Liam Metal’s new manufacturing of Strauss’ Die Fledermaus at Opera Holland Park revels in its Twenties London setting

Johann Strauss: Die Fledermaus – Alison Langer, Harry Wilson – Opera Holland Park (Photograph: Craig Fuller)

Johann Strauss: Die Fledermaus; Thomas Atkins, Alison Langer, Rebecca Bottone, Clare Presland, Julien Van Mellaerts, Xavier Hetherington, director: Liam Metal, Metropolis of London Sinfonia, conductor George Jackson; Opera Holland Park
Reviewed 29 July 2026

London 1929 is the setting for Liam Metal’s partaking manufacturing stuffed with Brilliant Younger Issues, helped by sturdy musical values underneath George Jackson although maybe dialogue doesn’t fizz fairly sufficient

Johann Strauss’s operettas had been extremely widespread in his lifetime, notably in Vienna, however other than Die Fledermaus they’ve struggled to discover a place within the repertoire – when did you final come throughout a efficiency of Eine Nacht in Venedig or Der Zigeunerbaron? The fault laid in opposition to them is commonly that the librettos had been poor, partly it’s because many had been based mostly on boulevard comedies. Mistaken identities, disguise and farcical conditions are sometimes key and a lesser recognized work like Blindekuh (Blind man’s buff, see my assessment of the 2002 recording) appears to have an excessive amount of plot for its personal good.

Cannily, Die Fledermaus solves this downside partly by having a key ingredient of the plot occur effectively earlier than the opera begins, a trick with which Verdi (Il trovatore) and Wagner (Parsifal) had been each acquainted. The opposite canny ingredient is the Act Two get together, the place stray bits of plot can occur in fast succession alongside a bubbly rating. And that’s the level, Strauss operettas work due to their scores, due to his infectious melodies.

While Die Fledermaus is the very best recognized of Strauss’s operettas, it hardly will get over-performed within the UK. The Grange Pageant carried out it final 12 months [see my review], and fringe opera firm St Paul’s Opera did it in 2024 [see our article]. However earlier than then we got here throughout Opera Integra in 2017 [see our review] and Opera Holland Park in 2016 [see my review], with ENO presenting a single run of Christopher Alden’s manufacturing in 2013 [see our review], while the Royal Opera final carried out it in 1990!

Johann Strauss: Die Fledermaus – Julien Van Mellaerts, Clare Presland, Alison Langer, Thomas Atkins – Opera Holland Park (Photograph: Craig Fuller)

Ten years on from their final manufacturing, Opera Holland Park returned to Strauss’s Die Fledermaus on 29 July 2026 in a brand new manufacturing directed by Liam Metal (who additionally offered the choreography) and performed by George Jackson with Metropolis of London Sinfonia within the pit. Units had been by Neil Irish and costumes by Laura Jane Stanfield. Eisenstein was Thomas Atkins, Rosalinde was Alison Langer, Rebecca Bottone was Adele, Clare Presland was Orlofsky, and Julien Van Mellaerts was Falke.

Director (and choreographer) Liam Metal has type with operetta he directed Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Gondoliers for English Touring Opera final 12 months [see my review], having directed Persistence for them in 2017 [see my review]. Right here, Liam Metal the choreographer displayed admirable restraint. Sure, there was quite a lot of motion, nevertheless it was extra bodily theatre, he didn’t fall into the lure of choreographing each dance melody that Strauss used! Additionally, Metal had a separate dancer (Harry Wilson) who in Act One (and in the course of the overture) was dressed as a bat and appeared to be an alter-ego for Falke (Julien Van Mellaerts), then was extra eye-candy in Act Two.

Somebody, both Metal, Sams or Carter Beane had ensured that the plot on this reasonably bewildering operetta was made clear. For the primary time in a very long time, this was a efficiency of Die Fledermaus the place each the explanations for the flowery ruse and the mechanics of the ruse itself had been admirably clear. Too typically, this work can appear to be a easy development of occasions with none logic.

Johann Strauss: Die Fledermaus – Alison Langer, Xavier Hetherington, Thomas Atkins – Opera Holland Park (Photograph: Craig Fuller)

The interval was positioned on the level when New 12 months strikes in Act Two, with Strauss waltzes (sorry, I can not determine them, I’m not a lot of a Strauss aficionado) to finish Half One and being Half Two, together with an additional waltz for the scene turn into Act Three. These hardly felt like padding as Jackson and the orchestra made them actually vibrant. Jackson could be higher recognized for different repertoire, however he definitely made Strauss go together with a fascinating swing and loads of fizz.

