The eponymous hero of Jacques-Louis David’s oil painting “Leonidas at Thermopylae” (1814) proudly presents his muscular, stark naked masculinity with saber and shield on the Gärtnerplatz stage for Josef E. Köpplinger’s production of Jacques Offenbach’s “The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein”, which was released shortly before Corona in March 2020 at the Semperoper Dresden. Because the “lady” finds everything that has to do with the military attractive and sexy, even or especially when her soldiers in the miniature state “Gerolstein” play very unmanly ballerinas or are less or completely undressed.
Like the charming, cheeky Fritz, whom the boss visits in the bubble bath and later physically assaults the man who is only wearing a towel around his waist. This is a really funny parade scene for the young, dapper lyrical tenor Matteo Ivan Rašić and his (character) colleague tenor Juan Carlos Falcón, who plays and sings the Grand Duchess beautifully en travestie! Because he/she was disguised in a deceptively real way by mask and costume (Alfred Myerhofer) and remains wonderfully indignant and chilled. At no time does he give the monkey sugar, except when it comes to a few nice manly top notes. Magical Fritzen’s bride, Wanda by Julia Sturzlbaum. Her dearest soprano outshines all half-silk masculinity with great grace.
Also famous is the octet of young dancers as soldiers, who form a wonderful constant in Adam Cooper’s choreography and act captivatingly both as a soloist and in the corps de ballet, because – what a beautiful utopia! – in “Gerolstein” simply does not want to find a real enemy to fight against. With Giovanni Corrado as the soldier Rudi, the gentlemen have a kind of lead dancer who not only has virtuoso, androgynous grace, but also delightful self-mockery.
Grenadier Fritz (Matteo Ivan Rašić) loves Wanda (Julia Sturzlbaum), even though the Grand Duchess has more than one eye on him.
(Photo: Jean-Marc Turmes)
If you have such a court, you no longer need enemies (from left): Baron Puck (Gunnar Frietsch), Eurusine von Nepomukka (Sigrid Hauser), General Bumm (Alexander Grassauer) and Prince Paul (Daniel Prohaska).
(Photo: Jean-Marc Turmes)
However, the Grand Duchess’s staff are all rough bangers in garish outfits, which director Josef E. Köpplinger and Thomas Pigor (“Additional Texts”) expect a lot of jokes in XXL. As there were: Alexander Grassauer as stupid, power-loving General Bumm, Sigrid Hauser as no less domineering Eurusine von Nepomukka as well as Gunnar Frietsch and Alexander Franzen as the barons Puck and Grog. To make matters worse, the small island state, which is presented in a nice Powerpoint presentation for the overture (video: Raphael Kurig, Meike Ebert), is invaded by a crowd of tourists led by tour guide Ulrike Dostal, who was already squeezing through the aisles of the theater before the start .
Above all, Jacques Offenbach’s enchantingly vital, ironic music shines with the cheerful orchestra of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz under the agile direction of Michael Balke. She makes fun of Verdi as well as the German opera and undermines every sung statement as subtly allusive as the scene on the other hand brings the unequivocal slapstick to the fore.