The bats will be loose in the Ludwig Recital Hall this weekend when the opera Die Fledermaus opens.

Directed by Vernon Hartman and John Sikora, the play features a group of characters surrounded by hi-jinx.

Die Fledermaus Where? Ludwig Recital Hall When? Friday & Saturday 8 p.m., Sunday 7:30 p.m. How much? $7.50 for students, $15 for non- students

“These are just ordinary characters that get caught up in all these mistakes,” Hartman said. “It’s really charming because all the characters are caught trying to be someone they aren’t. It has a hysterical repartee of dialogue.”

Opera director Sikora brought Hartman as a guest director to Kent State. This will be Hartman’s second trip to Kent as a guest director.

“We’ve been friends for 30 years,” Sikora said. “I respect his work highly.”

Hartman said this is an “operetta” everyone can relate to.

The opera is based around 10 character roles. Each character disguises themselves as another person and goes to a party at a villa. The night unfolds for the characters and two end up meeting each other again in jail.

“There are a lot of issues raised in this play that are prevalent to today’s current events, which is why it’s so hilarious,” Hartman said.

Sikora chose this piece because “the world needs a few more laughs.”

Corey Fowler, a sophomore music education major, plays the role of Frank, the prison warden.

“This operetta includes more spoken lines,” Fowler said. “It’s more accessible to the non-opera-watching people. I feel the audience will understand the humor and plot more than older operas.”

Contact performing arts reporter Megan Rozsa at [email protected].