Orphée Aux Enfers

From the Dramaturgy Note

“As an adaptation of a classic Greek myth, Offenbach naturally baked elements of the Greek tragedies into this opera, including the chorus that acted as a collective voice to provide insight and emotional reactions to the audience for the action onstage. Hailing from the Greek dythramb, a choral hymn sung about gods and heroes, these odes served as a rhythmic bridge of social commentary between the performers and the audience. Offenbach took a different approach, however, with his version of the chorus; instead of a collective, it is a singular character, specifically named Public Opinion. Myths explore themes of moral and ethical dilemmas. Between the hubris and hamartia of the tragic heroes and heroines and gods manipulating mortal lives, these chanted or sung conversations were central to understanding the mythology. In Jacques Offenbach’s Orphée aux Enfers, Public Opinion (as an adapted Greek Chorus) acts as the voice of reason or the conscience that frames, moderates and influences the action. Or at least is a voice that attempts to rein in the excess represented by Orpheus’ languid dismissal of his wife’s betrayal and exposes the hedonistic and mercurial nature of the ruling Olympus elite. The choice to personify this conscience as a singular individual rising up against patriarchal order in such a satirical landscape plays into the hilarity of the peeling back the glamour (and gender identity) of those in power. We may see one person but within their voice is a critique of societal convention or perhaps a warning to power that strength lies in the unexpected. 

Towards the finale, the Cancan dance with its iconic music is shown. Originating from the working class of 1820s Paris, the “Cancan” started as a partner dance or a quadrille. In the partnering version, the Cancan took after the galop and the polka and did not allow for improvisation. Eventually, men started to break-off and perform about a minute of solo improvisational dance. As time went on, women took the center stage with these moments, or cancans. The Cancan was not merely a dance but a cultural phenomenon that embodied themes of female empowerment and personal freedom. While the Cancan was focused on female liberation in the 19th century, we can now view it in a more intersectional lens. This means including marginalized communities, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ in the conversation of liberation through the art of dance. Ending this iconic opera with a crowd pleasing dance that celebrates life and the liberation of identity reminds us that there is purpose behind the satirical take on power and glamour; it highlights that beneath the veneer of societal conventions and grandiosity, everyone has the fundamental human desire for freedom, self-expression, and agency.”

Because Offenbach carved liberation through flouting the conventional opera of his time, in this opera bouffe, he chose to portray Public Opinion as a mezzo-soprano and as a female-identifying individual. He gave the voice of the collective Greek Chorus, originally comprised of only male actors, to someone who historically was not given a voice. In a similar vein, this opera satirizes the institution of marriage, portraying it as a source of unhappiness and an obvious path for infidelity. Characters such as Venus and Eurydice actively pursue romantic fulfillment outside of their ‘stations.’ This emphasis on female agency aligns with emerging feminist ideas of the time, as well as Offenbach’s desire to overturn entrenched social orders as the libretto narrates from the perspectives of Eurydice and Public Opinion and portrays women who make their own choices in matters of love, relationships and sexuality.

Photos: Peter Smith