Barbora Čechová / Reviews

Another nomination for the Moravian-Silesian Cultural Award Amber goes to Opava. In the category of musical and operetta, the jury nominated the young actress Zuzana Benešová, who played the role of courtesan Denisa de Flavigny in the operetta Mamzelle Nitouche. The premiere took place at the Silesian Theater last autumn. The jury for musical and operetta consisted of Halina Františková, Pavel Bár, Milan Bátor, Josef Herman and Michael Prostějovský. She decided to nominate Zuzana Benešová with the following reason: Benešová played the double form of the character in a masterful way and also demonstrated a natural comic talent. ”Veronika Forejtová and Martina Šnytová from the Moravian-Silesian National Theater received further nominations. Which of the artists will win the award will be clear on March 15, when the final secret ballot will take place shortly before the gala evening.

On Sunday, October 13, the Silesian Theater in Opava premiered the popular operetta from the environment of the monastery, barracks and the Mamzelle Nitouche theater. The composer is Florimond Ronger, known by the pseudonym Hervé. It was first played in Bohemia in 1890 and was a great success. It all starts in the monastery near Vlaštovičky, where he works as an organist and singing teacher Célestin. However, he leads a double life, under the pseudonym Floridor he is the author of an operetta, which will soon premiere. One of Denis's convents is to marry Lieutenant Fernando de Champlatreux , but they have never seen each other before. She is to be accompanied on the train to Paris by the organist Célestin. Denisa reveals that the organist is the author of the operetta and wants to attend the premiere. There he meets his fiancé and introduces himself to him as Mamzelle Nitouche. Neither has any idea that they are engaged. Denisa eventually saves the premiere when one of the actresses Corinna surprises and experiences great success. The train to Denise and Célestin leaves for Paris and returns to the monastery. There, the lieutenant comes to apologize for falling in love with another, unaware that Denisa is in fact Mamzelle Nitouche. Director Dominika Beneš managed to incorporate a number of humorous messages into the operetta, which gave it a modern touch and prove that this genre can be modern even in the 21st century. Stage designer David Janošek once again used his creativity and the audience will certainly be engraved in the memory of the birdhouses on the monastery wall. The conductor Josef Štefan took care of the musical side and pleasant melodies. It is necessary to highlight the performance of the orchestra of the Silesian Theater in Opava. For example, the clarinet, cello and a number of brass instruments were given more space in the operetta, and the overall interplay was really excellent. The pearl of the whole production was Barbora Čechová in the role of Denisa, who literally shone on stage and surpassed the others in her singing performance. Katarína Jorda in the role of prima donna Corrina with her French accent and quarreling with her acting colleague Sidonia, played by Zdenka Mervová, bent the defenders of many spectators. A great move was also the casting of Zdeněk Kapl in the role of the mother of the monastery , whose sentence "she is an angel" will certainly not be forgotten by the audience. The same can be said about Michal Stalmach, who, in the role of a drunken officer, Loriot, did not spare humorous messages. Everything was beautifully illustrated by the colorful costumes of Zuzana Přidalová, which really fit into the production. During the performance, the actors also came up with a few ironic remarks about the air conditioning of the theater or the actress Kamila Srubková, who received the audience award from Opava Thalia before the performance. It is a truly creative operetta that makes every viewer laugh and clearly shows that even in this genre, various embarrassing moments and clichés can be avoided.