LA VIE PARISIENNE
OPÉRA-BOUFFE IN FIVE ACTS BY JACQUES OFFENBACH
FIRST ACT
SECOND ACT
THIRD ACT
FOURTH ACT
FIFTH ACT
PHOTOS © Barbara Pálffy / Volksoper Wien 2015
PRODUCTION
Volksoper Wien
intendant: Robert Meyer
première: 21 february 2015
conductor: Sébastien Rouland
stage director / set design: Michiel Dijkema
costume design: Claudia Damm
light design: Wolfgang Könnyü
choreography: Bohdana Szivacz
dramaturgy: Christoph Wagner-Trenkwitz
Baronin von Gondermark: Caroline Melzer/ Ursula Pfitzner
Baron von Gondermark: Kurt Schreibmayer/ Morten Frank Larsen
Raoul de Gardefeu: Daniel Prohaska/ Alexander Pinderak
Bobinet Chicard: Rasmus Borkowski / Michael Havlicek
Metella: Annely Peebo / Siphiwe McKenzie
Gabrielle: Elisabeth Schwarz / Jasmina Sakr
Jean Frick: Christian Drescher / Roman Martin
Pompa di Matadores: Boris Pfeifer
Pauline: Johanna Arrouas / Claudia Goebl
Mme Quimper-Karadec: Helga Papouschek
Mme de Folle-Verdure: Sulie Girardi
Urbain: Thomas Zisterer
Prosper: Karl-Michael Ebner
Joseph: Franz Suhrada
Gontran Chaumière: Gernot Kranner
Alfred: Georg Wacks
Conducteur de camion: Samuel Colombet
Employée Gare du Nord: Susanne Litschauer
orchestra and chorus of the Volksoper Wien
Wiener Staatsballett
extras of the Volksoper Wien
PRESS QUOTES
“virtuoso and exuberant new production”
Thanks to director Michiel Dijkema La Vie Parisienne juggles eye winking with clichés, which even brings more depth. [...] a virtuoso and exuberant new production
Die Presse
“energetic personenregie”
Dijkema’s “Paris” is convincing to a great extent, thanks to the lively choreography and the energetic personenregie, accompanied by some excellent acting skills
Wiener Zeitung
“the première [...] polarized because of present-day references”
The première of La Vie Parisienne a week ago [...] polarized because of present-day references
Der Neue Merker
“very modern [...] sociocritical”
Leadersnet
“old fashioned [...] dusty”
Salzburg24
“Dijkema shows he is a solid storyteller”
Dijkema shows he is a solid storyteller with experienced slapstick-reflexes. [...] An audience success
Der Standard
“charming episodes over and over [...] perfectly coherent”
[…] stage-director Michiel Dijkema, who as conductor Sébastien Rouland celebrated his Volksoper debut with La Vie Parisienne, created charming episodes over and over. [...] All in all, the current Pariser Leben at the Volksoper is a perfectly coherent way to stage this operetta.
Kleine Zeitung
“Here rules the sledge hammer.”
Here rules the sledge hammer. [...] inadequate attempt, to frantically place Offenbach into the modern days
Kurier
“without damaging the work”
the staging develops a form of indirect speech, which reflects also upon theatre history. [...] Dijkema tries to transpose everything, which Meilhac/Halévy brought up, without damaging the work.
NMZ
“turbulent picture-perfect trip of moderate-frisky frivolity”
Michiel Dijkema presented a turbulent picture-perfect trip of moderate-frisky frivolity
Oberösterreichische Nachrichten
“much jubilation [...] with an assured sense of style”
Last Saturday the première of La Vie Parisienne was received with much jubilation. [...] Michiel Dijkema has staged this absurd-grotesque piece [...] with an assured sense of style and with tasteful costumes on a noble blue revolving stage
Österreich
“conceptually well-thought-out [...] hilarious ideas”
funny and conceptually well-thought-out [...] hilarious ideas [... ] Friends of Paris, Offenbach and contemporary interpretation of operettas really get their money’s worth.
Bachtrack
“fun, high-spirited and decidedly slick”
Dijkema’s elegant, fluid staging was a perfect match for the flighty rhythm and infectious tunes of the operetta. Dijkema had plenty of clever ideas to keep the audience entertained in spite of the work’s razor-thin plot [...] fun, high-spirited and decidedly slick
Opera News
“lifted to the height of our present”
The stage director distinctively emphasizes the artificiality of the Parisian Life he is offering. A balancing act: On the one hand, the work benefits from a sufficient dose of patina for reasons of musical style. At the same time it wants to be lifted to the height of our present.
Österreichische Musikzeitschrift (ÖMZ) 02/2015