Description: Staged and costumed by Laurent Pelly, this production Offenbach’s parody of the origins of the Trojan War is a supreme manifestation of his comic genius. It combines a musically superb performance with a stream of visual humour that flows from Pelly’s core idea that the action all takes place in the imagination of a sleeping, sex-starved, suburban housewife. Dame Felicity Lott is magnificent as the woman who dreams of being the most beautiful woman in the world. The production explodes with gaiety and invention throughout and "is as innocently filthy as only the French can manage" (The Times). Lott adds an undeniable elegance and sings with "Mozartian refinement" (Herald Tribune).
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - A Charmer
I don't know why it took me so long to acquire "Helene" on DVD since I have had a CD of it for many years. Recollecting initial reviews were all positive, I can only chalk it up to inertia. Well, I was ... Read More
Rating: - la Belle Helene
Some reviewers are fixated on the fact that Dame Feliciy Lott is too old and not beautiful enough to be Helen. But how many Brunnhildes could mount a horse without breaking its back? She makes good choices ... Read More
Rating: - ridiculous comments on Felicity Lott's age
I saw the operette only in live performance - and was very impressed.
Reading the comments here on amazon.com left me rather shocked by how much the public is fixated on age (a match between their phantasy ... Read More
Rating: - Delightful Belle Helene
Certainly the best Helene I've seen on DVD with almost perfect sound, this production lives up to this style of social satire of upper crust Belle Epoque French society, where an enraged husband's wrath upon finding ... Read More
Rating: - Great ! ! !
This is a wonderful production. Felicity Lott lost some of her past vocal quality, but she is an amazing comic actress and the concept of the production suits her admirably. The rest of the cast is outstanding too. Minkowski ... Read More
- A Charmer