La bonne d'enfant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Operas by Jacques Offenbach |
|---|
Ba-ta-clan (1855) |
La bonne d'enfant (The Nanny) is an opéra bouffe, or operetta, in one act by Jacques Offenbach to a French libretto by Eugène Bercioux.
It was first performed at the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens, Paris on 14 October 1856. Offenbach's early operettas were small-scale one-act works, since the law in France limited musical theatre works (other than grand opera) to one-act pieces with no more than three singers and, perhaps, some mute characters.[1] In 1858, this law was changed, and Offenbach was able to offer full-length operettas, beginning with Orpheus in the Underworld.
[edit] Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, October 14, 1856 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Dorothée, a nanny | soprano | |
| Farfouilla, a chimneysweep | tenor | |
| Mitouflard, a fireman | bass |
[edit] Synopsis
Dorothée is tired of being a nanny and wants to marry to become the mistress of her own house. She has two suitors: Mitouflard, the fireman and Farfouilla, the chimneysweep. During an evening when her employers are out of the house, both gentlemen try convince her to marry them, which leads to a number of comic situations. She ends up deciding to marry the trumpetter of the Royal Dragoons, but tells her suitors that she will invite them to her wedding.
