From classics to rarities: this year too, there is everything for operetta fans at the Lehar Festival in Bad Ischl from July 6th to August 25th. It begins with Paul Abraham’s “Fairy Tale in the Grand Hotel” on July 6th, which director Thomas Enzinger himself stages in a jazzy version as a revue operetta. The premiere of the piece, whose libretto was written by Alfred Grünwald and Fritz Löhner-Beda, could no longer take place in Berlin in 1934 because the Nazis viewed the work of the three Jews as “degenerate”. “Nevertheless, it is a funny, entertaining piece,” says Enzinger. For him, musical entertainment theater and operetta are “anchor places”: “They offer time to pause and gather strength.”
“A luxury edition”
Jewish artists are the focus of the festival this year: Marie-Theres Arnborn Grünwald, Löhner-Beda and her colleague Ludwig Herzer are dedicating an exhibition in the Kongress- und TheaterHaus. Choreographer Evamaria Mayer wants to choreograph “Fairy Tale in the Grand Hotel” lively and with lots of dance performances. “It will be a luxury edition,” she is convinced. Or, as Susanna Hirschler, who plays Countess Inez de Ramires, says: “A fitness program for us actors.”
The second premiere is Carl Millöcker’s hit “Der Bettelstudent” on the program from July 13th. Director Angela Schweiger, who already directed in Ischl in 2022 and 2023, wants to emphasize both the “#MeToo aspect” of the story and show the “fun-loving, rough baroque world”. In both productions, Markus Olzinger, director of the Gmunden Musical Spring, builds the stage set.
Image: Hofer
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Image: Hofer
For Franz Lehar’s rarely performed operetta “Der Sterngacker” (from August 9th), artistic director Enzinger has hired the 23-year-old director Sebastian Kranner for his first musical theater production. The Viennese is considered a shooting star and has assisted Lotte de Beer and Andrea Breth. Bad Ischl is not new territory for him. His father Gernot staged several times at the Lehar Festival, his mother Andrea, also a singer and actress, was once press director. “For me it’s like coming home,” says Kranner, who spent many summers here.
With the Capital of Culture, the festival has announced a short operetta competition. The three 20-minute winning projects will be shown on July 2nd and 3rd. President Brigitte Stumpner is satisfied with this year’s advance sales. Last year there were 23,400 visitors, 1,400 more than in 2022. Occupancy was 85 percent. The festival has a total budget of 1.5 million euros. 20 percent of this comes from funding from the state and the city of Bad Ischl.