Act I

The home of Gabriel Eisenstein

The chambermaid Adele is listening to a serenade sung by a former admirer of her mistress Rosalinde („Täubchen, das entflattert ist“). She has just been invited by her sister Ida to attend a ball given by the rich Prince Orlofsky, and, in order to get the evening off, she invents a heartrending story about a bedridden aunt whom she has to take care of. Rosalinde refuses, since her husband Gabriel, who has been sentenced to five days in jail for disorderly conduct vis-à-vis an official, is to report in prison that very same evening. Wailing, Adele rushes from the room. Alfred, the moonstruck tenor, enters; his voice has always thrown Rosalinde into an emotional turmoil. He coaxes her into an invitation for supper after Gabriel has left for prison and leaves in high good humour. Enter Eisenstein accompanied by the stammering lawyer Dr. Blind. He is boiling with rage. The lawyer has bungled his defence to such an extent that the sentence has been extended to eight days. Eisenstein kicks the sputtering man out of the room, orders Adele to fetch him a very special “last“ meal from the near-by inn and asks Roaslinde to prepare his shabbiest clothes for prison. Eisenstein’s crony, Dr. Falke, comes and invites him to accompany him to Orlofsky’s ball. He soon manages to override Eisenstein’s initial reluctance and tells him he can go to jail in the morning. When Rosalinde returns, she is amazed to find her husband in high spirits. He has changed his mind, asks for full dress “by which he will distinguish himself from the rabble in prison” and joyfully leaves after taking a very touching farewell. Adele is surprised to learn that, after all, she may take the evening off and is no longer needed.

As soon as Eisenstein has left, Alfred, who has been watching outside, enters the house and makes himself comfortable in Eisenstein’s dressing gown; he drinks his wine and again uses his voice to cast a spell over Rosalinde, who was on the verge of doubt about the whole situation (“Trinke, Liebchen”). Suddenly the doorbell rings - Frank, governor of the local prison, has come to fetch his illustrious client in person (“Mein schönes großes Vogelhaus”). Roslinde has no choice but to present Alfred as her husband, who, in turn, cannot very well compromise Rosalinde and therefore does not protest against being arrested, but makes the best of the situation by taking a very tender farewell of Rosalinde.

Act II

A great number of guests have assembled in Orlofsky’s villa. Falke introduces Eisenstein as ”Marquis Renard”. Orlofsky offers him a drink and explains that in his house every guest may do as he pleases („Ich lade gern mir Gäste ein“). Adele appears in her mistress’s very best evening robe. Her sister presents her as an aspiring actress, but Eisenstein recognizes her. When he mentions her close resemblance to his chambermaid she plays the role of an highly insulted lady (song “Mein Herr Marquis”). Frank, the governor of the prison, is announced as “Chevalier Chagrin”. He immediately strikes up a friendship with Eisenstein whom he has never met before. Finally Rosalind comes in. She, too, has been invited by Dr. Falke and is masked as a Hungarian Countess (czardas “Klänge der Heimat”). She is dumbfounded when she finds her husband, whom she believes to be languishing in prison, in very gay company. Eisenstein is immediately attracted to the beautiful masked unknown and begins to flirt with her, which gives her the chance to get hold of his watch as proof of his loose behaviour (duet “Dieser Abend”). Supper is announced. Eisenstein recounts how he once made Falke an object of ridicule of all the street urchins, when he deposited him, dressed up as a bat, in the middle of the street when they were returning from a masked ball in the early morning. With a malicious smile Falke points out that the day is not yet over. The ball continues and not until the clock strikes six there is a general rush for the door. Frank has to leave for his office in jail where Eisenstein should already be securely settled in his cell.

