Are you looking to enjoy the holiday spirit early this year? ISU Theatre, ISU Symphony Orchestra and ISU Opera Studio's "Die Fledermaus (The Bat)" offers an effervescent evening out at the opera -- with gorgeous music, gemstone-hued ballgowns and the glitz and glamour of a late 19th century Viennese palace.
"Die Fledermaus (The Bat)"
Set in 1899 during a New Year's Eve masked ball, "Die Fledermaus" is a farce of mistaken identity, love, forgiveness, flirtation and a practical joke with unforeseen consequences. Composed by Johann Strauss II and performed in English with a two-hour runtime, the show opens in Fisher Theater on Thursday, Nov. 7, and runs for one weekend.
The production is led by Chad Sonka, music and theatre associate teaching professor and stage director, and Jodi Goble, music and theatre teaching professor and music director.
Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7-9, with a matinee performance at 2 p.m. on Nov. 10. Tickets are $25 general admission and free for youth and students. Tickets can be purchased at the door, through the Iowa State Center ticket office in Stephens Auditorium or Ticketmaster.
From operettas to American musical theatre
One of the most popular operas in the world, "Die Fledermaus" is performed often in both professional and university settings. As an operetta, the show is perfect for audiences who may be new to opera as an art form. In contrast to lengthy, grand operas, operettas often sparkle with satire and lightheartedness, and mistaken identity plots abound. Sonka said that if the operetta feels familiar to an American audience, there's a good reason.
"The operetta genre is the grandfather of what we would now call American musical theatre," he said. "So, shows like 'The Sound of Music' or 'Carousel,' in terms of structure, have their birth in something like 'Die Fledermaus.' When people go see it, they recognize something like 'Oklahoma.'"
Jacob Harrison, associate professor of music at Texas State University and former Iowa State music faculty member, will conduct the ISU Symphony Orchestra.
Entertainment and education
Sonka said "Die Fledermaus" is well-suited to giving students a rich educational experience and a resume-worthy professional credit.
The lead female roles are double cast, meaning one set of actors will perform those roles Thursday and Saturday and another set on Friday and Sunday. This structure gives students the professional experience of collaborating with a counterpart on staging and blocking and helps them hone their skills of self-discipline and responsibility.
"Many of the leads you'll see are going on to become music teachers," Sonka said. "We try to teach them the process of show preparation. Then, when they have to produce their school's musical in a few years of their teaching, they have a basis of process to do so."
The 'total art'
Sonka said his favorite part of the show happens during act two when the curtain rises on the palace of Prince Orlofsky. Rob Sunderman, former Iowa State scenic designer, has returned to Fisher Theater to design a Viennese ballroom with a grand staircase and chandelier. It will be an opulent setting for ballroom dancing, and choreographer Valerie Williams plans to have the cast showcase many dance styles.
Kelly Marie Schaefer, teaching professor and the show's costume designer, is working alongside student assistant designers Stephanie Wessels and Kale Block and costume shop supervisor Doris Nash to produce costumes worthy of a lavish, Gilded Age-era New Year's Eve ball. Drawing inspiration from a gemstone-hued color palette, the team designed eight new ballgowns for this show, in addition to other costumes.
