The University of Iowa Opera Theatre will present Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II Friday-Sunday, May 2-4, in the Englert Theatre in downtown Iowa City.

The performances, conducted by William LaRue Jones and featuring stage direction by Bill Theisen, will be at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 2-3, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 4.

The story of Die Fledermaus: Gabriel von Eisenstein has to serve a short prison sentence for slander. His friend Falke advises him to first live it up at Prince Orlofsky’s masked ball, but without his wife Rosalinda knowing. In the meantime Rosalinda’s plans to entertain her lover Alfred are thwarted when Alfred—instead of Eisenstein—is taken off to prison by the prison governor. Rosalinda also goes to Orlofsky’s ball… Eisenstein makes every effort to seduce an unknown, masked beauty who filches his fine watch. The next day, when Eisenstein reports at the prison where Alfred is locked up in his place, all the strange goings-on come to light and Eisenstein realizes he seduced his own wife at the ball (as the watch proves). The chapter is declared closed…and the champagne is blamed for everything.

Theisen notes, “The victorious flight of Die Fledermaus to its exalted height as the world’s most popular operetta is due not only to the effervescent genius of its music, but also to the powerful way in which it has spoken and sung directly to succeeding generations about our deeply rooted desire to break free of societal constraints and sip the heady champagne of pleasure and fulfillment."

“It unites everything that ensures a work’s success. The first consideration is a good libretto, based on the Parisian vaudeville Le Reveillon and prepared with consummate skill for Johann Strauss by two incomparable practitioners of Viennese theatre. Strauss, immensely popular for his waltzes but yet to make his mark in operetta, was inspired by the text to a fever of invention. Legend has it that he shut himself in his villa and composed Die Fledermaus in only six weeks. The result was a work of seamless unity, brilliant in its dramatic concept and a masterpiece of controlled musical tension.”

The role of Rosalinda will be sung, in alternating performances, by Jessica Faselt and Jessica Saunders; the roles of Eisenstein and Alfred will be played by Stephen Jepson and James Judd, respectively.

Other artistic contributors to the Die Fledermaus production include scenery and women’s costume designer Margaret Wenk-Kuchlbauer, lighting designer Kurt Schnabel, stage manager Briana Maxwell, and vocal coach Wayne Wyman.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors (65 and over), $10 for youth (17 and under), and $5 for UI students (with valid UI ID). Tickets are available from the Englert Theatre Box Office.

The School of Music is part of the Division of Performing Arts in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all UI-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to attend this concert, contact the School of Music in advance at 319-335-1603.

For a UI arts calendar and details about upcoming events visit the new Arts Iowa website.