Act III

Very much the worse for wear, Frank arrives in his office and is received by the prison warden Frosch, who is never sober. Frank immediately falls asleep in his chair, but is rudely aroused by Frosch: Adele and Ida have come to ask his “protection” for Adele; seeing herself in the role of an actress such as she had played at the ball, she wants the “Chevalier Chagrin” to become her patron. Hardly has she given a sample of her talent with the song “Spiel ich die Unschuld vom Lande” than Eisenstein is announced. Frosch locks the two girls into a prison cell to get them out of the way. Frank and Eisenstein, both suffering from the after-effects of a tremendous hangover, reveal their true identity. Eisenstein sobers up on the spot - who then, is the man that Frank - as he delightedly recounts - had arrested in his own living room, in his own dressing gown, last night? Most opportunely Dr. Blind comes in to intervene for the fake Eisenstein, who is still in prison. When Frank leaves the room, Eisenstein grabs Dr. Blind’s wig, his coat and briefcase, throws the lawyer out and dresses up as Dr. Blind.

In the meantime Rosalinde has come to see Alfred. He is led into the office and both complain about unfaithful Gabriel, who has spent the whole night in the company of dashing girls. Rosalinde says that she will scratch his eyes out before suing for divorce. Livid with anger and jealousy Eistenstein wants to throw himself into a furious denunciation of his wife, when she dangles his own watch before his eyes as proof of his faithlessness. The others come in and Dr. Falke explains that he has staged the whole comedy only to take revenge for the “bat” affair of last year. Eisenstein has no choice but to go down on his knees, beg forgiveness from Rosalinde and serve his term. Orlofsky will take care of Adele, and all’s well that ends well. After all, there is no one to blame - but the champagne.

Act 1

Eisenstein's apartment

Gabriel von Eisenstein, a Viennese man-about-town, has been sentenced to eight days in prison for insulting an official, partially due to the incompetence of his attorney, Dr. Blind. Adele, Eisenstein's maid, receives a forged letter, allegedly from her sister who is in the company of the ballet, but actually written by Falke, inviting her to Prince Orlofsky's ball. She pretends the letter says that her aunt is very sick, and asks her mistress Rosalinde (Eisenstein's wife) for an evening off ("Da schreibt meine Schwester Ida"/"My sister Ida writes to me"). Falke, Eisenstein's friend, arrives to invite him to the ball (Duet: "Komm mit mir zum Souper"/"Come with me to the souper"). Together, they recall a practical joke which Eisenstein played on Falke a few years ago, for which Falke is secretly planning a light-hearted revenge in kind. Eisenstein bids farewell to Adele and his wife Rosalinde, pretending he is going to prison (Trio: "O Gott, wie rührt mich dies!"/"Oh dear, oh dear, how sorry I am") but really intending to postpone jail for one day and have fun at the ball.

After Eisenstein leaves, Rosalinde is visited by her former lover, the singing teacher Alfred, who serenades her ("Täubchen, das entflattert ist"/"Dove that has escaped"). Frank, the governor of the prison, arrives to take Eisenstein to jail, and finds Alfred instead. In order not to compromise Rosalinde, Alfred agrees to pretend to be Eisenstein and to accompany Frank. (Finale, drinking song: "Glücklich ist, wer vergisst"/"Happy is he who forgets" followed by Rosalinde's defence when Frank arrives: "Mit mir so spät im tête-à-tête"/"In tête-à-tête with me so late," and Frank's invitation: "Mein schönes, großes Vogelhaus"/"My beautiful, large bird-cage.")

Act 2

A summer house in the Villa Orlofsky

It transpires that Falke, with Prince Orlofsky's permission, is using the ball as a way of getting revenge on Eisenstein. Some time before, after a costume-party, Eisenstein had abandoned Falke, very drunk and dressed in a bat-costume, in the center of town, exposing him to ridicule the next day. As part of his scheme, Falke has invited Frank, Adele, and Rosalinde to come the ball, all concealing their identities as well. Rosalinde pretends to be a masked Hungarian countess, Eisenstein goes by the name "Marquis Renard," Frank is "Chevalier Chagrin," and Adele, who has borrowed one of Rosalinde's dresses without permission, pretends she is an actress.

