Johann Strauss’s operetta Die Fledermaus is based on a French vaudeville, in its turn based on a play, and is all bawdy, naughty comedy. Yet the operetta premiered in 1874, a year after the stock market crash of May, 1873, had dealt the Austro-Hungarian Empire a huge blow. This may be why the operetta uses minimal sets and contemporary costuming (much cheaper!), but also nostalgically evokes the happier era of giddy times gone by. The story revolves around an elaborate plot to embarrass a couple, the Eisensteins, by their acquaintance Dr. Falke, who feels Herr von Eisenstein made a fool of him. The play is full of characters pretending to be who they are not, including the young Adele, a housemaid, who aspires to a stage career and thus impersonates an actress.
Adele sings Spiel’ ich die Unschuld vom Lande (I play the simple country girl) to demonstrate her acting skills to a prison warden who earlier, when disguised as a wealthy chevalier, told her he could further her career. The playful song is a little tour de force for the soloist, who can demonstrate not only a high tessitura but an ability to vocally act the part of an actress acting a part.