Performance History
The first performance of the two-act, opéra bouffe version took place at the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens in Paris on 21 October 1858 and ran for an initial 228 performances. It then returned to the stage a few weeks later, after the cast had had a rest. For the Vienna production of 1860, Carl Binder provided an overture that became famous, beginning with its bristling fanfare, followed by a tender love song, a dramatic passage, a complex waltz, and, finally, the renowned Can-can music.
The piece then played in German at the Stadt Theatre, on Broadway, beginning in March, 1861. Next, it had a run of 76 performances at Her Majesty's Theatre, in London, beginning on 26 December 1865, in an adaptation by J. R. Planché.
A four-act version, designated as an opéra féerie, was first performed at the Théâtre de la Gaîté on 7 February 1874. (This has proved less popular over time than the original two act version.)
Sadler's Wells opera presented an English version by Geoffrey Dunn beginning on 16 May 1960. In the 1980s, English National Opera staged the opera freely translated into English by Snoo Wilson with David Pountney. The production was notable for its satirical portrayal of the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as the character Public Opinion. The first performance was at the Coliseum Theatre in London on 5 September 1985. The revived D'Oyly Carte Opera Company performed the work in the 1990s.
Read more about this topic: Orpheus In The Underworld
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