The Girl in the Train by the Chicago Folk Operetta: Premiere

Chicago Folks Operetta presents

The GiRl in the train by Leo Fall

 

 

Chicago premiere of The Girl in the Train by the Chicago Folks Operetta

 

Chicago Folks Operetta brings the charm and humor of the Viennese waltz operetta genre to life in Chicago with its imaginative production of The Girl in the Train at The Athenaeum Theatre. Just in-time for Oktoberfest, this rarely performed operetta has all the trademark Viennese melodies and dances of the waltz operetta genre.  Leo Fall is perhaps best known for his beautiful waltz melodies, lush Viennese harmonies as well as fun dance numbers that defined the Viennese Silver Age of operetta.  They made his music a staple of café society and dance halls around the world.  However, his skewering of Viennese social conventions and witty dialogue is what made him a one time rival of Franz Lehàr in popularity.  The Girl in the Train was known as The Divorceè in Europe and it wasn't until it was presented by George Edwardes in London that it was altered, reflecting a vogue for the word "girl" in Edwardian productions.  Chicago Folks Operetta has retained the Edwardian title but given the show a brand new English translation by Hersh Glagov and Gerald Frantzen that closely traces the German version and brings all the Viennese wit and humor of the original to life. 

 

Fall's The Girl in the Train, with a book by Victor Leòn, tells the story of young Gonda van der Loo, a practicioner of free love, and her chance encounter on a train.  Gonda, while travelling on an overnight train to Holland, finds herself without a sleeping car berth.  A young gentleman, Karel van Lyssweghe, generously offers his compartment to her.  The two, however, become

locked in the compartment.  Their cries and knocks go unheard and they are forced to spend the night together.  Young Karel's wife finds out and they are soon headed to divorce court. After many complications and high jinks the two are reunited and even the divorce court judge finds love. 

 

It first debuted in 1908 at the Carltheater in Vienna.  This operetta gem made its U.S. premiere in New York City in 1910 but has not been seen or heard in the United States since, as the vogue for Viennese operettas declined following World War I.

 

The operetta will be performed in English and performances will take place on September 12, and 13 at 7:30 pm; September14, at 2 pm; September 19 and 20, at 7:30 pm; and September 21, at 2 pm.

 

Chicago Folks Operetta is a non-profit theater company devoted to the nurturing of live operetta through articulate and dynamic productions.  In the belief that the arts serve to illuminate the human condition, we are dedicated to the revival and development of operetta, a popular and accessible form of music and theater for general audiences.  In particular, the CFO concentrates on producing both Viennese and American operettas from the early 20^th century.

 

The company was founded in 2006 by the husband and wife team of Gerald Frantzen and Alison Kelly.  Both are accomplished stage performers with wide-ranging credits including performances with Santa Fe Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Sarasota Opera, and the Lyric Opera of Chicago in additional to leading roles in The Phantom of the Opera.  While living in Germany, the pair developed a love and appreciation for the cultural experience of the operetta genre, and is committed to bringing this same experience to North America.

 

Tickets are $25 for adults and $22 for seniors, and are available for purchase from Ticketmaster at 312-902-1500 or ticketmaster.com.  All performances will take place at The Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Avenue, in Chicago.