Strauss’s Die Fledermaus in rehearsal with Olivia Singleton (Adele), Ashley Mercer (Frank), Meliza Metzger (Ida) – St Paul’s Opera

On 4 July 2024, my native opera firm St Paul’s Opera debuts their 2024 most important manufacturing, Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus at St Paul’s Church, Clapham. The opera is directed by Johnny Danciger with George Eire conducting an instrumental ensemble with Dominic Westwood as Alfred, Olivia Singleton as Adele, Rusne Tuslaite as Rosalinde, Thomas Litchev as Eisenstein and Chris Murphy as Falke. And relatively impressively, not solely does the corporate area a full solid and refrain, however there’s a cowl solid too. 

Night performances from 4 to six July provide the potential for picnicking within the grounds of St Paul’s Church beforehand, while there’s a household matinee (given by the quilt solid) on 6 July.

The operetta has been reimagined in a classic film studio, so anticipate references to Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and different acquainted characters in a brand new script by author/director Jonny Danciger. The multi-talented Danciger is a stage director, designer and composer, having music at Oxford College, the place he specialised in composition and music theatre, after which coaching in opera course, taking placements on the Royal Opera Home and British Youth Opera, the place he assisted Keith Warner. From 2020 to 2022 he was Creative Director of the OSO theatre in South-West London.

Strauss’s Die Fledermaus in rehearsal – solid and ensemble with David Butt Philip (patron of St Paul’s Opera)

Danciger feedback that “it’s essential to acknowledge that Die Fledermaus is a essentially ‘attractive’ opera. These days it’s straightforward to misbrand the waltz as restrained, however it was considered by many on the time to be obscene and hedonistic because of the proximity of the dancing couple. ” He factors out that the outline ‘The lead attire up in disguise to seduce/manipulate/take a look at their lover’ may very well be utilized to so many alternative operas. In Die Fledermaus, disguise and elaborate plots are important to the opera, and he guarantees many playful cinematic references.

Full particulars from St Paul’s Opera’s web site.