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"Four stars...Time to break out the champagne! The Canadian Opera Company's production of Die Fledermaus, which opened on Thursday night, is rich, racy, randy and irreverent."
"By the time the chorus’s five bat-girls are moving in sexy circles, you’ll want to stay forever. And when James Westman shows just how lovely a man in a ball gown can be, the whole thing becomes triumphant." "Space forbids me cataloguing all the dramatic and musical delights of this production. One must just say that conductor Johannes Debus makes Strauss’s score seems edgy and fresh...Don’t tell yourself that you’ve seen Die Fledermaus before. You haven’t. This is an eye and an ear opener that will thrill all adventurous opera lovers."
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"NNNN... Fledermaus is best known for its sumptuous score, including some of the most famous waltzes ever penned. The trick in any production is making those tunes feel fresh, and Johannes Debus (perhaps it’s his German background) does just that, letting us feel as if we’re riding a wave of music with his buoyant, spontaneous conducting. "The singers are a delight. David Pomeroy steals all his scenes as Rosalinde’s opera-loving paramour, Alfred; Barrett’s rich baritone redefines the word “authoritative”; Wilson’s voice has ample power and a silvery sheen; Schade is a fine comic singer; and Braid, a knockout in a gold and fur outfit in act two, sparkles like an uncorked bottle of champers. "This smart, sexy production will make you see and hear it in a new light."
"Musically opening night was a triumph. The voices were wonderful, led by the Rosalinda of Tamara Wilson...She was Amelia and Elettra previously for the COC, but Rosalinda is her best work yet...Michael Schade, a seasoned Alfred, sang his first Eisenstein, and it turned out to be a great role for his voice and his personality. David Pomeroy has just the right touch of tenorial pomposity to be a likable Alfred...As Adele, COC Ensemble Studio soprano Ambur Braid sang well and exuded star power...The makeup department did such an amazing job on Peter Barrett (Dr. Falke) that he was all but unrecognizable if it weren't for his beautiful baritone."
"The directorial twist makes it so interesting that even Prince Orlofsky wouldn't have been bored."
"To put on the world’s most popular operetta and do it in a way that still produces a genuine laugh and catchy innovations is a real accomplishment. Director Christopher Alden has done a marvelous job at bringing out the emotions from the actors and the levity from the situation. Michael Schade is captivating as Gabriel Von Eisenstein."
"The COC’s production of Die Fledermaus is a terrific journey of skilled performances that takes us on an exploration of our daily lives and brings us back to view them again for the first time. The set is compelling, the performances are lively and mischievous, and the costumes hilarious. In short this party is certainly worth the hangover back to reality."
(centre, l – r) Tamara Wilson as Rosalinde, Michael Schade as Gabriel von Eisenstein and Ambur Braid (kneeling) as Adele in the Canadian Opera Company’s new production of Die Fledermaus, 2012. Photo: Chris Hutcheson © 2012