IF Carl Rosa Opera achieves nothing else in its history it can claim to have switched an Aston Villa footballer on to operetta.

A decade after Gazza burst into World Cup tears to the strains of Nessun dorma, former Tottenham and now Aston Villa star David Ginola is the organisation's patron.

"He had never seen an opera, never been to a classical music concert but this guy is turned on to it," said Die Fledermaus director Peter Mulloy, recalling Ginola's reaction when he first saw the company in operation.

Ginola is not alone, if audiences for Carl Rosa productions are anything to go by. The company is carving out a second home at Malvern, bringing The Mikado, Iolanthe and The Yeomen of the Guard to the venue in the past 12 months.

Die Fledermaus is the next production for the Festival Theatre, running from Tuesday (December 19) to December 30, and there are hopes of a visit with a new production of The Pirates of Penzance next year.

Next year is shaping up to be as busy as ever, with plans for a major tour of Australia and New Zealand, and the company's success is a finely balanced combination, according to Mr Mulloy.

Bringing modern and high standard production values while remaining faithful to the look and feel of the Victorian original is the balancing act employed by the company, which Mr Mulloy admits is not always easy to do.

The result has revitalised operetta and the popularity of Gilbert and Sullivan, already boosted by the hit film Topsy Turvey, and Carl Rosa now employs 65 people for 40 weeks a year on a commercial basis.

"It's wonderful, it's really wonderful, there is an audience there who recognise it and we like it," said Mr Mulloy. "We hit little golden hotspots around the country like Malvern or Bath or Newcastle."

The latest production, sung in German with a new English narration scripted by Ranjit Bolt, stars Beverley Klein singing Prince Orlofsky and Marilyn Hill Smith as Rosalinde.

Johann Strauss' original was first performed at the Theater an der Wien, in Vienna, in April 1874 and the Malvern production will be very much in keeping with its origins.

Performances are at 7.30pm, except for December 23, when it is at 8pm. There are no performances on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. Matinees, at 2.30pm, are on December 23, 27 and 30.

Tickets range from £8-£20 from 01684 892277.