Die Fledermaus

Abigail Kelly playing Adele in a pub

Ever had too much to drink on a night out?

Ever had your friends film your idiotic behaviour – superhero costume and all – and then put it on YouTube?

Follow Falke’s attempt to get back at his mate Eisenstein after one too many in this contemporary re-imagining of Johann Strauss’s classic Die Fledermaus.

Claire Wild as Rosalinde & David Horton as Eisenstein at Arcola Theatre

Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus (‘The Bat’ or Bat Man!) is a hugely fun, often silly story with some brilliant characters and very catchy tunes. Our new production was re-imagined for London life today, cut to approximately an hour, and with a new modern English libretto by Baseless Fabric Artistic Director Joanna Turner, and with the music re-written for violin, accordion and bassoon by Leo Gey er. Though originally created with London high streets in mind, we also re-imagined it again for the Arcola Theatre to be part of their prestigious Grimeborn Opera Festival.

James McOran-Campbell playing Falke in a Community Centre in Pollards Hill

This production followed on from the success of our two previous street operas Drifting Dragons (which we also took to Grimeborn in 2016) and Cosi Fan Tutte (OffWestEnd Award Finalist for Best Opera Production). As with those productions we also had an extensive outreach programme for Die Fledermaus for young people and the elderly.

Reviews

The ensemble is met with an audience stomping their feet and shouting for an encore, and I wish we’d got one-

, A Younger Theatre

Baseless Fabric Theatre’s production of Die Fledermaus at the Arcola Theatre proves to be the most charming introduction to opera, full of unpretentious laughs and masterful musicians.-

, A Younger Theatre

The laughs come thick and fast; the score is cleverly conveyed by bassoon, violin and accordion (arranged by bassoonist Leo Geyer); and the singing is glorious.-

, Theatre Cat

Hadjilouca’s design stands back and lets the piece flow, the ideal backdrop for Joanna Turner’s skilfully choreographed, high-energy direction-

, Theatre Cat

Joanna Turner’s lean, entertaining production-

, Theatre Cat

An operetta that, in the wrong hands, can outstay its welcome was over too soon.-

, The Guardian

[the cast] were assured and witty, both musically and dramatically-

, The Guardian

Whisked the frothy original into a nimble 50- minute snapshot of modern life-

, The Guardian

It’s great fun, and Turner’s updating gives a ring of truth to the potentially farcical story.-

, The Stage

The ensemble is tight and pace lively-

, The Stage

Small but perfectly formed production-

, The Stage

Turner’s slick adaptation… is propelled by natural colloquialisms … and an enthusiastic and convincing cast-

, The Stage

David Horton as Eisenstein & James McOran-Campbell as Falke at Arcola Theatre

Highly innovative, and truly unlike anything else.-

, The Basic Theatre Review

A delight to watch-

, The Basic Theatre Review

The production features an immense level of inventiveness, creativity and ambition.-

, The Basic Theatre Review

Die Fledermaus was quite unlike anything I have ever seen within my lifetime-

, The Basic Theatre Review

Creative Team

Leo Geyer – Arranger/MD
Joanna Turner – Director & Librettist
Jack Weir – Lighting Designer
Marina Hadjilouca – Designer
Lavinia Serban – Stage Manager
Cassidy Davis – ASM
Petros Kourtellaris – Design Assistant

Singers

Claire Wild – Rosalinde
Abigail Kelly – Adele
David Horton – Eisenstein
James McOran-Campbell – Falke

Instrumentalists

Leo Geyer – Bassoon
Henry Rankin – Violin
Ilona Suomalainen – Accordion

Brass Band:
Sian Collins
Derryck Nasib
Ben Day

Performance Dates

Date	Time	Location
Thu 1st Aug	5pm	COLLIERS WOOD Starts at Savacentre / The Qube, SW19 1DD	FREE
Fri 2nd Aug	11am	POLLARDS HILL Starts at New Horizon Centre cafe, CR4 1LT	FREE
Sat 3rd Aug	1pm	RAYNES PARK Starts at Waitrose, Raynes Park, SW20 0BS	FREE
Sat 3rd Aug	5pm	WIMBLEDON Starts at Elys, Wimbledon SW19 4DP	FREE
Tue 6th Aug	8pm	Arcola Theatre – Indoor Seated Version 24 Ashwin St, Dalston, London E8 3DL	SOLD OUT
Wed 7th Aug	8pm	Arcola Theatre – Indoor Seated Version 24 Ashwin St, Dalston, London E8 3DL	SOLD OUT
Thu 8th Aug	5pm	WANDSWORTH TOWN Starts at Southside Shopping Centre, SW18 4TQ	FREE
Fri 9th Aug	1pm	MITCHAM Starts at Morrisons, Mitcham, CR4 2JS	FREE
Sat 10th Aug	1pm	CLAPHAM JUNCTION Starts at ASDA, 204 Lavender HIll, Battersea, SW11 1JG	FREE
Sat 10th Aug	5pm	WIMBLEDON VILLAGE Starts at Bayley & Sage, 60 High Street, Wimbledon, SW19 5EE	FREE
Tue 13th Aug	1pm	MORDEN Starts at Oxfam, 31 London Road, Morden, SM4 5HT	FREE
Tue 13th Aug	5pm	TOOTING BROADWAY Starts at Tooting Market, Tooting High Street, SW17 0SN	FREE
Wed 14th Aug	1pm	ROEHAMPTON Starts at Roehampton Library, 2 Danebury, Ave, SW15 4HD	FREE
Wed 14th Aug	5pm	WIMBLEDON Starts at Ground Floor, Elys, Wimbledon SW19 4DP	FREE