SU Opera Theatre to belt out German operetta ‘Die Fledermaus’
With its foreign title and 19th century creation, “Die Fledermaus” seems like any other opera. But when it’s performed this weekend by Syracuse University’s Opera Theatre, “Die Fledermaus” will take on a new life. For this performance, Eric Johnson, a professor in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, took a new look at the opera and created a new adaptation.
“’Die Fledermaus’ is the quintessential Viennese operetta, beloved all over the world,” Johnson said. “It is tuneful, accessible and a little bit wacky.”
Johnson preserved the opera’s comedic aspects, but gave the scene and setting a fresh new look. It’s translated into English, set in the 1920s and contains many elements that are reflective of that time.
This reimagined time period meant a lot of research for junior vocal performance major Abby Brockamp, who serves as the costume designer.
“I turned a lot of old dresses into flapper-like styles,” Brockamp said. “My whole Thanksgiving break was sewing.”
Johnson, an applied music and performance associate professor for the Setnor School of Music, chose this particular opera because he said it would highlight the talents of the cast.
“I’d like to expose our students to a variety of styles, and the cycle came up for 19th century.” Johnson said. “With the singers we have, it’s a challenge that they are all doing a great job meeting.”
Johnson got his start in opera his junior year of high school and later began performing in college. Even though he was an English major, he spent a lot more time doing music and theater than he did in the library. Johnson has been at SU since 2001, and “Die Fledermaus” is his 14th production here at Syracuse.
Auditions were held a couple of weeks into the semester last fall, as Johnson looked for specific singers that could fit the hard roles this play demands.
“Naturally, we wouldn’t have chosen the piece if we didn’t think it could be cast with the students we knew we had available,” he said. “A lot of the repertoire is for singers who are more advanced than most of our students.”
The cast of 20 rehearsed for the entire fall semester. They began staging three weeks before the opening, Johnson said. Lead soprano Kirstin Marsh got the prime role of Rosa-Linda after another graduate student had to step down.
Marsh, a second-year vocal performance and vocal pedagogy graduate student, said she’s very excited to get this role because it’s relevant to her studies. She began practicing opera in 2007 after her voice teacher pointed out that her higher voice made her more suitable for opera.
“It’s an exciting and adventurous journey,” Marsh said. “This is definitely the biggest role I’ve had, and it has really taught me a lot, and I am glad I have had help from the coaches and cast. Everyone works really hard to learn their repertoire.”
Funding came from a combination of the Opera Workshop’s small budget from the School of Music and ticket sales, said Johnson. To him, however, it’s less about the money and more about the experience. The idea is to give singers experience while still putting on the best show possible, Johnson said.
Both the ensemble and Johnson are excited not only to perform, but to see the audience enjoy the comedic aspect of the performance, especially in English.
“My favorite thing in the world is to hear an audience laugh, and this is a very funny piece,” Johnson said. “I’m a firm believer in performing in the language of the audience, especially when it’s comedy. Nobody should be put off because it’s opera — ‘Die Fledermaus’ is pure entertainment.”