Die Fledermaus Review: Strauss Opera Lacks Fizz but Shines in Act 2026

The new Die Fledermaus review at Opera Holland Park finds Johann Strauss's beloved operetta short on effervescence until its final act. While the staging by Liam Steel offers clever updates and elegant lyrics, the production's fizz rises too late for a truly sparkling evening.

Set in London on New Year's Eve 1929, this adaptation uses the Metropolitan Opera's 2013 English version by Jeremy Sams and Douglas Carter Beane. The shift from 19th-century Vienna to a louche Noël Coward farce brings deliciously tart lines and cheeky historical references, including a wink at Winston Churchill and Ivor Novello.

Die Fledermaus Review: Production Values and Set Design

Neil Irish's set for the Eisensteins' salon feels insufficiently nouveau riche, with free-standing doorframes that fail to impress. However, placing it on the forestage allows performers intimate contact with the audience. The second act's deco ballroom, complete with gilded Degas centrepiece, offers more flourish but sits too far back, making the company feel distant.

It's the third act, set in a police station with an affable moustachioed bobby (Robert Burt's winning performance), that finally raises the chuckle level to where it needs to be. Steel pulls off nice bits of physical comedy, and Sams' lyrics are a constant treat: “Drink another drink with me, you've had none and I've had three,” sings the libidinous tenor Alfred, delivered stentorianly by Xavier Hetherington.

Performance Strengths and Inconsistencies

The acting can be inconsistent—act one starts off a little Acorn Antiques—but strong performances emerge from Rebecca Bottone as the put-upon wife and others in the ensemble. The production's determination to reflect the anything-goes spirit of the age gives it legs, even if the frothy saga of bourgeois infidelity and mistaken identities doesn't always sparkle.

Key Takeaways from This Die Fledermaus Production

• The 1929 London setting adds wit but dilutes Viennese charm.
• Act three is the strongest, with Robert Burt's bobby stealing scenes.
• Sams' lyrics are the production's highlight, consistently clever.
• If you value froth and fizz, arrive early for the best seats near the forestage.

Overall, this Die Fledermaus review concludes that while the production has flourish and froth, it lacks the consistent sparkle that makes Strauss's operetta a true champagne experience. For opera lovers, it's still worth seeing for the third act alone, but manage expectations for the first two.

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