About the work
Die Frau Meisterin is a comic magic operetta in three acts by Franz von Suppé, with a libretto by Karl Costa. It premiered on 20 January 1868 at the Carltheater in Vienna and was Suppé's first full-length operetta, eight years before Fatinitza.
Plot
The sorcerer Pierre magically swaps the roles of the gentle Columba and the domineering Leontine, forcing each to live henceforth in the other's social station and marriage. Their exchanged lives push both women toward self-recognition, until everything is resolved for the better in the end.
Cultural significance
The dual role of the two contrasting women became a showcase part for the Viennese popular actress Josefine Gallmeyer. Critics were divided: some called the libretto a “tasteless magic farce”, others found it “more sensible and amusing than a dozen popular operettas”.