 La Vie Parisienne
Music by Jacques Offenbach: Book and lyrics by Henri Meilhac and
Ludovic Halévy.
Théâtre du Palais-Royal, Paris - 31 October, 1866
Holborn Theatre, London - 30 March, 1872 (adaptation by F.C. Burnand)
Booth's Theatre, New York - 12 June, 1876
Paris in the 1860s - and cosmopolitan gaiety has reached new
heights of delightful frivolity. A divertingly-tangled tale of flirtatious
masquerading and romantic intriguing, it concerns irresponsible
men-about-town, fashionable demimondaines, aristocratic visitors
in search of a good time, and a motley assortment of flamboyant
characters. irrepressible, vivacious music and scenes of rapturous
hilarity make this glittering vision of life in the 'Gay Paree'
of the Second Empire a marvellously enjoyable show.
Synopsis
Act 1
Idle Parisians foregather in front of the Saint-Lazare railway
station to watch the arrival of foreign tourists. Two young
dandies — Raoul
de Gardefeu and Bobinet — are there too but not out of
idle curiosity. They are in love with the same woman, the demi-mondaine
Metella, and have come to meet her. They are busy avoiding each
other studiously when the Trouville train arrives, bringing Metella.
The two lovers rush forward but the minx is escorted by a third
beau and brazenly asserts that she doesn't know the other two.
When she has gone, Gardefeu and Bobinet fall into each other's
arms and patch up their quarrel; they decide that it's high time
they gave up all these <<fast women>> and their costly
ways for the homely and disinterested sweetness of the << ladies
of fashion>> on the boulevard Saint-Germain. Bobinet
rushes off full of hope. Meanwhile Gardefeu meets his former
man-servant Joseph who is now a guide employed by the Grand-Hotel.
Joseph has come to fetch some customers who are arriving by
the Le Havre train, the baron de Gondremarck, a wealthy Swede,
and his wife. The Swedes appear and as the baroness turns out
to be enchantingly pretty, Gardefeu asks Joseph to let him
take his place. Thanks to a large tip, Joseph becomes helpfulness
itself and leaves Gardefeu with his new customers while freshly
arrived travellers continue to pour out of the station; among
them is a Brazilian millionaire obviously bent on spending
his money as lavishly and as fast as he can.
Act 2:
Gardefeu has brought his Swedes to his own town-house, telling
them that it is an annexe of the Grand-Hotel. His first care
is to lodge them in separate bedrooms, with a view to fostering
his own amorous projects. The baron, intent as he puts it on <<stuffing
himself up to there>>, raises no objections. His main ambition
is to make the acquaintance of the lovely Metella whose countless
perfections have been detailed to him by one of his Swedish
friends. Who should then walk in but Metella herself, come to
make things up with her betrayed lover. Gardefeu is in a quandary
and explains that Metella's apartments are now occupied by the
baroness. Metella leaves in a rage, bent on revenge. Meanwhile
Gardefeu plans to entertain the baron with a table d'hote for
this first night and then to get rid of him the next evening
by sending him off to some improvised social <<do>>,
so as to give himself a clear field with the baroness. All this
however, is easier said than done. Fortunately, Gabrielle the
glover and Frick the boot-maker come to deliver their goods.
Gardefeu takes them into his confidence and they readily undertake
to collect a few friends to make up the table d'hote. Frick dresses
up as a major and Gabrielle as the widow of a colonel, and dinner
goes off with a swing.
Act 3:
Gardefeu has entrusted the organisation of his social <<do>> to
Bobinet who has been left in charge of his aunt's town-house while
the good lady is out of Paris. Bobinet, who is nursing his wounds
after his first contact with the <<disinterestedness>> of
the ladies of fashion, nevertheless throws himself into the fray
with commendable spirit. His aunt's servants will masquerade
as fashionable guests, while Bobinet himself will take on the
part of the baron's host, Admiral Walter, with the dowager's
chambermaid, Pauline, posturing as his wife. She is under strict
injunctions to seduce the baron and keep him away from his wife
as long as possible. Everyone gets marvellously tipsy and the
party is a howling success.
Act 4:
The Brazilian millionaire is offering a masked ball at the
Cafe Anglais. Alfred the majordomo is busy instructing his waiters,
advising them to << close their eyes>> as much as
they can. His advice is very sound for astonishing events are
about to take place which it would be too difficult to explain.
Let us merely say that Metella, anxious to win back Gardefeu,
is in league with the baroness who wants to extricate her husband
from the perils of Parisian life; that Gardefeu and the baron
almost come to blows and that the Brazilian and Gabrielle the
pretty glover discover the virtues of love at first sight. All
is well that ends well.
M.T.
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Instrumentation:
flute, oboe, 2 clarinets, bassoon, 2 horns,
2 trumpets, 2 trombones, percussion, harp, strings. Professional
Version: 2 flute, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets,
3 trombones, tuba, 3 percussion, harp, strings
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