Classical Music, Theatre

The bat

Sunday, 04/01/2026 / 05:00 PM - 12:00 AM / Theaterzelt Schwerin

Operetta by Johann Strauss Text by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée New dialogs by Stephanie Schimmer Premiere17. October 2025

Gabriel von Eisenstein is sent to prison - for a trivial matter, as he thinks. But instead of going straight behind Swedish bars, he is persuaded by his friend Dr. Falke to attend a glittering masked ball. What Eisenstein doesn't realize is that Falke has a plan of his own. Eisenstein once abandoned him drunk on a park bench in a bat costume after a costume ball - a mockery that spread throughout the city. Now it's Falke's turn to turn the game around.
The carousel of confusion gathers pace at the party of the eccentric Prince Orlofsky. Eisenstein, disguised as a French marquis, flirts violently with a supposedly foreign beauty - who turns out to be his own wife Rosalinde. Chambermaid Adele also gets involved in glittering disguise and takes the opportunity to recommend herself as a stage star. Between sparkling champagne, false identities and real love chaos, the night escalates - until everyone involved ends up in prison, where the grand finale awaits.

Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus is the dazzling jewel of the golden operetta era. Since its premiere in 1874, it has been regarded as the epitome of Viennese esprit: with feather-light wit, pointed social criticism and lively waltz melodies. The Vienna-born director Stephanie Schimmer is working with the Magdeburg-born set and costume designer Toto to transfer her favorite operetta into a Schwerin context with a fresh look.

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