The ball is in progress (Chorus: "Ein Souper heut' uns winkt"/"A souper is before us") and the Prince welcomes his guests ("Ich lade gern mir Gäste ein"/"I love to invite my friends"). Eisenstein is introduced to Adele, but is confused as to who she really is because of her striking resemblance to his maid. ("Mein Herr Marquis"/"My lord marquis," sometimes referred to as "Adele's Laughing Song"). Frank arrives. He and Eisenstein, who are both posing as Frenchmen, attempt to conceal their identities by repeating common French phrases to each other, to Orlofsky's great amusement. Since neither actually knows French, both are fooled. As the party progresses, they both experience alcohol-induced good-feeling and manly camaraderie for each other.

Then Falke introduces the masked Rosalinde to the company. She convinces everyone that she is Hungarian by singing the "Czardas", a sentimental dancing-song ("Klänge der Heimat"/"Sounds from home"). During an amorous tête-à-tête, Eisenstein tries unsuccessfully to persuade the mystery-woman to unmask. She succeeds in extracting a valuable watch from her husband's pocket, something which she can use in the future as evidence of his impropriety. (Watch duet: "Dieser Anstand, so manierlich"/"Her bearing, so well-mannered"). In a rousing finale, Orlofsky makes a toast to champagne, and the company celebrates (The Champagne song: "Im Feuerstrom der Reben"/"In the fire stream of the grape"; followed by the canon: "Brüderlein, Brüderlein und Schwesterlein"/"Brothers, brothers and sisters" and the waltz finale, "Ha, welch ein Fest, welche Nacht voll Freud'!"/"Ha, what joy, what a night of delight.") Eisenstein and Frank dash off as the clock strikes six in the morning.

(Note: The "Champagne song", which is sung by the entire ensemble, should not be confused with the baritone aria "Fin ch' han dal vino" from Don Giovanni, which is often called the "Champagne aria".)

Act 3

In the prison offices of Warden Frank

The next morning they all find themselves at the prison where the confusion increases and is compounded by the jailer, Frosch, who has profited by Warden Frank's absence to become gloriously drunk. Alfred, still in jail in Eisenstein's place, irritates the other prisoners by singing operatic arias.

Adele arrives to ask the Chevalier Chagrin (actually Frank) to sponsor her career as an actress, but Frank is not wealthy enough to do this (Melodrama; Couplet of Adele: "Spiel' ich die Unschuld vom Lande"/"If I play the innocent peasant maid"). Meanwhile, Alfred asks Frosch to summon Dr. Blind to help get him released; Frank agrees to allow this and Dr. Blind arrives. Eisenstein enters and says he has come to serve his sentence. He is surprised when Frank tells him that his cell is already occupied by a man who claims to be Eisenstein and whom Frank had arrested in Eisenstein's apartment. Frank further tells Eisenstein that the man he arrested was singing amorous songs to Rosalinde at the time of his arrest, and warmly kissed her goodbye. Enraged, Eisenstein takes Dr. Blind's wig and glasses in order to disguise himself and confront the impersonator Alfred, whom Eisenstein now believes has cuckolded him. Rosalinde enters. Eisenstein takes off his disguise and accuses her of being unfaithful to him with Alfred. Eisenstein, Rosalinde, and Alfred sing a trio in which Eisenstein angrily claims the right of vengeance (Trio: "Ja, ich bin's, den ihr betrogen...Ra-ra-ra-ra-Rache will ich!"/"I'm the one who was mistreated....Ve-ve-ve-ve-vengeance is mine!"). However, Rosalinde produces his watch, and he realizes that the Hungarian mystery-woman he tried to seduce at Orlofsky's party was actually Rosalinde in disguise and that he, not she, is at fault.

Falke enters with all the guests from the party and explains that the whole thing was payback for Eisenstein's practical joke on him three years before. Eisenstein is delighted by the prank, and he begs Rosalinde to forgive him for his attempted infidelity. Rosalinde refuses at first, and threatens to divorce him, but Eisenstein tells her that his misbehavior was caused by the champagne. She accepts this explanation and immediately forgives him unconditionally. Orlofsky promises to finance Adele's acting career, and the company joyfully reprises the "Champagne song" from Act 2.