The Fair Helen by Offenbach, Ġim 18 Nov 2022, Minn (2022/2022), Immexxi minn John van Cauteren, Surmast Direttur Joop Dieteren, Munttheater, Weert, Netherlands

Offenbach not only composed, he also conducted, directed and produced his pieces. He also had an eye for young talent. This is how he discovered and accompanied his main singer, diva Hortense Schneider. In 1864 he wrote for her the role of Helena in his most famous work: La Belle Hélène, which contains some of Offenbach's most beloved melodies. The dialogues, which are funny and contain frequent references to the present tense, are very important. They largely tell the story and contribute to the light-hearted and comic character of the play. In addition, the sung pieces will be provided with surtitles. The first performance of La belle Hélène took place at the Parisian Théâtre des Variétés at No. 7-8 Boulevard Montmartre, on December 17, 1864. La belle Hélène was an immediate success with both the public and the critics and managed to reach 700 performances in its first production! In the Netherlands the work was mainly performed by amateur operetta associations. In any case, it is not easy to find on the internet whether and when professional performances have been shown in the Netherlands.