Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss At the Met, NYC, 13 Jan 90 We walked almost straight from our airplane to the Met to see Die Fledermaus tonight, and I am glad we did. Even the overpriced, splendid seats (eighth row, center, orchestra) were worth it at $95 each. We were initially disappointed tohear that both leads were out sick; we'd been looking forward to seeing Carol Vaness for the second time. But she and Hermann Prey were replaced by Karen Hoffstodt and Vernon Hartman, respectively, and I thought both were first-rate.Indeed, I was taken by Hoffstodt-a big, pretty, vivacious soprano who acted well and performed with great vigor throughout. Her voice was unchallenged by the music, but she sang with good tone and ample power (although we were so close it was hard to tell how she filled the hall). Hartman likewise was vigorous; his good looks and able acting made him a good choice for Eisenstein. Harolyn Blackwell as Adele and Niel Shicoff as Alfred also sang and performed well. This was the second time I had seen a soprano playing a male role (the first was in Idomeneo) and once again I found it lacking. Brenda Boozer has a pretty enough voice but little power and no presence; she made Prince Orlovsky a timid sister. The show also was marred for me by the slapstick jailer routine of Dom DeLuise-a funny man who seemed wildly out of place in the opera. I guess the celebrity jailer is a Met tradition; a couple of people mentioned an earlier Sid Ceasar performance. Still, I found it jarring, especially with the repeated ad libs of recent vintage (Zsa Zsa and Lenora Hemsley jokes, etc.). The lawyer, Blind, also seemed crude and over-drawn to me, with lots of tasteless stuttering jokes. There was a great scene change in Act II, when the prince's antechamber became the dining room. The sets were uniformly great. The conductor was Hermann Michael, young and energetic; the orchestra was splendid, especially on the big Strauss-like overtures and set pieces. Production: Otto Schenk; Sets: Gunther Schneider-Siemssen.