The Bat

The delightful Johann Strauss comic opera Die Fledermaus was mercilessly lampooned in this truly bizarre production. For starters, a framing device has been added: After appearing in 300 consecutive appearances of Fledermaus (which translates as The Bat) the lead tenor (Georg Alexander) imagines that he's seeing bats everywhere. Driven a bit over the edge by all this, he falls asleep and has a nightmare about the opera, with a group of non-singers cast in the leading roles. The original libretto about romantic assignations, political imprisonments and mistaken identity is burlesqued to the hilt: at one point, the hero finds out that his prison cell is surrounded by rubber tubes!

Cast

Lída Baarová Maria Weigel / Rosalinde Hans Söhnker Kammersänger Hans Weigel / Eisenstein Friedl Czepa Hanni / Adele

Jola Jobst Berta / Ida

Georg Alexander Staatsanwalt Wentin / Frank

Robert Dorsay Chauffeur Franz / Alfred

Hans Moser Hans Moser Harald Paulsen Rechtsanwalt Dr. Rommel / Dr.Falke Karl Stepanek Attaché Baranoff / Orlovsky Hans Stiebner Kapellmeister Otto Graf Rundfunkreporter

Albert Ihle Präsident

Metadata from the source database.