"La belle Hélène" is one of Offenbach's most beloved opéra-bouffes, and it's easy to see why : it combines magnificently funny music with a magnificently funny libretto overflowing with malicious puns, riddles and barbs. In my humble opinion it needs to be performed in the original French, since I've not yet heard a translation, however good, reach the same level of inspired madness.
As an Offenbach lover you can do worse than watch this version here : it's well worth a look. Julie Robard-Gendre is a convincing Helen, and it doesn't hurt her case that she's indeed blessed with physical beauty. Still, it's a pity that her interpretation feels one-note : it's pretty clear from the beginning that this queen of Sparta is nothing but a high-class wh.re. I've seen interpretations where the character was given more emotional depth, as a woman betrayed by, and struggling against, both her own ardent feminity and the frivolous unkindness of the gods. Julien Dran on the other hand is a comical delight as Paris. (His hilarious blond haircut, by the way, deserves a fanbase of its own). It's easy to imagine this prince Paris sitting behind the wheel of an expensive sportscar, tipsy on champagne and shouting flippant insults at the hoi polloi... Watch out for Dran as "The great soothsayer of Venus", exhorting a whole vile multitude to turn gai...
Many of the costumes were inspired by the clothing worn at the court of the Sun King. The same period and environment also inspired a lot of the props and scenery. One can grasp the reason behind this choice : this creates a general background of antique protocol and solemn pomposity, which can then be mocked and subverted, for instance by the inclusion of deliberate anachronisms. Besides, for many Frenchmen Louis the Fourteenth was, and remains, the ultimate monarch - "le grand roi" without whose help no-one can tell a tale about kings or kingship. Still, the clothes look and feel cumbersome, to the point where they seem to hamper some of the actors/singers in their movements. The last act, when many of the characters walk around draped in lighter costumes or indeed in blankets, comes as a bit of a relief.
(On the other hand the poor soul acting the part of the goddess Venus could have used some extra yards of fabric, since she seemed to hail straight from a tacky nightclub, complete with strategically placed bling. Boo there ! "La belle Hélène" should be naughty, daring and sophisticated - but never ever vulgar...)
Offenbach lovers may want to compare and contrast this "Hélène" with another recent one, this time from the Théâtre du Châtelet. I'm talking about the excellent 2015 Théâtre du Châtelet adaptation with direction and stage management by Giorgio Barberio Corsetti and Pierrick Sorin. (In imdb terms, it easily deserves nine or ten stars.) It's a beautifully staged version with many visual touches of fantasy and invention - and Kangmin Justin Kim is a hoot as Orestes, the most unstoppable fils-à-papa in all of Greece.
As an Offenbach lover you can do worse than watch this version here : it's well worth a look. Julie Robard-Gendre is a convincing Helen, and it doesn't hurt her case that she's indeed blessed with physical beauty. Still, it's a pity that her interpretation feels one-note : it's pretty clear from the beginning that this queen of Sparta is nothing but a high-class wh.re. I've seen interpretations where the character was given more emotional depth, as a woman betrayed by, and struggling against, both her own ardent feminity and the frivolous unkindness of the gods. Julien Dran on the other hand is a comical delight as Paris. (His hilarious blond haircut, by the way, deserves a fanbase of its own). It's easy to imagine this prince Paris sitting behind the wheel of an expensive sportscar, tipsy on champagne and shouting flippant insults at the hoi polloi... Watch out for Dran as "The great soothsayer of Venus", exhorting a whole vile multitude to turn gai...
Many of the costumes were inspired by the clothing worn at the court of the Sun King. The same period and environment also inspired a lot of the props and scenery. One can grasp the reason behind this choice : this creates a general background of antique protocol and solemn pomposity, which can then be mocked and subverted, for instance by the inclusion of deliberate anachronisms. Besides, for many Frenchmen Louis the Fourteenth was, and remains, the ultimate monarch - "le grand roi" without whose help no-one can tell a tale about kings or kingship. Still, the clothes look and feel cumbersome, to the point where they seem to hamper some of the actors/singers in their movements. The last act, when many of the characters walk around draped in lighter costumes or indeed in blankets, comes as a bit of a relief.
(On the other hand the poor soul acting the part of the goddess Venus could have used some extra yards of fabric, since she seemed to hail straight from a tacky nightclub, complete with strategically placed bling. Boo there ! "La belle Hélène" should be naughty, daring and sophisticated - but never ever vulgar...)
Offenbach lovers may want to compare and contrast this "Hélène" with another recent one, this time from the Théâtre du Châtelet. I'm talking about the excellent 2015 Théâtre du Châtelet adaptation with direction and stage management by Giorgio Barberio Corsetti and Pierrick Sorin. (In imdb terms, it easily deserves nine or ten stars.) It's a beautifully staged version with many visual touches of fantasy and invention - and Kangmin Justin Kim is a hoot as Orestes, the most unstoppable fils-à-papa in all of Greece.