Lucia Ashton is madly in love with Edgardo, leader of the Ravenswoods, her family’s fiercest political enemies. However, her marriage to Lord Arturo Bucklaw has already been arranged by her brother Enrico, in order to save their family from poverty. Caught in the middle of the two rival families, Lucia loses her strength and descends into madness, leading to the opera’s tragic conclusion. Donizetti’s beautifully tumultuous score is highlighted by the iconic “Mad Scene,” an extended, virtuosic showpiece made famous by sopranos such as Joan Sutherland, Maria Callas, and Beverly Sills.

Gabriel von Eisenstein finds himself at Prince Orlofsky’s elaborate masquerade ball, along with his wife Rosalinde, their maid Adele, and his friend Dr. Falke. The catch? They’re all concealing their identities as part of an elaborate prank of light-hearted revenge. Just as things begin to unravel, all is revealed and the characters accept their bamboozlement, raising a toast to champagne’s delicious pleasures! With nonstop laughs from start to finish, Die Fledermaus has become one of the most well known and beloved German operettas of all time.