28^th Festival Season - 2007

Bluebeard

By: Jacques Offenbach

Premiere: Théâtre des Varitétés, Paris 5 February 1866

The nobleman Bluebeard has chosen the charming country girl Boulotte as his wife, although, unbeknownst to her, he had ordered his alchemist Popolani to dispose of five previous wives. After meeting the long-lost Princess Hermia, who has just become engaged to her admirer, Prince Saphir, Bluebeard decides that he no longer has use for Boulotte and seeks Hermia as his spouse. He requests that Popolani dispose of his current wife in the same manner as the previous ones. In his cave, the alchemist administers to her a vial of poison, whose quick effect convinces Bluebeard that that he is once again a bachelor. Popolani, in fact, has murdered no one—with the help of a mechanical device, he awakens all the wives. Bluebeard, meanwhile, has put a stop to the wedding of Saphir and Hermia and taken her as his seventh wife. The revived six wives, disguised as gypsies to get his attention, expose the evils of Bluebeard, who, although repentant, is dragged home by Boulotte to live unhappily ever after.

In a musical score and comical text that bubble with burlesque gaiety, Offenbach and his librettists have turned a gruesome 1697 fairy tale into a frothy romp that will keep the audience in stitches.

Production Team
Conductor	Michael Borowitz
Director	Stephen Carr
Choreographer	Carol Hageman
Set Designer	Richard Traubner
Costume Designer	Myron Elliott
Lighting Designer	Krystal Kennel

Cast
Boulotte	Jessie Wright Martin
Queen Clementine	Sahara Glasener-Boles
Princess Hermia/Fleurette	Betha Christopher
Previous Wives of Bluebeard
H&eactue;loïse	Kathryn McCreary
Él&eactue;onore	Amanda Kingston
Isaure	Kemper LeCroy-Florin
Rosalinde	Amanda Opuszynski
Blanche	Laura Riggs
Bluebeard	Peter Foltz
King Bobèche	Gary Moss
Count Oscar	Patrick Howle
Popolani	Jacob Allen
Prince Saphir	Michael Denos
Alvarez	Anthony Buck
Notary	Spiro Matsos
Pages	Diana Becker Danielle Knox
Child	Karla Hughes
Soldiers	Anthony Buck Todd Strange Brian Tanner David Kelleher-Flight
Porteurs	Jack Beetle Josh Kohl Joey Lenehan Paul Hindemith