Jaques Offenbach's opera is a swift-moving pageant of characters and events capturing the spirit of Paris in the 1860's.
Alain Francon's production spills onto the stage complete with a steam train, the carnival stories of servants disguised as their masters, trollops masquerading as society ladies, the decent bourgeoisie and the salt of the earth workers.
Francon, aided by a splendid cast whose singing is matched by their comedic acting, captures the helter skelter vision of Offenbach as he spins a fevered and delightful illusion, giving the audience no breathing space, not ime to reflect on its ephemeral and fragile nature. Underlying the frenetic, mad pursuit of fun and pleasure is the quality which is ingrained in all of Offenbach's work - the melancholy of the morning after the party when all that remains is the lees of the wine and the memory of passing joy.
