Offenbach – La Grande Duchesse de Gérolstein
Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris – December 16 2004 Conductor: Marc Minkowski. Production: Laurent Pelly. La Grande Duchesse: Felicity Lott. Wanda: Sandrine Piau. Fritz: Bernard Richter. Baron Puck: Franck Leguérinel. Prince Paul: Eric Huchet. General Boum: François Le Roux. Baron Grog: Boris Grappe. Népomuc: Alain Gabriel. Iza: Maryline Fallot. Olga: Blandine Staskiewiecz. Amélie: Aurelia Legay. Charlotte: Jennifer Tanni. The Notary: Christophe Grapperon. I can see I’ll never make it as a professional critic. When a performance is exceptionally bad, reviewing it is relatively easy. But when it’s exceptionally good, I can’t find the words. After a great deal of head-scratching, I decided that “mesmerised” would do to describe me during the final act of La Grande Duchesse de Gérolstein . I was mesmerised by Felicity Lott. In all my years of opera-going, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the expression “comic genius” so vividly made flesh. I wondered, as I sat there and watched her in her jauntily ...