La Belle Helene

Jacques Offenbach's La Belle Hélène (1864) has always been one of it's composer's most successful works. • It's first, slightly scandalizing performance in Paris was quickly followed by productions in Vienna, Berlin, London, Milan and New York. • A satire of middle-class values, this opéra bouffe - told through the story of Paris and Helen, and her abduction by the Trojan prince disguised as a shepherd - pillories narrow-mindedness in society. • Adopting a pro-active stance, director Renaud Doucet and designer André Barbe treat the piece as a "great show" with numerous choreographic elements, relocating the action of Offenbach's classical spoof and setting it on a cruise ship in the 1960s, when Flower Power, love and drugs were all the rage. • "La Belle Hélène is a firework display for ears and eyes..." (Hamburger Morgenpost), "opulent and amusing" (Bild), and, in the title role, Jennifer Larmore convinces with her "fantastic vocal performance." (Das Opernglas)