Saturday afternoon, November 9th at NOON
Get ready to party! To celebrate the Christmas season and welcome in the New Year we’re changing to a festive mood and a hilarious comedy. Die Fledermaus has now become a December tradition at Pescadero Opera and you are guaranteed to leave with a smile on your face.
Perhaps the world’s best loved comedic operetta, Die Fledermaus, is a Viennese tale of lechery, love, revenge and romance. It includes beautiful wives, juicy maids, amorous husbands, clever friends, a mysterious Count and a drunken jailer. The story takes place on New Year’s Eve 1899.
Covent Garden has gone all out in this extravagant production — white tie and tails, elegant ball gowns, a gold watch and lots of champagne. The operetta is a light-hearted story about a practical joke played on one friend by another a year earlier, leading to his getting mischievous revenge on his friend. Die Fledermaus features some of Johann Strauss II’s most romantic and familiar music.
This 1983 production has an exceptional cast, led by Kiri Te Kanawa and Hermann Prey, who are obviously having as much fun as the audience. The conductor is none other than a very young and dashing Plácido Domingo, who leads the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House with flair. For added delight Covent Garden has added about a half-hour of its own personal touches (which I won’t give away here).
Running Time: 2 hours 57 minutes, with two intermissions
Read / download the synopsis: Die Fledermaus
Read / download the English libretto: Die Fledermaus libretto
Listen to the Overture: Overture to Die Fledermaus
HOLIDAY BUFFET
We are celebrating the holidays
with a holiday ham or roast, sweet potatoes and a large salad.
Please bring a Christmas dish that you would like to share.
Newcomers to opera — These DVD presentations by the Pescadero Opera Society are a great way to learn about opera. The atmosphere is always friendly and informal — never stuffy. An introduction to the opera is given before the show, letting you know what you are about to see and hear, and any opera trivia available. Programs are provided that include a synopsis of the opera. The DVD includes English subtitles, and there’s always room for questions and discussion.
The opera is held in our fabulous Event Hall (lovingly referred to as “The Barn”). It will be shown on our wonderful giant-sized Gracie Anderson Memorial Movie Screen (donated by her son, Rodney), in six-channel digital surround-sound (donated by Jason Skinner and family, and several yard sales). Sit in our comfy theater seats (donated by Coastal Repertory Theatre), all set on our wonderful carpeting from the Ritz Carlton ballroom (donated by Kevin Palmer of Floors to Go, Premier Termite & the Long Branch Saloon/Event Center). Munch on popcorn from our fantastic popcorn machine (donated by Chris and Suneva from Aratas Pumpkin Farm). Keep warm and cozy with our 60,000 BTU heater and enjoy the show with our fabulous new projector (both made possible by your generous donations).
Socializing, barbecue and pot luck are held between 12:00-1:00 p.m. We will provide the main dish, large salad, drinks and snacks. Please bring a dish that you want to share for the pot luck. The opera starts promptly at 1:00 p.m. with a brief introduction by Phyllis Neumann.