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Event
Die Fledermaus (The Bat) by Johann Strauss
ACT I. Vienna, 1890s. Through the windows of the Eisenstein home floats the serenade of Alfred, a tenor still in love with his old flame Rosalinde, now the wife of Gabriel von Eisenstein. Adele, a chambermaid, enters reading an invitation to a masked ball; Rosalinde, bedeviled by a headache and believing she has heard Alfred's voice, enters but finds only Adele. Alfred steps into the room and begins to woo Rosalinde, who tries to resist but melts on hearing his high A. Alfred leaves as Eisenstein and his lawyer, Blind, return from court: Eisenstein has been sentenced to a fortnight in jail for a civil offense. Eisenstein dismiss the incompetent advocate as his friend Falke comes to invite him to a masquerade, suggesting he bring along his repeater stop-watch, which charms all the ladies, so he can accumulate pleasant memories to sustain him while in prison. Rosalinde & Adele say farewell to Eisenstein as he departs for prison, surprisingly in full evening dress. Dismissing Adele, Rosalinde receives the ardent Alfred. Their tete-a-tete is interrupted by the warden Frank, who mistakes Alfred for Eisentstein, the man he has come to arrest. Rosalinde persuades Alfred to save her name by posing as her husband, and Frank carts him off to jail.
ACT II. An antechamber at the palace of Prince Orlofsky. The guests, Adele and her cousin Ida among them, await the arrival of their host. Orlofsky enters, bored despite Falke's promise of a comedy of errors. The Prince proclaims his guests free to do anything that suits their fancy. Adele, dressed in one of Rosalinde's gowns, flirts with Eisenstein. Rosalinde, also invited by Falke, arrives disguised as a Hungarian countess; she is soon wooed by her own husband, whose pocket watch she steals to hold as proof of his philandering. Rosalinde sings a song about her "native" land, a spirited czardas. Champagne flows, and the guests dance wildly until dawn. When the clock strikes six a.m., Eisenstein staggers off to keep his appointment at the jail.
ACT III. Prison. Frosch, a drunken jailer, tries to keep order among the inmates. Frank arrives from the Prince's party, still giddy with champagne. Ida and Adele follow Frank, thinking him a theatrical agent, believing he might further their stage aspirations. Frank hides the women in a cell as he admits Eisenstein, who has come to begin his sentence. Eisenstein is surprised to learn his cell is already occupied by a man who claims to be him and who was found supping with Rosalinde. To obtain an explanation from the impostor, Eisenstein snatches a legal robe and wig from his astonished lawyer. No sooner is he disguised than Rosalinde hurries in to secure Alfred's release and press divorce charges against her errant husband. With her would-be paramour, she confides her flirtation to the "lawyer." Enraged, Eisenstein removes his disguise and accuses his wife of promiscuity, at which Rosalinde whips forth the watch she took
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LocationJan Hus Playhouse
351 East 74th Street
New York, NY 10021
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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