DVD : Offenbach - La Grande-Duchesse de Gerolstein / Lott, Piau, Beuron, Le Roux, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Minkowski (Theatre du Chatelet)

Rating: - Kudos to Laurent Pelly!!!
I think the great success of this production is owed to the stage direction of Laurent Pelly and the choreography of Laura Scozzi as much as the great performances of the principal players. I could imagine how tedious this light-hearted, three act farce could have been in the wrong hands. But, it was in the best hands!

The slapstick story moves right along with scene after scene of hilarious dance numbers and absurd costumes and scenery. Felicity Lott was supremely funny in the title role and gave a great singing and dancing performance. Equally demanding were the roles of Sandrine Piau as Wanda and Yann Beuron as Fritz, which both acquitted superbly. Le Baron Puck of Franck Leguerinel, Le Prince Paul of Eric Huchet and Le General Boum of Francois La Roux were athletically as well as vocally great.

This has to be seen to be appreciated. The hilarious ballet at the beginning of Act III was actually outdone at the next change of scene. I laughed out loud continuously; it was funny, inventive, absurd. Imagine twenty men wearing executioners' masks and the Baron, the Prince and General Boum, all huddled together in the bedroom planning the impending murder of General Fritz. Do you think he would notice them?

This production rolled right along with Offenbach's rolicking music under Marc Minkowski's direction and Laurent Pelly's inspiration. Pelly is the one to watch for in the future. It seems that everything he touches turns to gold!

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Rating: - Highly amusing, don't miss it!
I agree with the other reviewers here who are delighted by the hilariously nuanced performance of Dame Felicity Lott. Although there are a number of operas in which experienced (read `middle-aged') female singers can appear, for example The Merry Widow, there are few where `a certain age' is an absolute requirement and deportment a true asset. La Grande-Duchesse is one such work where the star needs to be not only a great singer but also a talented actress in that most difficult of all fields, comedy. It is a shear delight to watch Dame Felicity control the stage with her marching about, berating her costars, and all the comic asides that she injects throughout this longish opera.

The audio and video in this the first Virgin DVD disk I have viewed is exemplary and can be used to demonstrate not only a home theater system's abilities, but also to show those not terribly interested in opera just how amusing and entertaining it can be. Prior to reading the reviews here, this work was completely unknown to me, however it only took a very short time to appreciate the catchy tunes and melodies that Offenbach had distributed freely throughout the work.

Normally I would tend to criticize the abstract stage-sets such as used in this performance, but here they seem appropriate and work perfectly. The uneven ground of the trenches in the first act gives way to the strange living accommodation of the Grande-Duchess with its exposed staircases climbing in all directions, to the beach scene in the last act. Although in my opinion this work would be considerably lessened without the star vehicle of Dame Felicity, the entire ensemble with all their individual eccentricities contribute enormously to this show's success. Mention should also be made of the dance routine performed by the soldiers in the trench, completely unexpected and very funny. I can do nothing but highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys light opera.

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Rating: - a tad too buffo
Most of the reviewers here find this one a great first opera to show friends. It is a little over the top with clownishness; but you know, so was I Love Lucy, or The Honeymooners. And that, perhaps is what most find highly entertaining or amusing, and thus it becomes a nice escape from drudgery. Also, I have been so thrilled and surprised by the likes of Donizetti, Bellini, Rossini, and some more rare composers, that this only seems flippant by comparison. It does contain good music and great vocals; and some pretty impressive choreography.

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Rating: - An absolute delight!
An outstanding production of a deligthful opera-bouffe. I showed it to a bunch of opera fans and everybody raved about it. Fabulous entertainment for very little cost! Don't miss it!

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Rating: - Very Funny, Great Lott
Dame Felicity Lott struck me as all wrong as La Belle Helene, so I wanted to say she's an unqualified howl as La Grande Duchesse. Here, middle age works for her dramatically and vocally, as she struts, leers, and pratfalls the plausible character of a frustrated matronly duchess hilariously brandishing her father's sabre and trying without much success to seduce the handsome young soldiers in her pet army. A virtuoso performance both musically and comically. The other singers, the orchestra, and its enthusiastic conductor also score points. The lavish big-stage production, though a bit complicated, seems authentically Offenbachian in its controlled-chaotic nonsensicality. This show is an obvious precursor of the Marx Brothers' Duck Soup, complete with its own (singing) Margaret Dumont.