Amusez-vous: Jacques Offenbach

Paris in the 1860s was more like an operetta than operetta itself could ever be. It seemed as if all of Paris was caught up in a frenzy of revelry. Right in the thick of it: Jacques Offenbach, the forefather of operetta, who made his mark in Parisian show business as an entertainer and top producer and held up a mirror to the public every day with his satirical entertainment spectacles. But just as today, this extravagant and decadent party lifestyle was celebrated at the cost of exploitation. Who plays the game of power, money, and influence—and what role does show business play in it?
Monika Gintersdorfer explores these questions with her transnational dance and theater group La Fleur and the Freiburg ensemble, who bring the operetta to life through dance—from the can-can to Afrobeats. They all trace the rebellious spirit of the operetta, which even today continues to throw the radical idea of freedom into the mix.

Operetta revue by La Fleur with music by Jacques Offenbach, Timor Litzenberger, and Vetcho Lolas. In German and French. World premiere