May 5, 2005
Bored gods, high satire in lively opera
The UW School of Music’s spring opera, Orphee aux Enfers (Orpheus in the Underworld), will be presented next week in Meany Theater. Written by Jacques Offenbach in 1858, it is a comic operetta with a decidedly satiric wit.
According to director Claudia Zahn, Orpheus “is a rollicking sendup of the classical Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, as well as French opera, theater, sex, politics, the dysfunctional family, and just about anything else you can think of.”
The plot is based on the myth of Orpheus being permitted to retrieve his deceased wife Eurydice from Hades on condition that on the way back he shall not turn around and look at her. In the myth, Orpheus’ love proves too strong: he does turn around and loses her forever.
In Offenbach’s version, Orpheus and Eurydice are unhappily married. Orpheus is overjoyed when he finds out that Pluto has carried off his wife to the underworld. However, under pressure of Public Opinion — an actual character in the show — he decides to implore the gods to restore her to him. The gods on Mount Olympus are bored stiff with everlasting bliss and beg Jupiter to take them on an outing to the underworld.
In Hades the gods have a wonderful time, quaffing wine instead of nectar and dancing the cancan. In the meantime, Jupiter (disguised as a fly) tries to seduce Eurydice. In the end, Eurydice is turned into a bacchante and presented to the god of wine, more or less to everybody’s satisfaction.
“The opera’s theme remains accessible and relevant to a modern audience,” Zahn said. “It shows that some things never change.”
And, she added, the show’s tunes are “sparkling, like a glass of French champagne. What could be better than that?”
The UW production features songs sung in French, with dialogue in English. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. May 11 and 13 and at 3 p.m. May 15. Tickets are $20 ($15 for students and seniors) and are available at the Arts Ticket Office, 206-543-4880.
