Clivia
Music: Nico Dostal
Text: Charles Amberg
Clivia Gray — Anja Backus
Juan Damigo — Andreas Bongard
Louis Londres / Lelio Down — Carmen Steinert
Generalin Yola Damigo — Jeanett Neumeister
E. W. Potterton — Benjamin Sommerfeld
Gustav Kasulke / Grandma — Undine Dreißig
Caudillo / Diaz — Vincent Casagrande
Orchestra: Magdeburgische Philharmonie
Chorus: Opernchor des Theaters Magdeburg
Ballet: Ballett Theater Magdeburg
Conductor and arrangement: Kai Tietje
Director: Julien Chavaz
Dramaturgy: Christoph Clausen
Recorded: 9 November 2025
Language: German
Subtitles: English, German
Streaming premiere: 9 January 2026
Available until: 9 July 2026
Platform: OperaVision (YouTube)
Free streaming
Nico Dostal’s Clivia, premiered in Berlin in 1933, is a dazzling operetta that blends political satire, Hollywood glamour, and romantic intrigue in the fictional Latin American state of Boliguay. Fast-paced and sharply ironic, the work belongs to a moment when operetta absorbed the language of cinema, popular culture, and contemporary politics.
At the centre of the story stands Clivia Gray, a celebrated Hollywood star whose presence on a film set becomes entangled in a plot involving revolution, corruption, and a planned coup. Around her unfolds a kaleidoscope of shifting identities, false alliances, and unexpected emotions, as the boundary between fiction and political reality begins to blur.
Running parallel to Clivia’s story is Louis Londres, a reporter driven by the childhood dream of seeing his name on the front page of The New York Times. Moving between observer and participant, he documents the conspiracy while shaping the narrative itself, embodying the operetta’s playful reflection on media, ambition, and illusion.
This new production from Theater Magdeburg is based on the 2014 staging by Komische Oper Berlin and presents a refreshed musical version by conductor Kai Tietje. Director Julien Chavaz, together with dramaturg Christoph Clausen, offers a contemporary reading that balances fantasy and satire, allowing Clivia to emerge as both a period piece and a surprisingly modern theatrical statement.
Now available on OperaVision, Clivia offers a rare opportunity to rediscover a lesser-known operetta that combines melodic charm with pointed humour and theatrical imagination.
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