Champagne is to blame for everything: Before the arrogant Eisenstein begins his sentence, he indulges himself at a party hosted by Prince Orlofsky. Meanwhile, his wife Rosalinde entertains her lover Alfred at home, until Alfred is unfortunately taken to prison instead of Eisenstein. In what is perhaps the most famous operetta, decadent Viennese life unfolds in a double-edged dance of champagne-fueled mistaken identities, masked affairs, and bourgeois hypocrisy.

The bat

Staatstheater Kassel

To the world-famous strains of Verdi's triumphal march, Kassel's new opera ship sets sail on its voyage through the ocean of the global market and the shallows of its global crises. What begins as a sensual cruise on our theatrical stage tanker in Kassel's new INTERIM venue will soon become the benchmark for a future of experiential music theater. And no sooner have we set sail than some are already grumbling that the boat is full, while others are demanding new defensive capabilities to preserve the current prosperity on deck.

Despite its crew of over 200 people—including the chorus, extra chorus, and supernumeraries, the state orchestra, the stage orchestra, the famous six distant trumpets, and the international cast of outstanding soloists—this musical ship of dreams is already listing badly on its maiden voyage with Giuseppe Verdi's Aida . For it soon becomes clear that Verdi's ecstatic love story is primarily a parable of European imperialism—especially in the popular choral scenes with their biting musical jabs at the war-mongering Prussian military and its blind obedience. This imperialistic quest for a place in the sun evokes memories of the German Empire, forcibly founded by Prussia in 1871, the year of the premiere, which is now confined to the walls of the Kassel Jägerkaserne, built in 1910. On its former parade ground, the new INTERIM of the formerly Prussian, now Hessian State Theatre Kassel will open in autumn 2025 with Verdi's monumental work.

Björn Edelmann

Events

Upcoming events

Mar 6 - Apr 29, 2026

The bat · Staatstheater Kassel

Mar 7 - Apr 11, 2026

Aida · Staatstheater Kassel

Past events

Mar 6 - Apr 29, 2026

The bat · Staatstheater Kassel

Future and recently performed repertoire

Dr. Blind in The Bat by Strauss

Staatstheater Kassel

Un messaggero in Aida by Verdi

Staatstheater Kassel

About

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