After Die Fledermaus [The Bat] by Johann Strauss
adapted by Stefan Huber and Kai Tietje [1874/2018]
Guest performance by the Casinotheater Winterthur

 

Just in time for their 75th birthday, the Pfister Sisters are back, with Johann Strauss' The Bat — the work that opened the Komische Oper Berlin itself, under Walter Felsenstein, in 1947. This time, we present a radically new version, without the violins and red velvet, featuring bass, guitar and offbeat rhythms. The Komische Oper Berlin presents this classic in a form that will delight operetta fans and skeptics alike. In their witty and quirky adaptation of The Bat , musical director Kai Tietje and director Stefan Huber discard musical clichés, transforming waltzes into swing music and tangos, and letting the famous overture be heard a cappella . In this story of pleasure-seeking, mischievousness and wretched drunkenness, the Pfister Sisters sing, play and cheat, while Stefan Kurt stumbles through the action as the permanently drunk prison guard Frosch. They are accompanied by the three Zucchini Sistaz, with Kai Tietje on piano and accordion, and Francesco Carpino playing on ten instruments almost simultaneously. Music and characters swirl, thanks to the rousing choreography of Danny Costello—with musical styles that span from high palaces to back alleyways, from the Belle Époque to the hippie era.

Stefan Huber, who celebrated successes at the Komische Oper Berlin with his productions of Clivia and Roxy und I hr Wunderteam needs nothing more than a few chairs, a few props and period costumes for this madcap show!