RNCM Opera Orchestra, RNCM Chorus

Music by Jacques Offenbach
In an English version by Alistair Beaton
Libretto by Henri Mailhac and Ludovic Halévy

This December, they would like to take you on a whistle-stop tour of glittering Paris nightlife! This year marks the 150th anniversary of the world première of Offenbach’s famous operetta La Vie Parisienne and we are excited to present an English version by leading political satirist, Alistair Beaton.

Their production is set in 1930s Paris, where cosmopolitan gaiety has reached new heights of frivolity. La Vie Parisienne is a brilliant tangled tale of flirtatious masquerading and romantic intrigue. In the midst of this mayhem is a series of captivating relationships.

La Vie Parisienne was Offenbach’s first full-length operetta to portray contemporary Parisian life and quickly became one of his most popular works. The composer celebrated his own world through his music; he wooed it, praised it, mocked it and seduced it. In La Vie Parisienne, he held up a mirror to 1860s Paris – the work reflects the excitement and the giddiness that Paris inspires in its visitors to this day.

The theme is simple: everyone wants to visit Paris, live in Paris and love in Paris… It is a love letter to the most romantic of European cities. This witty, frothy, delightful romp brings La Belle Époque to vivid life in glorious technicolour and is a brilliant choice if you’ve never seen a live opera performance before. Please join us as we hurtle through the city of love and paint the town red!