Rosemonde Gerard

BWW Review: Chabrier's EDUCATION Makes for a Charming but 'Incomplete' Evening from Opera Lafayette

There's a great Scottish word that came to mind while I was watching Emmanuel Chabrier's one-act French operetta, UNE EDUCATION MANQUEE (AN INCOMPLETE EDUCATION), this past weekend by Washington, DC's Opera Lafayette at the French Institute-Alliance Francaise in New York. It's “twee,” which roughly translates as “affectedly dainty” or “quaint.” The French don't seem to have an equivalent; the closest I could come up with is “mignon,” which means “cute” and doesn't quite fit the bill for this slight-yet-charming piece of Gallic fluff.

Cyrano: Translated by Ouroboros at the Theatre Building

Cyrano: Translated by Ouroboros at the Theatre Building