LA VIE PARISIENNE to be Presented at Opera Saratoga
Performances will take place on June 20, 26, 28 at 7:30pm and June 22 at 2pm.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Apr. 29, 2025
Opera Saratoga will present La Vie parisienne: composed by Jacques Offenbach, with a libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, and a new commissioned book by Tim Drucker (Trixie and Katya Live!) Offenbach's 1866 homage to Second Empire Paris celebrates a time of freedom - of borders, love and identity - and weaves a convoluted and hilarious narrative.
After being dumped by opera singer Metella (Tivoli Treloar), bourgeois bachelors Gardefeu (Randy Ho) and Bobinet (Michael J. Hawk) reject French women and set out to score a Swedish Baroness - the only problem? Her husband! Impersonating tour guides, Bob and Garde lead the Swedes through an improvised Paris - starting with a hotel which is actually Garde's apartment featuring his glove-maker as a war widow (Sung-yeun Kim). Will Paris reveal herself as the queen of culture and love? Or will the city of lights look too bright through the next morning's hangover?
Offenbach's romp has hummable tunes, fabulous parties, and champagne-fueled seductions which will have you dancing out of your seat and rolling in the aisles with laughter. Directed by general and artistic director Mary Birnbaum and conducted by Juliane Gallant (Calgary Philharmonic), the cast includes Fantine Douilly, Chuanyuan Liu, Danny Lugo, Brennan Martinez, Kate Morton, Wagner Mauricio Pastor, Chase Sanders, Geoffrey Schmelzer, Michael Segura, Sadie Spivey, Jack O'Leary. Scenic Design by Krit Robinson, Lighting Design by Anshuman Bhatia and Costume Design by Audrey Nauman and Michael Schaffner. Movement consultant Cailli Quan, speech and voice coach Annie Shikany, french coach Benedicte Jourdois and music staff Laurie Rogers and Djordje Nesic round out the team. The opera will be accompanied by the Opera Saratoga Orchestra. Performances will take place on June 20, 26, 28 at 7:30pm and June 22 at 2pm.
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