Orphee aux Enfers (2023)

21 May ’23 > 22 June ’23
Orphée aux Enfers

Info

Shameless, hilarious and a little cheeky! In the comic opera Orphée aux Enfers, master satirist Jacques Offenbach gives the classical myth a twist. 

Eurydice hates Orfeo’s music, rejects her bourgeois life and travels to the underworld with her lover Pluto. The gods, bored with their rich and powerful lives, decide to follow Eurydice. Their appearance in the underworld eventually leads to an extravagant, cheerful and liberating party.

After the success of Fantasio (2019), Benjamin Prins is again directing an opera by Offenbach at Opera Zuid. Orphée aux Enfers is a parody of antiquity and shows the conflict between hell and paradise. The magic of the gods fits in seamlessly with the vibrant music of Offenbach. ‘The music is vulnerable like a bubble and extremely extravagant.’ Under the direction of Benjamin Prins, the opera is not only set in antiquity, but the piece also responds to current events. “I’m going to play with timelines.” With a trip to the 18th century, a nod to politicians from the 21st century and so we return to the Athenian Acropolis in ancient times.

Not only Prince returns to Opera Zuid. Conductor Enrico Delamboye and cast members such as Francis van Broekhuizen and Anna Emelianova also join in to turn it into a biting satire with lively melodies, enamored mortals and disguised gods.

Orphée aux Enfers is performed in French with Dutch and English surtitles.

Read the Orphée aux Enfers program booklet here. View all biographies of the cast & creatives here.

Cast

Eurydice Amel Brahim-Djelloul
Pluton Mark Omvlee
Jupiter Roger Smeets
Junon Francis van Broekhuizen
Orphée Mathys Lagier
Bacchus/Opinion Publique Thomas Morris
Mercure Jeroen de Vaal
Diane Anna Emelianova
John Styx Olivier Hernandez
Vénus Marina Ruiz
Cupidon Sophie Collin
Apollon Tom Jansen
Dance captain Gijs Hanegraaf
Danser Matteo Esposito
Danser Rolf Kuijpers
Danser Dorota Nowak
Danser Clara Esteban

Creatives

Director Benjamin Prins
Musical director Enrico Delamboye
Set design Marloes en Wikke
Costume design Marrit van der Burgt
Choreography Willy Laury
Light design Julian Maiwald
Wig design Pilo Pilkes
Choir Theaterkoor Opera Zuid
Orchestra philharmonie zuidnederland

Media

‘Orphée aux Enfers by Opera Zuid is a true opera party. We don’t celebrate that often in the Netherlands.’

‘Opera Zuid makes Offenbach’s witty descent into hell brim with pleasure’

“Orphée aux Enfers as a contemporary distorting mirror”

NRC

‘Offenbach’s satire aptly drips with tickling kitsch’

‘It has become a great show with exuberant music full of quotes and parodies by the South Netherlands Philharmonic under conductor Enrico Delamboye.’

‘Orphée aux Enfers by Opera Zuid is one of those productions where you can say with certainty that everyone on stage, in the orchestra and in the concert hall thoroughly enjoys it. It is a musical party in which there is a lot of laughter and which makes everyone a bit happier and happier.’

‘But what opéra bouffe does offer a company with an adventurous director is the chance to let their hair down, to have some fun. And fun is the word that would describe OperaZuid’s splendid Orphée aux Enfers’

‘Eurydice au timbre charnu, dont chacun des airs est un enchantement’

‘The opera operetta is light-hearted and attractive because of the kinky costumes and wigs and the convincing rendition of the strong, timeless melodies.’

‘Francis van Broekhuizen will soon play at Opera Zuid’

‘Bariton Roger Smeets returns to Opera Zuid as Jupiter’

‘Sopraan Francis van Broekhuizen zorgt met Opera Zuid voor avond vol vermaak in de onderwereld’

Photo

Video

playlist

Thu 1.12.2022
20:00

Heerlen
PLT

Fri 19.05.2023
19:00

Eindhoven

Try-out

Sun 21.05.2023
14:30

Eindhoven

Premiere

Tue 23.05.2023
20:15

Tilburg

Thu 25.05.2023
19:30

Maastricht
Theater aan het Vrijthof

Sat 27.05.2023
20:15

Venlo

Tue 30.05.2023
20:00

Den Haag

Thu 1.06.2023
20:00

Breda

Tue 6.06.2023
20:15

Amersfoort

Thu 8.06.2023
20:00

Heerlen
PLT

Sat 10.06.2023
20:00

Sittard

Tue 13.06.2023
20:00

Utrecht

SOLD OUT

Thu 15.06.2023
20:00

Valkenburg

Sat 17.06.2023
20:00

Soest

Thu 22.06.2023

's-Hertogenbosch