We left at the interval...

Athénée-Théâtre Louis Jouvet, Paris, Wednesday April 12 2023 Conductor: Samuel Jean. Production: Émeline Bayart. Sets and costumes: Anne-Sophie Grac. Lighting: Joël Fabing. Prosper: Marc Labonnette. Antoinette: Clémence Tilquin. Marie-Anne: Sheva Tehoval. Félicie: Émeline Bayart. Claude: Victor Sicard. Jean-Paul, M. Victor: Jean-François Novelli. Hilarion Lallumette: Carl Ghazarossian. Orchestre des Frivolités Parisiennes. Photos: Marie Pétry Bru Zane strikes again. On Wednesday night, I went to see a time-capsule operetta (1933), Sacha Guitry and Reynaldo Hahn's Ô mon bel inconnu , at the Athénée Louis Jouvet, a belle époque time-capsule theatre (1896) around the corner from the Palais Garnier. Hahn's score is erudite and chamber-music-like, often nostalgic in feel, yet remains light and frothy. Guitry's text is far from woke, but clever and funny and full of rapid-fire puns, not just corny and/or cloying like many operetta libretti . For those who read the language, the...

Opéra Comique, Paris, Monday February 18 2013 Conductor: Laurence Equilbey. Production: Michel Fau. Sets: Bernard Fau, Citronelle Dufay. Costumes: David Belugou. Lighting, Joël Fabing. Ciboulette: Julie Fuchs. Duparquet: Jean-François Lapointe. Antonin: Julien Behr. Zénobie: Eva Ganizate. Roger: Ronan Debois. Françoise: Cécile Achille. Monsieur Grenu: Jean-Claude Sarragosse. Madame Grenu: Guillemette Laurens. Auguste-Victor: Patrick Kabongo Mubenga. Le Patron; Le Maire: François Rougier. Grisard: Safir Behloul. Le Lieutenant: Olivier Déjean. Madame Pingret: Bernadette Lafont. La Comtesse de Castiglione: Michel Fau. Le directeur d'opéra: Jérôme Deschamps. Accentus choir. Orchestre symphonique de l’Opéra de Toulon. Hahn Operetta seems to be in an odd situation in France. As long as I’ve lived here (i.e. for more than 30 years) I’ve heard the cliché that it’s outdated or “superannuated” yet also - another cliché in French musical journalism over the years - that it deserves ...