Nevada Opera Theatre turns comedic with ‘Die Fledermaus’

By Kristen Peterson

Friday, June 10, 2005 | 8:19 a.m.

A farce set up by a vengeful friend launches a series of mistaken identities in Johann Strauss' comic operetta, "Die Fledermaus," which will be presented Saturday by Nevada Opera Theatre.

Performed in English at UNLV's Artemus Ham Hall, "Die Fledermaus" features lyric soprano Laura Pedersen, formerly of the Bremen Opera Company in Bremen, Germany, as Rosalinda, the wife of Gabriel von Eisenstein.

The evening of trickery begins when von Eisenstein, scheduled for a brief stay in jail for a civil offense, heads instead to a masquerade, where he will unknowingly meet up with his wife, who is dressed as a Hungarian countess.

Meanwhile, Rosalinda's admirer from the past is sitting in jail, a case of mistaken identity from when the warden arrived and saw the admirer with von Eisenstein's wife and played the role in order to save her good name.

The three-act operetta is derived from the French play "Le Reveillon," which followed "Das Gefangnis." It was produced in Vienna in 1874. This is a return performance of "Die Fledermaus" for Nevada Opera Theatre, which presented the operetta in 1987.

"It's light. It's happy. It's frolicking," said Eileen Hayes, director and founder of Nevada Opera Theatre, explaining why she selected "Die Fledermaus" as the company's first performance since last summer's presentation of "Madama Butterfly."

"It's everything you want to see in an operetta," Hayes added. "It's the grand operetta of Strauss. The music is magnificent."

Timm Rolek, artistic director of the Sacramento Opera, will server as guest conductor for the production, which includes the Nevada Opera Theatre chorus as well as a live orchestra. The performance is funded by grants and donations by Las Vegas residents and local foundations.

There will be a pre-opera lecture at 7:20 p.m. and a post-opera reception.

Of Pedersen, who Hayes found after conducting a national and regional search, Hayes said she is perfect as Rosalinda.

"It takes a particular artist who has that spinto in her voice, that ease," Hayes said. "And she is an excellent actress. She's the whole package.'