I just saw a fantastic DVD I bought of Offenbach's "La Vie Parisienne."
This production was put on by the Opera National de Lyon; it has English
subtitles. The costumes are around 1876, more or less--they're stage
costumes.
But who cares about the costumes? The opera is a vivid, simultaneously
cynical and sentimental evocation of the demi-monde, with very witty
lyrics and dialog. It gives all the details of things like how a grande
horizontale juggles her lovers, and how people party at a fashionable
restaurant (the head waiter instructs new staff on when and when not to
enter a room in which a couple are dining), how they drink all night,
the various postures they wake up in, how they order tea and stagger home.
The singing and acting in this production are brilliant, and the music,
of course, is wonderful.
Fran
Lavolta Press
http://www.lavoltapress.com
_______________________________________________
h-costume mailing list
h-costume@mail.indra.com
http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
