ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD Arrives at Rockdale Opera Company
by Kristen Morale
- Jul 8, 2016
With an original libretto by Hector Cremieux and Ludovac Halevy and now directed by Ralph Bott and orchestrated by Jon Smith, this version is based on 2nd version, of 1874. The sub-title is Opera Feerie which translates as "extravaganza", and in 1874 it was an absolute extravaganza. The cast was comprised of 42 named principals; 100 choristers (men, women and children), and sufficient dancers for four Grand Ballets (10 Principals, 16 corphees and 60 dames des corps de ballet) … A grand total of 228 performers Offenbach's comic, bitingly satirical, witty and occasionally "naughty" parody of the tragic Orpheus legend involving the Mount Olympus Gods of classical Greek mythology is a farcical, merry romp that has delighted audiences the world over since its Paris premiere in 1858.
