Just happened to be passing through Vienna last Monday and there it was, complete with JDF and ND! But instead of Dawn French we got Monserrat Caballe who probably had a rather different take on the role. 

She must have done some adlibbing, because some of it didn't appear in the surtitles in any language. She even sang a bit, a sort of lumbering folksong - sending herself up something rotten - but she doesn't care, does she?

(Actually I did enjoy it v. much at Buxton too, even with a chorus of only six, and no invading tank in the last act.  What did you think, Fosco?)

Ho Jean.  I posted my thoughts on the Buxton La Fille du Regiment - an opera I know extremely well - on the Grumpy Old Rant Room thread a day after the performance.  Here it is.  I do hope that it doesn't annoy you too much.
Cheers and regards.
S'wave
"Haa!.  I've never before encountered a lovely comic opera (La Fille du Regiment) turned into a pantomime from the moment the first body appeared on the boards.  No brass in the orchestra but there was a A PIANO!  The gallant regiment of French soldiers consisted of 3 men dressed in cheap costumes.  Their hats, and the hats of the four frightened (haa!) village girls were cut out pieces of what appeared to be thick illustrated cardboard, attached vertically to their foreheads with elastic or tape round the back of their heads.  From the side and back, the effect was ludicrous.  I could, perhaps, have understood it if they had been completely dressed as playing cards.  Some of the actions and movements were pure pantomime.  The sop was o.k. but tended to be somewhat gusty.  The tenor, quite a nice singer, but I expected a clearer, more ringing and less softly throaty voice.  Sergeant Sulpice had a good voice and played his part well.  The lady who played the small speaking part of the Duchesse de Krakenthorp  (oddly a small village in Cumbria) had obviously given no thought to the character at all and her part just fell by the wayside - wasted.  The sops mother appeared about the same age as her daughter.  I just cannot understand why any small company would attempt an opera that has a good deal of chorus work involving soldiers, villagers etc in fair numbers.  The minimum chorus, even for a small company, should be 5 of each voice.   Patrons:- Dennis O'Neill!!!.  Robert Lloyd!!!  Josephine Veasey!!!  Ryland Davies!!!  There was an article in the programme by the Chairman of The Donizetti Society!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Phew!
All in all, quite the worst overall performance of an opera I've ever seen.  Rant over.  Runs for cover with ducks behind sofa."

Soundwave's account  makes me quite wish I'd seen it...it sounds a hoot, and minimal productions are fine by me, provided the singing is acceptable of course.

I'm sure I read that when they were first written Donizetti's operas would have been put on by travelling companies (presumably with limited resources)? So perhaps there's a case for doing it on a shoestring. I did enjoy the ROH production but it seemed a bit OTT in some ways.

Yes, perhaps that's where I read it

Ho Don Basilio.  I'm not so sure about the "travelling players".   The first performance was at L’Opéra-Comique.  Marie's have included, amongst others, Alboni, Jenny Lind, Sonntag as well as quite a few sopranos of the last 100 years and the idea that small Mr Crummles Theatrical Groups travelling companies could manage Tonios and Maries is, I think, very suspect.   La Fille is not an opera of "high seriousness" but the singing is very serious indeed.  I've never been convinced that anything "poor" in the theatre is conducive to people being likely to become fans.
Cheers

Ho Don Basilio.  Language does indeed make a difference to musical vocal style.  Composers seem to draw on the sound quality of words for inspiration, particularly for melody and vocal phrasing and I think that most translations don't lie on the vocal line as well as the original language used by the composer.  There is also the question of the number of syllables.   Even in vocal range, the language makes a difference. French, for a tenor, is pretty good at the high end of the range - the "top C" in the Faust aria is a particularly good example - and a high "ee" vowel (as, for example, in mes ami) is conducive to a good mixed tone.  The vocal sound of the Italian version of La Fille is not a patch on the original.  Lina Pagliughi made a recording for Cetra, years ago, and, if you can find a copy I'm sure you'll agree.   If you look at Italian, French, German, Russian song, the styles, melodies and phrases are really bound up with the language.  French song translated into German is surely a no-no, although Erlkonig translated into French might be interesting.
May I suggest that you might find it illuminating to listen to one song each by, say, Schubert, Faure, Rachmaninov, Vaughan Williams and Granados.   
Cheers and regards.

Ho Don B.  As you will know, lied/lieder is German for song/songs and is used only in that context.  I have to say though that I have encountered it in descriptions of some Grieg songs and others where the text was in German.  Personally I like the term "art song" to distinguish "quality" non-German songs from ballads and drawing room ditties.   Regretfully, I'm not aware of any Dutch songs and have only encountered a couple of composers.  My friend in Friesland doesn't sound German and, interestingly, told me that Friesian and Norfolk fishermen meeting in the North Sea can understand each other very well.  Hm!

Glad to hear your tooth is better.  They can be a real painful nuisance at times.  The idea of giving up wine though, is totally disturbing and I may not now sleep tonight.  As a punishment for you mentioning the horrible chamomile tea, you are condemned to visit Potter's house in the next five months.
Cheers
p.s. prefer it in French.