Forgive me if I seem a little hungover this morning. I certainly feel it and probably look it. Yet not one drop of alcohol passed my lips on the opening night of Glyndebourne On Tour's production of Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus.
The hangover stems from the champagne fumes released by the highly talented ensemble cast during the opera, that and the giddiness caused by the magnificent revolving of the huge set and the wonderfully jaunty waltzes, polkas and gallops of the frothy score.
Froth and decoration is at the core of this fin de siecle piece which tells a tale of mistaken identities, cross-dressing and marital infidelities at what is probably the best stage party in all of opera.
This touring production is a revival of Stephen Lawless' 2003 festival production and is lavish in the extreme.
The witty new English translation makes for some up-to-the-minute topicality, with a comment from prison warder Frosch that the government is considering paying his foreign prisoners to go home.
The GOT orchestra is under Robin Ticciata and the cast includes Amelia Farrugia as Adele, John Graham-Hall as Eisenstein and the splendidly named Bon Aventura Bottone as Alfred.
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