Beautiful Elena Comic opera in two acts by Jacques Offenbach

Libretto by Henri Mayak and Louis Alevi

Production Conductor -
YULY DAMYANOV
Production Director -
ALEXANDER TEKELIEV
Set design - BORIS STOYNOV
Costume Designer - TSVETANKA PETKOVA-STOYNOVA
Choir Conductor  - NEVENA MIHAILOVA
Choreography - Grisha ROGLEV
Concertmaster - JORDAN KOVACHEV
Assistant Director - DARINA GLAVANAKOVA-BAKARDJIEVA
Prompter - DORA FARTUNOVA

                                                                            

Concealers:

STANKA ARGIROVA-APOSTOLOVA, OLGA DICHEVA, BILIANA GEORGIEVA, MARGARITA PETRANOVA, MIGLENA SLAVOVA

 

Production associates:

Head of production and theater master -  Ivan Furtunov

Head of artistic lighting - KIRIL KARADIMOV

Head of the sewing studio - KITCHKA GROZEVA

Seamstresses - KITCHKA GROZEV, MAGDA GALCHEV, DIMKA RUSEVA

Wardrobe manager - DIMKA RUSEVA

HAIR AND MAKE - Nadezhda TANEVA

Artistic sounding by Veselin Penchev

Multimedia and photo studio - NEDELKO BAMBEKOV

Advertising and Public Relations - YANITA VODENICHAROVA

            The premiere of "Pretty Helena" takes place on December 17, 1864, at the Paris Variety Theater with Hortens Schneider and Jose Dupuis in the lead roles, and is an instant success for both audiences and music critics. Everyone loves her so much and enjoys it - a truly unprecedented event! - it is played 700 times in a row. The premiere of "The Beautiful Helena" in Vienna (1865), Berlin (1865), London (1866) and Chicago - a year later, in 1867.

            A series of performances of the work has also taken place at the New York Opera - since April 13, 1871.

 

Actors

Paris, son of King Troy Priam

Menelaus, king of Sparta

Elena, queen of Sparta, wife of Menelaus

Mecroquius, the messenger god

Juno, Queen of the Olympic Gods, wife of Jupiter

Venus, goddess of love

Minerva, goddess of wisdom, science, crafts, and war

Kalhas, Grand Priest of Zeus

Agamemnon, King of kings

Orestes, son of Agamemnon

Achilles, hero of Thessaly, king of Phthiotis

Ajax I, king of Salamis

Ajax II, king of Lokrinas

Filocom, a servant of Calhas

Bacchis, Helen's maid

Parthenis, courtesan

Laena, courtesan

 

Summary:

            The holiday of god Adonis in Sparta. The people bring their gifts to the temple, and Queen Elena comes to ask Adonis to donate her with love. The High Priest Kalhas also greets Agamemnon's son Orestes, along with his merry company.

            Helena listens dreamily to the Grand Priest's predictions - a young shepherd will descend from Mount Ida, whom the young queen will love. The prediction comes true, but does it happen without Kalhas' intervention?

            On Mount Ida, the three goddesses Minerva, Juno and Venus are arguing which one is the most beautiful. Mercury summons Paris, Priam's son, King of Troy, sent by his father nearby to feed his flocks. He gives the young shepherd a golden apple - a reward for the most beautiful goddess and forces him to settle the dispute. Paris ignores the power and power promised to him by Minerva and Juno and chooses Venus to give him the love of the most beautiful woman on earth. This is Queen Elena!

            Paris yearns to see her, and when Calhas introduces her to him, a passionate love immediately ignites between them.

            On the sacrifice, Menelaus dares not kill the sacrificial animal. Paris performs the ritual and reveals himself - he is not a simple shepherd, but Priam's son.

            Paris asks Calhas to remove Menelaus in a day or two. The great diviner suddenly hears the prophetic message from heaven with the help of the "magical thunder" of his servant Philocom - Menelaus must go to Crete right there to sacrifice an angry Zeus there.

            Menelaus is in Crete, and otherwise the "worthy" queen Elena finds it increasingly difficult to preserve her family honor. Sparta's entire select society of Calves with Calhas rejoices in the midst of much wine and laughter, and Elena falls asleep quietly in her bedroom, begging the Grand Priest to make Paris appear to her.

            And with the help of Calhas, Paris "recognizes" her. Elena herself does not realize whether this is a dream or not. However, they both have to rush to "wake up" because unexpectedly Menelaus is coming. He tries to make a scene, but he becomes guilty according to public opinion because he has not previously warned his wife when he will arrive home.

            Calhas sees the situation as a convenient occasion to satisfy the wishes of the warlike kings. In vain are Menelaus's efforts to avert the scandal - Elena will leave him anyway, leave with Paris and thus start a new war - the Trojan!