relevant For A 21st Century Audience?
The excellent (and beautifully illustrated) programme calls Der Bettelstudent “one of the best-loved of all the Golden Age Viennese operettas.”
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National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company: “The Pirates of Penzance”
The Pirates of Penzance must be Gilbert and Sullivan’s most staged operetta and, as a director, it must be difficult
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“The Mountebanks” By Gilbert And Cellier: A New BBC Recording
After the success of The Gondoliers in December 1889, D’Oyly Carte, Gilbert and Sullivan had a well-publicised disagreement because Gilbert
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Abraham’s “Ball im Savoy” In Koblenz: No Lavish Sets But SS Officers
Having hugely enjoyed Barrie Kosky’s 2013 exuberant production of Abraham’s Ball im Savoy several times, I was interested to see
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Re-Writing “Roxy und ihr Wunderteam” As A Gay Football Farce In Augsburg
Theater Augsburg is in the midst of refurbishment, so the various ensembles have decamped to several venues around the city.
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Sugar-Free Chocolate: Kálmán’s “Die Faschingsfee” In Möchengladbach-Krefeld
Emmerich Kálmán’s Die Faschingsfee had a very chequered history in its first few years. It was first seen in Budapest
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Hojotoho: Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Iolanthe” At English National Opera
Iolanthe is W S Gilbert’s most satirical opera. His libretto continually pokes fun at the British hereditary system, the law
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Too Depressing To Write About? Leo Fall’s “Die Kaiserin” At Theater Baden
It’s only a short review of Leo Fall’s Die Kaiserin, I’m afraid. It was too depressing to write more. I
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Sloppy Production With A Great Tenor: “Eine Nacht in Venedig” At Volksoper Wien
Musically, Vienna Volksoper’s 2013 production of Strauss’ Eine Nacht in Venedig has much to commend it: firstly the spirited conducting
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A 15 Year Old “Fledermaus” At Semperoper Dresden: Is Johann Strauss Beneath Them?
Dresden’s Fledermaus production is 15 years old and the performance I attended was its 90th outing. It is a very
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When “Der Opernball” Meets “Downton Abbey” In Plauen-Zwickau
The small, very attractive, eastern German city of Zwickau boasts an historic theatre that is, at present, being refurbished. As
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The Gay Hussars, Or: Kálmán’s “Ein Herbstmanöver” At Theater Giessen
The unpretentious German city of Giessen has a population of 78,000 and boasts two fine buildings: the railway station and
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“Die große Sünderin”: Gorgeous Künneke Melodies, Sumptuously Orchestrated
Kevin Clarke has recently penned a fascinating article concerning the background to the composition of Die große Sünderin, first produced
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“Must Close Saturday”: The Decline and Fall of the British Musical Flop
When this heavy, 350 page book, closely but clearly typed and well-illustrated, arrived in the post I thought I would
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“The Queen’s Lace Handkerchief”: First UK Revival Since 1937 At Opera della Luna
Opera della Luna is a well-established company, specializing in small-scale touring productions of operetta. Having concentrated on Offenbach and Sullivan
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“Darwinian Man, Though Well Behaved, At Best Is Only A Monkey Shaved”: G&S’s “Princess Ida”
Great Malvern is an attractive spa town of 30,000 souls, nestling in the English Midlands and surrounded by the Malvern
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“Like Rheingold, But With More Tunes”: Stephen Sondheim’s “Follies” At The National Theatre
There are a few ‘musicals’ written in the last seventy years which, because of both the specific quality of their
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24th International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival
The 860 seat Theatre Royal, in the shadow of Windsor Castle, is the third one on the site: built in
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“Orpheus in der Unterwelt” At The New Staatsoperette Dresden
The Staatsoperette Dresden has recently moved into a new, much-needed, purpose built theatre in the centre of the city. The
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A Hungarian Errol Flynn: “Der Zigeunerbaron” In Neustrelitz
Every summer since 2001, Theater und Orchester Neubrandenburg has staged an open-air operetta production in the Schlossgarten, Neustrelitz. Which, for
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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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“Eine Nacht in Venedig” At The Pforzheim Theater
The industrial town of Pforzheim boasts a population of under 121,000, yet has an intimate 507 seat modern theatre which
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Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Patience” At English Touring Opera
The ‘comic opera’ Patience (or ‘Bunthorne’s Bride’) has an important place in theatrical history. It was the first stage production
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Benatzky’s “Liebe im Schnee” With The Kammeroperette Münster
The so called Kammeroperette Münster specialises in staging “minimalist” productions of neglected operettas: this year one of Benatzky’s first full-length
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“Voici le sabre de mon père”: Offenbach’s “Grand Duchess” In Kassel
The industrial city of Kassel in middle-Germany boasts a modern, superbly designed 900 seat theatre with a large stage and
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Kalman’s “Faschingsfee”: Carnival Spectacle At Munich’s Gärtnerplatz
The nomadic company of Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz has staged a rare, highly successful and most enjoyable revival of Kalman’s 1917
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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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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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