A Night of Laughter and Music: The UI Music Department Presents Die Fledermaus 

At 7:30 p.m. on both March 1 and 2, the UI Music Department will be performing “Die Fledermaus” in the Hartung Theatre. Tickets are free for students enrolled in the Lionel Hampton School of Music. Tickets for non-music students are $10 and general admission is priced at $12. Tickets are on sale now for the two-night performance of the show. 

“Die Fledermaus” is an Austrian operetta that has been performed for over 100 years in Austria and surrounding countries. First shown in 1874, it is traditionally performed on New Year’s Eve as the themes surrounding the play represent the same ideas of a party before a new age.  

However, with just a few alterations, UI’s version of the show revolves around a group of Austrian friends in the year 1899, just before the beginning of the new century, and the fall of what is known as the Austian-Empire.  

Director Stefan Gordon said, “This is one of the most central Austrian shows… It comes from the golden age of Vienna.”  

While the music will be sung in German, the dialogue for the show will be in English, with English subtitles for the German music, giving this Austrian attraction an American flair. The show will also feature a live orchestra. 

Gordon explained the music will be upbeat and cheery, and the dialogue will match the music.  

“It is a silly show, a bedroom comedy. There is almost never a serious thing in the show,” said Gordon.  

Another thing to look out for is the costume and set design, which will be “set 100% in the period and the costumes will be authentically turn of the century,” Gordon said.  

The sets will take a more minimalist approach, but Gordon is proud of what the combined efforts of the Music and Theatre departments have come up with. 

“They built what we conceived and made it look very nice,” Gordon said. 

In a discussion about the show and its plot, Gordon said, “It is set during the days of a crumbling empire” and that the characters can be described as “Gatsby-esque” and “Upper-middle class people who are pretending their world is not about to collapse.”  

The show is full of drinking, singing and shenanigans. The show is three acts and clocks at a perfect two-hour run-time, not including the two 10-minute intermissions.  

For those interested in purchasing tickets, please visit here or contact the Auxiliary Department at (208) 885-4636.  

 Jack DeWitt can be reached at [email protected]