My cohort mates and I went with JS to the Volksoper to see Im weißen Rößl, The White Horse Inn in English. It’s a German comic opera about an Austrian inn in the picturesque Salzkammergut region near Salzburg. It premiered in Berlin in 1897 and the musical version went on to gain quite a bit of success on Broadway. It plays on the stereotypical Alpine idyllicness and sets up several romances that ensue throughout the operetta.

I enjoyed the music and thought it was rather funny, though in a poking-fun-at-the-provincials way that I didn’t really enjoy. The crowd seemed to love it though, so maybe it’s funnier in German.

The Volksoper theater is not the spectacular masterpiece the Staatsoper is, but they put on a good show. We had box seats, but before you get excited, I had the “shelf seat” – an elevated seat in the second row of the box. It was hard to see certain scenes honestly. Overall though, it was an interesting experience, and live entertainment is always a good idea.

Title quote: First lyrics of the chorus for “Im Weissen Rössl am Wolfgangsee,” in English: “The White Horse Inn on Lake Wolfgang/ there is happiness at the door.”