NEWS & PRESS
“The set was simple with sparkly elements, as well as the costumes. Anne added dialogue to this production, and this helped audience members follow the storyline. She also included many Minnesota references that audiences always enjoy. Anne sticks to the storyline but adds modern elements to it that work.”
—Jared Fessler, Broadway World, July 29, 2023
“Founder and creative director Anne Wieben, originally from Minnesota and now based in Vienna, has written original dialogue that is spoken in English between the German songs. With no supertitles in this outdoor production, the spoken text helps orient the audience with what’s happening in the story. It also offers opportunities for humor, and Wieben splashes in pop cultural references, and drops in local place names, like the Zorba’s on Otter Tail, for a humorous effect……Wieben’s text captures the absurdity of the original plot while adding a modern spin.
……great singers, performing on a stripped down but glittery set, and a great message about character trumping money and prestige.”
—Sheila Regan, Pioneer Press, July 27, 2023
“I do love to make my productions something the audience can relate to, and it is in the true style of operetta to make it so. In this version, Sylva is the leading lady at the fictional “Fledermaus Cabaret” in the Twin Cities, about to embark on a European tour. The music is sung in the original German, and I created a brand new English (or, shall I say, Minnesotan) dialogue so audiences will not only know what is going on, but have a few laughs along the way.”
—John Anderson, Twin Cities Arts Reader, July 20, 2023
“As Minnesota’s foremost authority in performing Viennese operetta – and more than a decade of experience performing this repertoire in Vienna – Anne Wieben brings a wealth of insight into The Merry Widow‘s moods, rhythms, and humor, suffusing the production with a tug that pulls you in. Throw in the gorgeous score and catchy songs, and it’s The Merry Widow better than you’ve ever imagined it before.”
—Amy Donahue, Twin Cities Arts Reader, July 24, 2022
Not only will this version have an original English dialogue created by founder and creative director Anne Wieben, but it will also be the debut of a brand new chamber orchestra arrangement done by our conductor, Marco Real d'Arbelles. This is going to be a real Minnesota original- you do not want to miss it!
—Jared Fessler, Broadway World, July 5, 2022
“And what of "Die Fledermaus" (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Die-Fledermaus) itself? Why did Wieben view it as particularly suitable for the debut of her upstart company?
"Because it's fun, fun, fun," she said with a laugh. "It has music that people recognize, even if they don't know that they know it. But it's not just catchy, there's some really beautiful music in there, too."
…Full interview
—Terry Blain, Star Tribune, July 22, 2019
“Original spoken dialogue by founder, director and star Anne Wieben gets interspersed with the sung German libretto, creating an accessible entry point….but Opera on the Lake’s secret is its marvelous singers.”
—Sheila Regan, Pioneer Press, July 27, 2022
“It’s summer in Minnesota, which means it’s officially Lake Time. By the lake, in the lake, on the lake – we’re not the Land of 10,000 Lakes for nothing. This makes the return of the Opera on the Lake festival to Lake Como this week as natural as sweet corn at the State Fair.”
—Amy Donahue, Twin Cities Arts Reader, July 27, 2021
Minimal staging, Maximal singing and a boatload of fun!
—Robb Hubbard, Pioneer Press, July 25, 2019