"Celebrated by the audience with a standing ovation": Press reviews of the acclaimed premiere of Aschebrödels Traum (Cinderella’s Dream) 

“On Saturday, the world premiere – celebrated by the audience with a standing ovation – took place. Conclusion: A motley ride through societal shallows, and through the history of music and fairy tales.” (Oberösterreichische Nachrichten)

“Lots of applause for everyone involved.” (Kurier)

“And all of this within the framework of a visual firework display, accomplished by geniuses of stage design (Falko Herold), costume design (Alfred Mayerhofer), and lighting (Alex Brok).” (Der Standard)

“Composer Eisenreich quotes Strauss’s hits; she juggles genres and eras, from shakily rhymed hip-hop to operetta grandeur. Leslie Suganandarajah, Kapellmeister of the Linz State Theatre until 2019, guides the Volksoper orchestra with secure tempos and energy through this fun.” (Oberösterreichische Nachrichten)

“In the pit, Leslie Suganandarajah made a confident debut; the orchestra mastered the leaps between genres in Eisenreich’s score, which elegantly combined Strauss, feel-good film music, and hints of twelve-tone technique.” (Die Presse)

“Ranisch’s libretto is consistently witty (…). Martina Eisenreich repeatedly quotes music by Strauss, picks up on it, and distorts it in surreal ways; (…). In any case, the two collaborators have created a production that, in the Strauss Year 2025 (and beyond), offers a low-threshold, entertaining, contemporary approach to the Waltz King’s cosmos.” (Der Standard)

“Oliver Liebl portrays Cinderella with a sense of restraint, as someone who dreams all of this. He convincingly expresses his confusion when he realizes that he loves a man and even puts on a designer dress to dance with him at the Opera Ball. Lionel von Lawrence, as football star Danny, is his likeable partner. Ruth Brauer-Kvam throws herself into the role of the evil mother with verve. Juliette Khalil is a beguiling Ida. She and Daniel Schmutzhard, as a walking golden monument, make you sit up and take notice.” (Kurier)

“The world premiere features a strong cast. Juliette Khalil presents an Ida full of charm and assertiveness; Oliver Liebl (Cinderella) and Lionel von Lawrence (Danny Robinson) act pleasantly naturally and normally, whereas Ruth Brauer-Kvam, as Miss Alice, goes full throttle and swings her vibrato like a lasso. Jakob Semotan garners plenty of laughs as a shady football manager and as a lovestruck butcher, and Daniel Schmutzhard is golden anyway as Johann Strauss. There was also cheering for the Volksoper orchestra under the direction of Leslie Suganandarajah after the grand Opera Ball finale. And now: Let the waltz begin!” (Der Standard)