When he moves from operetta to opéra-comique, Jacques Offenbach loses none of his fantasy. His Robinson Crusoeinvites us to laugh at everything and to delight in its vocal and musical wit, while also savoring the elegance of the “little Mozart of the Champs-Élysées.”

One can trust director Laurent Pelly, well acquainted with Offenbach’s world, to subvert, like many before and after him, the legend of Robinson Crusoe. The composer sought to mock exoticism and the British taste for colonialism taken to excess. These questions still resonate today: where do we feel most alone, if not among others? Where, and who, are today’s pirates and savages? A true delight, though not without touches of tenderness and nostalgia, carried by the ever-lively pen of an Offenbach ready to let loose.

As a reminder, for the performances on Sunday 10 May and Sunday 31 May, Angers Nantes Opéra offers a free on-site childcare service, in partnership with Kangourou Kids.