Not like Offenbach and Gilbert & Sullivan, Viennese operetta doesn’t imagine in satire, it is about enjoyable, largely by means of mistaken id and masks. In Die Fledermaus we have now a bunch of individuals all behaving badly with none of them actually something admirable. Falke has been nursing a grudge in opposition to Eisenstein due to the ‘bat’ incident years in the past, while Rosalinde, Alfred, Eisenstein, Adele, and Frank are all venial sufficient to fall for the concept they get a mysterious invitation to Orlofsky’s ball. Maybe Orlofsky (Clare Presland) is the one semi-admirable individual, or might Frosch (Robert Burt).

Alison Langer’s Rosalinde was extra admirable and much much less air-headed than in some variations and Langer managed to simmer with discreet rage admirably all through most of Act Two. Her Csardas was rightly a show-stopper, although making her do it on the primary stage, behind the orchestra was unfair and steadiness was not supreme. However all through she sang with fashion and was always partaking. In contrast, Rebecca Bottone was clearly out to have enjoyable. Taking part in Adele as a Cockney maid to perfection, she additionally delighted in Adele’s extra coloratura moments. Clare Presland performed Orlofsky (no Prince on this model) as gender-fluid, however lumbered with a horrible Russian accent (whoever thought that was a good suggestion). Nonetheless, Presland had nice enjoyable in Orlofsky’s solo in Act Two, making the swoops a factor of nice folk-inspired fashion, and she or he made Orlofsky a stronger musical presence by means of the work.

Johann Strauss: Die Fledermaus – Rebecca Bottone, Matthew Siveter – Opera Holland Park (Photograph: Craig Fuller)

Thomas Atkins’ Eisenstein was suave appeal itself, allied to a chic voice, all in all a personality you wouldn’t belief so far as you could possibly throw him. Atkins made probably the most of Eisenstein’s dalliances with the would-be showgirls in Act Two in addition to having nice enjoyable flirting along with his disguised spouse. Atkins managed to recommend the dimness that underlay the appeal, however overlaid with a way and musical fashion that was very a lot on level. Julien Van Mellaerts’ Falke was splendidly over dressed and dapper, to not say camp and Van Mellaerts created as beautiful sense of character, somebody who clearly took nice satisfaction in maliciously manipulating others. In different phrases, an evil previous queen. But, by the tip we felt a bit sorry for him too when, in the direction of the tip of Act Three, he lamented that every one his planning had been for naught, and we had a cheerful finish in spite of everything.

Xavier Hetherington was in gloriously over-the-top divo tenor mode as Alfred. One thing of a one observe aria actually, however nice enjoyable, and made extra indulgent for us due to Hetherington’s luxuriant tenor voice. Monwabisi Lindi was a delightfully befuddled Blind, with he and Atkins’s Eisenstein having nice enjoyable with the Act Three costume swap as Blind tried to impress on Eisenstein the issue the distinction of their pores and skin color would have, with out truly saying so. Matthew Siveter made Frank right into a bluff Yorkshire-man and clearly had enjoyable with it while making Frank a stronger character over all. However I’ve to confess that Metal and his solid didn’t fairly handle to recover from the sheer annoyance of all these Act Two scenes the place individuals had been pretending to be a unique nationality, all these foolish accents and cod-French!

Johann Strauss: Die Fledermaus – Matthew Siveter, Julien Van Mellaerts – Opera Holland Park (Photograph: Craig Fuller)

The smaller roles had been effectively taken too. Olivia Carrell made a enjoyable Ida
with Robert Burt on type as Frosch and his solo second on the opening of
Act Three was blessedly quick and to the purpose. Alistair Sutherland
performed Orlofsky’s highly-coloured bodyguard, Ivan (I nonetheless have completely happy reminiscences of Scottish Opera’s 1979 manufacturing of Die Fledermaus the place Cynthia Buchan’s Orlofsky made his/her entrance sitting on one shoulder of an enormous bodyguard!)

The refrain had been in nice type. This was undoubtedly and all-singing, all-dancing present as there was no devoted dance group, everybody danced. And for the ensemble numbers, Metal had his refrain doing all types. Costumes for the ball had the requisite quantity of cross-dressing, and the refrain did handle to convey the concept the characters had been merely out for an excellent time.

The setting made admirable use of the fore-stage. This was the Eisenstein’s lounge in Act One (wanting extra like a Nineteen Thirties resort than an actual house) with a London streetscape because the backdrop on the primary stage. The issue with this was that the forestage’s lack of backdrop led to a
drop within the glamour quotient in Act One, however repaid in immediacy. For Act Two, a lot of the motion (an excessive amount of) occurred on the primary stage with Rosalinde and Eisenstein’s encounter on the forestage. For Act Three, the jail workplace was on the forestage with the cells on the mainstage. 

Johann Strauss: Die Fledermaus – Clare Presland, Julien Van Mellaerts – Opera Holland Park (Photograph: Craig Fuller)