Arts

03.10.10 - UK Opera Theatre presents Strauss Classic by Kim Thomas

Opera is when a guy gets stabbed and instead of bleeding, he sings. —Ed Gardner (1905-63)

Die Fledermaus (perhaps the world’s best loved comedic operetta) includes champagne-swilling cast of characters, including a beautiful middle-class wife with a doubtful past, a passionate Italian tenor, and respectable husbands who can’t resist pert parlor maids with theatrical ambitions.

The setting is a New Year’s Eve party with “issues” that serve as the basis for the hilarious and irresistibly tuneful opera “Die Fledermaus (The Bat)” by Johann Strauss Jr., the so-called Waltz King of Imperial Vienna, where parties were a specialty and Viennese composers such as Strauss knew how to tickle
your funny bone.

Amanda Balltrip (whose a capella rendition of national anthem brought the house down at the UK-Florida game at Rupp Arena) is playing Rosalinda, one of two female leads. Balltrip explains, “Rosalinda is the wife of Gabriel von Eisenstein, who is a lawyer. She’s the drama queen of the show. I have never sung Fledermaus before, except for the well-known ‘Laughing Song’ that Adele (Rosalinda’s chambermaid, and the other female lead) sings in Act II.

There are two difficult things about singing Rosalinda: 1) Managing the technical singing difficulties that come with the role. It’s low, high, fast, slow…but, it’s a welcome challenge. 2) Keeping a straight face! Die Fledermaus is like the Mel Brooks of opera, in my opinion. Unlike most operas, this operetta features a lot of spoken dialogue, you really have to keep your acting chops up.”

Balltrip adds that since it is a comedic opera, rehearsals have been especially filled with uncontrollable laughter. “Michael Friedman, who’s playing Frosch (the drunken jailer), hasn’t cracked a single time. Yet, he’s cracked all of us up! For him to not sing a single note in the whole opera, he could certainly steal the show. I have to say, however, that Fledermaus is an ensemble and you could truthfully say that about any of the leading roles.”

“Also, we just found out this weekend that UK Opera Theatre will be recording this production of Die Fledermaus with Albany records! The opera is double cast, and we don’t know who will sing on the recording yet, but it’s another wonderful opportunity for UKOT. We’ll record sometime after spring break and it will be available later this year.”

She adds, for the benefit of Opera novices, “Oh, and…it is a German opera, but will be sung in English with supertitles. If you’ve never been to the opera before, this is a great one to start with.”

Mark Kano is singing the role of Alfred, the Italian tenor, in Die Fledermaus; Alfred is the lover and singing teacher of Rosalinda. Kano describes the character as “a big ham.” This summer, Kano will be singing the role of Eisenstein in the same opera, Die Fledermaus, in Rome, Italy with the Operafestival di Roma. He says, “I love performing, but teaching voice to young singers is a true passion of mine as well. In addition to singing Eisenstein, I will also be teaching voice lessons to young participants in the program.”

Manuel Castillo (who starred in Summerfest’s production of Once On This Island, directed by Margo Buchanan, who is the assistant director for Die Fledermaus) will also be performing in the Rome production of Die Fledermaus, but is sitting this one out—he is, however, standing by in case he’s needed to fill the role of Alfred. “I am not singing unless the two Alfreds (Mark Kano or Gavin Wigginson) get sick or cannot perform for some any reason.”

Performances of Die Fledermaus by the University of Kentucky Opera will be presented March 11th, 12th and 13th. Evenings 7:30pm. Saturday matinee 2pm. Tickets 859.257.4929. Info, http://www.uky.edu/scfa

Kim Thomas also writes about arts and activism at kimmyville.blogspot.com

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