European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 19, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Opera Las vegas style spectacular productions highlight Bregenz festival i. A 2 a f w 1,  Brogam 77�e floating stage set for the flying dutchman includes a Lighthouse that towers overtake Constance. By Frank Wiswell a couple of years ago i was describing to a German Friend a performance of tales of Hoffman that i had seen at the Bregenz summer opera festival a the 12-foot-High mechanical dancing dolls that exploded the cast members who Quot fell Quot into the Lake surrounding the stage the fireworks finale that created a portrait of the composer Jacques Offenbach. His comment was Quot they do very Las vegas style productions in  it was not intended to be a compliment. But to me it was a succinct description of the Appeal the summer festival in Bregenz has for us americans who May not be so much into opera As entertainment. The operas staged on the floating stage at Bregenz every summer Are immensely entertaining a whether or not you can Tell a conductor from a contralto whether or not you understand German whether or not you know anything at All about opera because of their dazzling state of the Art staging. In recent years the management of the Bregenz festival seems to have realized that the Las vegas like technical potential of the stage floating in Lake Constance is what makes theirs different from other festivals and has selected operas that can fully utilize these technical abilities to achieve special visual effects. Two years ago it was tales of Hoffman the Story of a poet who Falls in love with various women including a Contessa in Venice a Singer who will die if she sings and a doll so skilfully made that he believes it is a real girl. Before that it was Mozart s the magic flute the Story of a Prince and Princess whose love for each other is tested in a surreal Garden of fire. In 1909 and this year Bregenz has gone to a work by Richard Wagner All of whose operas have magic As a main character and demand special visual effects to achieve their full Impact. The opera is the flying dutchman Der Flie Gende Hollander the Story of a sea Captain condemned to sail his ship on the open sea until he can find a woman whose love can redeem him. Once he finds her however in a Small norwegian Village her landlubber Boyfriend objects. Misunderstandings ensue among the dutchman the girl and the girl s father who has More concern for the dutchman s treasure than for his own daughter and things go rapidly downhill for the characters i not for the audience. The highlight is the third act which ends with a spectacular suicide the burning of a giant Cross and a general conflagration on the stage. The performance i saw last year had been updated from the time of sailing ships to the time of steamships. The Basic floating set was the engine room deck of a ship that realistically pitched and was sprayed with water during the storm sequences. But with a few flicks of switches the engine room s machines turned into the spinning wheels and looms of a 19th-Century sweatshop for the second act As the heroine Senta Sang of her obsession with the legend of the flying dutchman. Another set of switch flicks and we were Back on Board the ship for the third and wedding Celebration. Over the set of the ship factory stood a four Story High Lighthouse and in front of the set was  living room and a floating Island in the water Between the seats and the stage. The opera was performed As Wagner intended it to be without intermission which made the performance a compact 2 hours 15 minutes from the 9 15 . Curtain. My Only reservation about the production was that the dutchman s ship was designed like a prefabricated modern apartment building rather than a traditional ship. It did All sorts of things after it sailed in from stage right in act i and sailed off again at the end of act Iii. It draped and und raped collapsed its Walls bulkheads to give you a blazing glimpse of hell in its Interior whirled around in the water a White its Crew stood in its blood red portholes and burst into flames As it sailed away. How should you get tickets to see the salvation of the flying dutchman Well it won t be smooth sailing. Tickets for this year s performances went on Sale last october and most Are already sold out. If you want to try to get to a performance this year you can try calling the ticket office in Bregenz 0043-557422811. They list their hours As 9 . To 5 . On weekdays but i called at 6 . And got an immediate answer. They speak English and they will take Telephone reservations under certain conditions primarily the nearness of the Call to the Date of the performance. I was told there were a few singles available for most performances a few Days in Advance. Or Why not make a Little vacation of it and go Down to Bregenz a few Days before the performance you be got your Eye on Check at the daily Box office kasse2 in the fest Spilhaus open monday saturday from 812 and 1-5 ., sunday 9-12 and 1-5 . And otherwise enjoy yourself. The drive to Liechtenstein and Chur Switzerland is magnificent in Clear weather. Or you can ride the train. Bregenz is a Stop for every train out of Southwest Germany or Eastern Austria on its Way to Switzerland and vice versa. There Are also seven ship departures a Day from the Harbor within walking distance of the fest Spilhaus for the major cities around Lake Constance a Lindaur Friedrichs Hafen Constance a on the big Lake streamers As Well As special Day excursions to such locations As the nature Reserve South of Bregenz or to j Maina known As the Island of Flowers. There Are Many vacation possibilities in the area for you to while away your time while Hunting for Good tickets write the Bregenz tourist office Verk Ehrsam Inse Strasse 15, a-69 Bregenz Telephone 0043-5574 23391 for ideas. If on the other hand you have a burning desire to see the dutchman saved now you May have a More interesting experience than seeing the performance a Quot fishing Quot for tickets the Day evening of the performance. This kind of fishing requires skill stamina at least a Little German and a lot of Money in Small Bills. Tickets for a performance Range from 750 austrian schillings $64 to 200 schillings $17and you had Best be prepared to pay for whatever comes stripes Magazine july 19, 1990