This is a staging of the operetta Flagermusen fra Wien, in which the wealthy Baron Eisenstein is tricked by his friend Dr. Falke into attending a lavish ball at Prince Orlofsky's instead of serving a short prison sentence. Disguises, mistaken identities, flirtation and champagne lead to a string of comic situations, and every misunderstanding is finally cleared up in the prison the next morning.
Director Stefan Herheim's production is far more than a traditional operetta. It draws on references to Vienna's history, Austria's political past and other operas, especially Beethoven's Fidelio. The performance moves between different time frames, including 1938 and 2025, and explores themes of identity, repression, freedom and memory.
- Thomas Blondelle as Eisenstein
- Hulkar Sabirova as Rosalinde
- Alina Wunderlin as Adele
- Leon Kosavic as Dr. Falke
- David Fischer as Alfred
- Jana Kurucová as Prince Orlofsky
- Conducted by Petr Popelka
